YOUR LOGO COULD BE HERE!
CONTACT A BOARD MEMBER FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BENEFITS
OF SUPPORTING ASID MICHIGAN!

We are always looking for locations to host our next event or CEU or board meeting! Please contact Communications Director Brittany Walsh ( Walshb.id@gmail.com) to be put on our list of event hosts and for more information.
July NEWSLETTER
Volume 3 Issue 7
Monthly Social Events!
ASID Michigan starts monthly FREE Social Gatherings around town

Tuesday, July 14th | 5:30 PM

ASID Michigan Industry Night: SPONSORED BY LUNADA BAY 


Each month, ASID Michigan has arranged with some of it's wonderful area partners to sponsor social events around the state and Metro-Detroit highlighting the boom of new restaurants popping up all around town.

Please reserve your seat ahead of time, the event is fully sponsored by our industry partners- so there is no cost to our members!

Continue to check back our website and our Facebook page for each month's sponsor and location information


ASID Michigan Industry Nights List of sponsors and dates

July 14th sponsored by: Lunada Bay
August 11th sponsored by: Sherwin-Williams and Protect Painters
September 8th sponsored by: Blakely Products
October 13th sponsored by: Nieddu Draperies
November 10th sponsored by: Stay Tuned!
December 8th sponsored by: Stay Tuned!
 

  

 

TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asid-michigan-industry-night-tickets     

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/899906200069632/  

A Note From Your Financial Director
Rebecca Luckhardt, Industry Partner

Greetings from your financial director!

   We have officially entered the summer season, school is out, the Independence Day holiday is looming around the corner, and travel plans are likely in the books. As a frequent traveler (mostly short business trips or weekend getaways) it's important to me to be savvy with my spending.

   One of my most useful tricks is simply mentioning that I am a AAA card carrier. This has gotten me discounts at hotels, the occasional Trip Tick (before the days of GPS systems) and even discounts on equipment and clothes before-hand (at select stores). I'm also a big meal planner. Whenever I have the opportunity to pack and bring my own lunch, I do. This helps ensure I'm using the groceries in my fridge that would otherwise go to waste and it prevents me from splurging on that tempting Cinabun at the airport. Food Tripping is an app that I will use to find local organic grocers, restaurants, and farmers markets in a given city. There are even apps for finding the cheapest gas, checking your flight status, or counting down to your big travel day. 

   Below is an excerpt on quick ways to save for your summer travel plans. Or follow the link for the full article. Let me know your favorite travel apps next time we meet!

 

Happy trails until then, Rebecca


 


8 last-minute ways to save for vacation

By Teri Cettina * Bankrate.com

 

 In a perfect world, we'd all have fully funded vacation accounts to pay for our annual family getaways. The reality: Most of us are just now starting to think about this summer's vacation. Here are some fast-track ways to save for your big trip.

1. Start with a spending plan

Decide upfront how much you'll spend on your vacation. Get specific.

Along with plane tickets (or gas, if you're driving) and hotel prices, guesstimate costs for meals, souvenirs, and park or museum admissions. Total it all up. If the number sends you into shock, cut back on costs -- now, on paper -- until you feel comfortable with what you're spending. If money is really tight, consider a couple of long weekend trips instead of one "dream" vacation this summer.

2. Sacrifice now for fun later

Do you belong to a health club or subscribe to a service (such as cable or satellite TV, a cell phone plan, etc.) that you no longer use, or could easily downgrade?

"Drop the service now and stash the money away for your family's summer vacation," says Kim Danger, founder of Mommysavers.com. Also consider cutting back for a few months on nonessentials like kids' dance lessons, your weekly Pilates classes, your husband's trips to the batting cage or your family's monthly movie-rental service.

Remember: You're just trading today's fun for the fun you'll have during your vacation. Move what you normally would have spent on these items into your vacation fund. Ideally, that would be a special savings account or an easy-to-track category within your larger savings account.

3. Build cash with a 'Pantry Week'

For one week each month, from now until your trip, stay out of the grocery store and eat only what you have in your house. Mary Hunt, founder and editor of Debtproofliving.com and author of "Live Your Life for Half the Price," calls this quick money-raising challenge the "Pantry Week."

