Essay Contest: Win a *Home Economist for a day. ($450 value)

* The Home Economist described here is one person: Andrea Reynolds, author of the future book, The Kindness Experiment.

What's a home economist?

Ever feel that you'd like someone else to handle your work load?

For a little writing effort you could win 7 hours of professional services of your choice designed to reduce your stress and enhance your life (or that of someone you love). The winner of the best "essay" spelling out why Handy Ande would enjoy working for you. This is definitely a switch from the usual essay contest which asks entrants to write reasons why they deserve to win.... but Andrea is looking for interesting assignments with nice people, no matter what their income level.

Handy Ande's services are provided only by Andrea Reynolds, a home economist, and are handy when things in your life or business are stressful: moving in or moving out, organizing your things or your life, making major decisions or life changes, opening a business or professional practice, cutting back on spending and simplifying your life, filling in when you need to take a break from work or caretaking, figuring out how to get online for the first time and navigate, dealing with non-paying clients or even stopping pesky tele-marketers and debt collectors. No task is too trivial, too complicated, too overwhelming, or too stressful for Handy Ande. Perhaps you know someone who would be relieved to have this as a gift... a family that is in crisis, a church, a school, a local business that is suffering from hard times. You could enter on their behalf.

PRIZES - You could win 1st, 2nd or 3rd prize

1 First Prize Winner will be chosen to receive 7 hours of services in a 1-2 day period.
2 Second Prize winners will receive $25 worth of any of Andrea's e-books.
10 Third Prize winners will receive her mini-book, How to Win Essay Contests or another of her e-books up to $10 in value.


To enter: Send your wish list and reasons why Handy Ande would enjoy working for you.

Contest FAQ | News Release | Services | Entry form | Contest Terms | Blog

Andrea Reynolds will travel anywhere in the Metro DC area to work for the chosen winner for 1 day each (7 hours within a 48 hour period). The contest will continue so long as 100 new entries are received. This may become a self-perpetuating contest.

Entries will be judged (by Andrea) on 1) how interesting the requested work is, 2) what makes your location a place where Andrea would want to drive to, and 3) why she would enjoy meeting you, your family, or co-workersand providing services.


Some of the tasks Andrea Reynolds (Handy Ande) has recently completed for clients:
- Painted a neighbor's bathroom.
- Painted a neighbor's kitchen cupboards.
- Put a heavy balcony door back on track, cleaned out and oiled the track so the client could easily open and close the door with her one good arm.
- Hung sheers and drapery panels over sliding glass doors.
- Replaced a broken toilet handle and toilet seat.
- Pulled out a stove and refrigerator to clean out the dust bunnies.
- Tested the fridge and freezer temperatures for safe food storage.
- Cleaned, reorganized and restocked a refrigerator with nutritious food.
- Placed a US order for garden seeds for a client and picked them up in the US.
- Purchased US grocery items not available in Canada.
- Painted a rusty metal balcony.
- Helped pick up and deliver cabinets and televisions for clients without a large enough vehicle.
- Refurbished a dirty, smelly, rusty dishwasher.
- Brought back a non-suctioning vacuum cleaner to full power.
- Removed tattered wallpaper to prepare walls for painters.
- Cleaned smokey inside windows and grimey outside windows of first floor home. (Yes, Handy Ande does windows.)
- Restored glass casserole dishes with baked-on stains to their original lustre.
- Delivered a few boxes of clothes and personal items to an "ex" for a woman who didn't want to see him, but wanted him to have his stuff.
- Prepared a full Christmas dinner.


Why a contest? Andrea Reynolds wants to establish herself in the Metro DC area because she has just sold her condo and moved here from Canada. She is offering her services to contest entrants to promote her newly rebuilt HandyAnde.com, to provide Personal Services, Household Management, and Business Support on a "freelance" basis. This web site should be completed by the end of August 2008.


News Release | Services | Entry form | Contest Terms | Contest FAQ | Blog


Kinds of work Andrea can provide, and who may want to enter to win:

1. Personal Assistance - Whether you're a celebrity, a home-based business owner, independent professional, a person with a disability, a college student or just a busy family.

2. Financial Advice - Whether you're an individual, a couple or a small business; young, mature, or in your later years.

3. Household Management
- Whether you own a Bed and Breakfast, an estate that needs to be managed in your absence, or a suddenly large family (from blending or multiple births) in your home.

4. Business Support -
Whether you run a home-based business, a corporation, a school, a store, a church, a college, a non-profit, or must be on the road frequently.

What can a Home Economist do? In the areas of money management, consumer education, food, nutrition, housing, clothing, textiles, family studies and human development, a home economist can:
- Teach
- Write
- Serve
- Design
- Manage
- Purchase
- Research
- Develop
- Plan
- Comment
- Promote
- Style
- Educate
- Advise
- Advocate
- Coordinate
- Organize
- Counsel

What do you, your family or your business need in the way of advice, education, services, support, and management? See the left sidebar or the services page for ideas. Then either set up an appointment with Andrea Reynolds ("Handy Ande") or enter our contest.

To book services call her : (412) 440-3704
Email: handyande@AndreaReynolds.com