How NOT to spend all your money this holiday

Don't break your piggy bank completely

Budget

• Write down your budget and make sure you will be able to meet all your usual financial obligations like your bond and car repayments, rates, and debit orders.
• Use only what is left for gifts and entertainment.
• Start buying your gifts and decorations now so that you can spread the cost over two months.
• Planning a holiday at the sea? Have a look at some affordable self-catering holiday units in the Garden Route.

Pace yourself

Most of us get paid early in December and there is always the temptation to spend your January money during the festive season. But this will mean that you can’t pay your bills and guarantees a bad start to the New Year.

Put away the money you will need for your January expenses, or pay your January bills early.

Stick to cash

• Work out how much you can afford to spend on gifts and stick to it.
• Put the money you plan on spending into an envelope and make sure this is all you have on you to spend. This will help you avoid the temptation of using your credit card once you’re in the shops.
• Do your shopping early so you are not rushed and pressurized into spending more than you initially budgeted for.

Be innovative

When it comes to gifts, think about small luxuries that people have stopped buying for themselves during these tough times, like a bunch of flowers or bath salts.

If your family is going to get together for a celebratory meal, let each family member contribute to the meal as their gift.

Have a serious look at your current expenses. For example, can you still aford your current rent or do you need to consider down scaling?

Be generous

The economy is struggling to recover so even if you are feeling the pinch there are others who are struggling to put a meal on the table. Give donations like food, clothing and toys to those in need so they can also feel the spirit of giving.

Original article

Running and cycling events in Mossel Bay this December

Some of the action at the Grabadoo

No fewer than four great running and cycling events will ensure plenty of sweaty entertainment for budding athletes visiting the Garden Route this summer.

The Grootbrak Grabadoo, which has become something of an Old Year’s tradition in Mossel Bay, and which will celebrate its ninth anniversary this year, will take place on 31 December, while the Kleynfontein 6-Hour MTB Relay will be raced on 17 December, the Wreck Challenge on 23 December, and the Pepper Tree Trail Run on 30 December.

“Mossel Bay has always had a tradition of great summer entertainment, and these events add an exciting edge to the programme,” said Marcia Holm of Mossel Bay Tourism.

“Cycling and running are growing sports – and, indeed, mountain biking has really taken off in Mossel Bay in the last year, and it’s interesting to see the relatively new discipline of trail running coming onto our calendar.” Cycling has taken off so much in Mossel Bay that Mossel Bay Tourism recently published a very handy “Cycling in Mosel Bay” map.

“With its mixture of beaches, fynbos, farmlands, conservation areas and mountains, Mossel Bay is the ideal venue for endurance sports – and these events will provide wonderful opportunities for the whole family to explore what we have to offer,” she said.

The Grootbrak Grabadoo (Saturday, 31 December 7:00 a.m. at the Pepper Tree Restaurant in Great Brak River) includes road cycling (20 and 40 km routes), mountain biking, (15, 35, and 70 km) and 4.8 and 9.6 km walking and road running routes. Entries take place on the day of the event at 06:00, and pre-entries will be accepted at the Pepper Tree Restaurant on 30 December from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

All entrants will receive goodie bags featuring Mitchum products and a local magazine, and all finishers will receive medals.

The Wreck Challenge (Friday 23 December at 07:00 a.m. at Glentana Main Beach) will include a beach run to the wreck of the floating dry dock (1902), with a 2 km Beach Dash for children of nine years and younger (who may be accompanied by their parents), and also for children of 9 to 11 years. There’ll be a 4 km run for children of 12 to 14, and in the open and fun categories (which can be raced singularly or in teams of two), 2 km and 8.4 km runs, and a 32 km cycle route.

The 8.4 km trail run will traverse the beach and a number of hills and single tracks, with technical challenges over rocks and jeep track.

Entry forms can be downloaded from www.trisport.co.za, and late entries will be accepted at Glentana Main Beach from 5:00 to 6:30 a.m. on the day of the race.

The Kleynfontein 6-Hour MTB Relay (Saturday 17 December at 2:00 p.m. at the Kleynfontein Bush Lapa, near Great Brak River) will see solo riders and teams of two and four racing to see how many laps of a course they can complete in six hours. The course will be set out in the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains, and the day will end with entertainment, a bonfire and an open bar in the lapa.

The Pepper Tree Trail Run (Friday, 30 December at 7:00 a.m. at the Pepper Tree Restaurant in Great Brak River) will be raced over 5 and 10 km.