Make it fun by pretending you're on a deserted island and can only eat what you have in the pantry. What unusual meals can the kids suggest? "Most families have more staples in their cupboards than they realize," says Hunt. And guess what? It's actually OK to eat peanut butter and jelly for dinner one night.

4. Eat out less, save big

A typical family with kids younger than age 6 spends an average of $239 each month on restaurant meals, according to the National Restaurant Association. That's money that could easily be diverted to your vacation fund.

Some ways to cut back without going cold turkey: Check local restaurants for "kids eat free" nights (often Monday or Tuesday nights), watch newspaper coupon inserts for buy one entree, get one free dining deals or buy discounted coupons (usually $25 certificates for $10) at Restaurant.com.

Frozen dinners or ready-made grocery deli items are much cheaper than restaurant food if all you really need is a cooking break. You could also eat dinner inexpensively at home, then treat the family to a modest dessert out.

5. Make a savings wall chart

Kids are more likely to get excited, and you'll stay on track more easily, if you make your savings goal visual. Chart a graph on a large poster board. Track your weekly or monthly progress toward your trip savings with colorful markers and stickers.

Set some milestones along the way: For instance, once you've saved one-quarter of your trip costs, celebrate with a special movie-at-home night or go out for ice cream. Celebrating your success makes the savings process fun.

6. Sell your stuff

A garage sale is a great way to earn vacation cash from your castoffs. To attract a crowd, run an ad in your local newspaper and post easy-to-read signs around your neighborhood. Check local regulations about posting notices, of course, and write signs in crayon if it looks like rain.

Sales tips: Kids' clothes sell well at yard sales, adult clothes don't -- try a consignment shop instead. List kids' clothing sizes and brand names, if you have them, in your ad. Some parents make special trips to garage sales featuring labels like BabyGap and Gymboree, says Danger.

If your kids are old enough to help, let them pick some of their older toys to sell, suggests Dave Ramsey, author of "The Total Money Makeover." A special kids' table with a sign like, "All proceeds go to purchase of our Disneyland souvenirs," is often a big hit -- and it's a great way to teach your kids about money.

7. Use your tax refund -- now

Do you usually get an IRS refund in April? If so, too much tax money is being withheld from your paycheck. Fill out a new W-4 form with your employer right away. Adjust your tax withholding so that it's fairly close to what you will owe in April.

Your next paycheck should be substantially bigger. Start transferring the extra money into your dedicated vacation savings account or category. If you still get a refund this spring, sock it away, too. Heather Larson of Tacoma, Wash., puts her family's refunds into short-term certificates of deposit that expire right before their vacation. That way, they don't spend the money on anything else. You can locate thebest rates in your areaon Bankrate.com.

8. Let credit cards pay you back

In the months prior to your vacation, use a credit card that accumulates "rewards"(points or cash rebates) for everything you can: gas, groceries -- even day-care tuition.

Let rewards pile up, then use them toward plane tickets (if you've been banking points/dollars for a while), hotel or rental car discount, or gift cards for chain restaurants you'll visit on your trip. You can locate and comparerewards cardsat Bankrate.com. The key, of course, is to pay off your balance in full every month.  

 

Vacation debt is not the kind of souvenir you want to collect.

 

Teri Cettina is a freelance writer in Portland, Ore.

Posted:  Feb. 01, 2008


 

A Note From Your President Elect
Jeffrey Kolp, Allied ASID

Hello everyone! Summer is here... I bet you are all busy with planning vacations and getting excited to travel over the next few months. I recently just returned home from an amazing trip to Nashville. I traveled to Nashville for an excellent training seminar called "Selling in the Showroom" which was put on by Crossville Inc., one of Virginia Tile's largest distributed manufacturers. Crossville is an American made company manufactured right in Crossville Tennessee. I had the pleasure of touring their manufacturing plant to see how their porcelain tile is made. It was eye opening to see the whole process of porcelain in its raw form transformed into a beautiful tile that we use in our clients homes every day. There is so much that goes into the tile making process that creates such an appreciation for the product.

 

Do you know what a rectified tile is? When a tile is rectified it means that the material has actually been re-cut again after the firing process. This ensures a more precise edge and size to the tile and can allow for a tighter grout joint.  From an installation stand point, a rectified tile leaves less room for error as the edges are so precise and clean cut.

 

While in Nashville I attended an excellent presentation by Lisbeth Calandrino, a Motivator, Speaker & Author. Lisbeth joked as to why none of us are the Kardashians and attributed it to us not promoting ourselves properly. In all seriousness though she did have some excellent points on this topic. She encouraged us to be on every social media site that you can think of. This is what promoting and marketing yourself has come to so we may as well utilize the resources! She also gave us some great ideas of what types of events we can host and how to make them more appealing to your attendees. We have some great ASID events coming up here soon.  Come out and utilize your resources and market yourselves or just come by to enjoy some design chats with colleagues. Be on the lookout for upcoming events.

 

On a side note, do you watch the show American Pickers? When I was visiting Nashville I went to their shop, Antique Archaeology. They had some pretty neat stuff to look at! As everything I wanted was probably too hard to bring home on the airplane, I just bought myself a cool new Antique Archaeology tee.

 

As always we appreciate your dedication and motivation to the Michigan Chapter of ASID. Hope to see you soon!

A Note From Your Member at Large
Tina Rossi, Allied ASID

Attention Designers!
If you haven't been to the Michigan Design Center lately, you need to see what your missing.  The design center is hosting Summer event series.

Upcoming events are :
ART of DESIGN September 10th 9am-5pm
Check out michigandesign.com for details.

While you're at the design center check out completely remodeled showrooms Ann Sacks and Henderdon.  As well as a new showroom for RJ Thomas.
A Note From Your Professional Development Director
Cynthia Hahn, Allied ASID

CEU CEU CEU CEU CEU!

This is the first year ASID requires 10 CEU credits to avoid penalty. See some upcoming opportunities below!


The Carr Center
311 E Grand River Ave, Detroit, Michigan 48226
Thursday, July 9th
5:30PM - 8PM

The July Drinks x Design is the month to celebrate and explore architecture, so let's get together for a rockin' event on July 9th! This time we'll be at The Carr Center. We'll have the usual drinks and conversation, and so much going on that you'll want to stay for every second.  
21+ welcome
Register here with Eventbrite
A Note From Your Communications Director
Brittany Walsh, Allied ASID
 
Hello everyone!
I am usually so busy putting this newsletter together that I can't fit my own article in- but this month was an exception.
I have volunteered to head and reform the Directory Committee. ASID MI will be producing a physical directory once again as requested by many members. Details are still being worked out but you could be a part of the decision making process and have a lasting impression on your chapter with your service.
Please contact me if you would like to be involved in getting this directory made. Involvement will include mostly email correspondence and occasional in person meetings if necessary. We will discuss design and layout while working with a third party to arrange the printing and binding, etc. Please email me if you are interested or forward this notice to someone you may think would be interested: walshb.id@gmail.com

To update your information the the director- see instructions below: 
To get here navagate to the follwoing:
www.asid.org > MY ACCOUNT > MANAGE REFERRAL DIRECTORY > MY DESIGN REFERRAL PROFILE

If you've forgotten your username or password, please contact ASID directly @ 202-546-3480 or by contacting our ASID MI Administrator Debbie during her normal working hours (Wednesday and Friday Afternoons and Evenings) @ 248-649-6770
Here's to the bright new future of ASID Michigan.

Sincerely,

Your 2015 Board of Directors

President Cynthia Hensie, ASID
President Elect Jeff Kolp, Allied ASID
Member at Large Tina Rossi, Allied ASID
Membership Director Christina Bliss, ASID
Financial Director Rebecca L. Luckhardt, ASID Industry Partner
Professional Development Director Cynthia A. Hahn, Allied ASID
Communications Director Brittany Walsh, Allied ASID
Emerging Professional Director Korinne Ishmel, Allied ASID
Student Representative to the Board Eitan Mendelson, Student ASID


Quote of the Month
Brought to you by: Brittany Walsh

"The greatest mistake in the world is to believe that so-called good taste is any use without a sense of comfort to complete it."
-Sibyl Colefax

 

In This Issue
Quick Links
Upcoming Events

Upcoming events are posted to our website and social media DAILY! Keep watch for information on upcoming CEUs, networking opportunities and more!
American Society of Interior Designers - Michigan Chapter | 248.649.6770 | Email us | http://www.asidmi.org

1700 Stutz Drive
Suite #102E
Troy, MI 48084