Entries for both the Kleynfontein 6-Hour MTB Relay and the Pepper Tree Trail Run can be made on line at www.southerncrossadventure.co.za. Accommodation for all runners, cyclists, family and friends can be arranged by Terblanche Property.

More information:

• Garden Route holiday accommodation: Annemarie Stander, 083 557 8908; www.ttps.co.za
• Grootbrak Grabadoo: Mimi Finestone, 084 583 3144;  www.facebook.com/interfacebyGOJI
• Pepper Tree Trail Run & Kleynfontein 6-Hour MTB Relay: Landie Visser, 082 820 9488; www.southerncrossadventure.co.za
• The Wreck Challenge: Sonja Terblanche-Otto, 082 579 7595; www.trisport.co.za

Original article

A view from the top

Looking for a place to call your own in Hartenbos? Do you want the great family home close to the sea? Are you looking for space, views and low maintenance?

Check out this video of this wonderful home in Hartenbos Heuwels. For more information, read this. Contact us today to arrange a viewing

Winner of our first Coastal Holiday Competition announced!

After two months and sifting through a whole mountain of entries, we finally got a winner this week. Yes, the winner of our first – but certainly not last – Coastal Holiday Competition is Marone Ackermann from Johannesburg. Congratulations! We know Marone and her husband, Keith, will have the time of their lives. Their prize includes:

*) 4 nights luxury accommodation for Marone and Keith in an award-winning sea-facing holiday apartment in Nautica. We’re talking flat-screen TV, DVD player, soft lush beds and en-suite bathrooms, glorious sea views from their balcony etc.
*) Dinner vouchers for 2 people at some of the great restaurants (Dros, Kingfisher) in Mossel Bay.
*) A four-ball golf game at Mossel Bay Golf Estate where they will play golf with a fantastic sea view.
*) A cultural Meet-the-People tour sponsored by Back Road Safaris. This is an amazing tour where Jauckie Viljoen (the tour operator) shows Marone and Keith some of the best-kept secrets of Mossel Bay and its people. It ranges from an Israeli who brews the best coffee in the Garden Route in his own roastery to a 7th generation oyster farmer who teaches you all about the oyster trade while you munch away on some of the best oysters you will ever eat.
*) A wonderful trip to Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary where Jurg Olsen and his wife Karen will show them face to face how to feed lions, tigers, hyenas, wild dogs and many more.
*) A boat trip around Seal Island
*) A trip to Diaz Museum where Marone and Keith will see and learn about Mossel Bay, argued to be the origin of modern man, and its rich history

This is only the first of many exciting competitions we will launch so you will have many opportunities to win with Terblanche Property Solutions. Watch this space or our website for details.

Holiday competition update

What a few weeks it has been at Terblanche Total Property Solutions. We have launched our exciting garden Route coastal holiday competition at the beginning of September. The response has been overwhelming! It seems many people are (a) dreaming about a holiday at the coast, and (b) we have more clients and loyal supporters than we could ever imagine.

Of course, we are very excited about this all. In an effort to give as many people as possible an opportunity to enter the coastal holiday competition, we decided to extend the deadline of the competition to 31 October 2008. The winner will be announced on our website and in this blog by 14 November 2008.

Make sure to enter today. You can also follow this and other interesting developments on our Facebook Group. Drop in and say hi. We’re looking forward to meeting you.

Win a holiday for four in sunny Mossel Bay!

So there you are, sitting at your desk, looking aimlessly at the computer screen, reading the same sentence again for the fourth time now. It’s time for a break, isn’t it? Well, we want to give you a reason to smile. How about a break in the sunny Mossel Bay with your family or three of your mates?

We have just launched a fantastic competition on our new Facebook Group. By dealing with us, we always guarantee you a professional, winning experience so be sure to join our Facebook Group. However, we would also like to give you a holiday for MAHALA – FREE – GRATIS. We see this as our effort to help keep inflation in check. All you have to do is to enter here and stand a chance of winning an all-inclusive holiday break for four in Mossel Bay worth thousands! You will live in the lap of luxury for four glorious days and nights and wake up with a breathtaking sea view every day. On top of that we will add a luxury game drive, a full-day excursion during which you will experience local culture and people, a visit to one of the best wild cat reserves in South Africa, free meals at some of the best restaurants and even a golf game at one of the renowned Garden Route golf courses.

For more details and competition rules, visit our competition page and remember to tell your friends about it. If they also enter, you get another entry for each friend referred by you.

Enter now!