Do not get sold on buying a new computer just because industry experts say that they are obsolete after 4 years. Many computer models can be updated and upgraded by simply replacing specific parts and installing new software.
If you cannot decide whether you need to buy or repair, here's the basic rule of thumb to guide you in making that decision:-
-> Purchase a new computer if the replacement parts or software necessary to bring it up to date cost more than 50% of its original purchase price.
If your company (business) buys a new computer model, it should consider selling the old one. There are secondary markets who export old computers to Third World countries. The average resale price of a 3-year old system is usually 10% to 15% of the original purchase price.
When we discover that we are heavier than we want to be, we have a natural inclination to eat less food. We may skip lunch or eat only a tiny amount of our dinner in the hope that if we eat less our body will burn off some of its fat. But that is not necessarily true. Eating less actually makes it more difficult to lose weight.
Keep in mind that the human body took shape millions of years ago, and at that time there were diets. The only low-calorie event in people's lives was starvation. Those who could cope with a temporary lack of food were the ones who survived. Our bodies, therefore, have developed this built-in mechanism to help us survive in the face of low food intake.
When researchers compare overweight and thin people, they find that they ear roughly the same number of calories. What makes overweight people different is the amount of fat that they eat. Thin people tend to eat less fat and more complex carbohydrates.
Losing weight is not something one can do overnight. A carefully planned weight loss program requires common sense and certain guidelines. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation floating around and lots of desperate people are easily duped and ripped off.
Every day one can open a magazine or newspaper and see advertisements touting some new product, pill or patch that will take excess weight off quickly. Everyone seems to be looking for that "magic" weight loss pill. Millions of people are trying to lose weight, spending billions of dollars every year on diet programs and products. Often they do lose some weight. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost.
A survey was done to try and determine if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so. So rampant has the so-called diet industry become with new products and false claims that the FDA has now stepped in and started clamping down.
Being seriously overweight and particularly obesity can develop into a number of diseases and serious health problems, and it is now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is saturated fat.
The myth is that people get heavy by eating too many calories. Calories are a consideration it's true, but overall they are not the cause of obesity in the world today. Many people actually take in fewer calories each day than they did at the beginning of the century. If calories alone were the reason we become overweight, we should all be thin. But we are not. Collectively, we are heavier than ever. Partly, it is because we are more sedentary now. But equally, as important is the fact that the fat content of the world's diet has changed dramatically.
People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Although your weight may initially drop while dieting, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoid getting fatter over time, increase your metabolism by exercising regularly.
Select an exercise routine that you are comfortable with and remember that walking is one of the best and easiest exercises for strengthening your bones, controlling your weight and toning your muscles.
In these days, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet with just one source of income. Thus, more and more people are investigating the possibilities of starting their own extra-income business. Most of these part-time endeavors are started and operated from the comfort and privacy of the home.
Most of these people are making the extra money they need. Some have wisely and carefully built these extra income efforts into full-time, very profitable businesses. Others are just keeping busy, having fun, and enjoying life as never before. The important thing is that they are doing something other than waiting for the government to give them a handout; they are improving their lot in life, and you can do it, too!
The fields of mail order selling, multi-level marketing, and in-home party sales have never been more popular. If any of these kinds of extra income producing ideas appeal to you, then you owe it to yourself to check them out. But these aren't the only fields of endeavor you can start and operate from home, with little or no investment, and learn as you go.
If you type, you can start a home-based typing service; if you have a truck or have access to a trailer, you can start a clean-up/hauling service. Simply collecting old news papers from your neighbors can get you started in the paper recycling business. More than a few enterprising housewives have found success and fortune by starting home and/or apartment cleaning services. If you have a yard full of flowers, you can make good extra money by supplying fresh cut flowers to restaurants and offices in your area on a regular basis. You might turn a ceramics hobby into a lucrative personalized coffee mug business. What I'm saying is that in reality, there's literally no end to the ways you can start and operate a profitable extra income business from your home.
The first thing you must do, however, is some basic market research. Find out for yourself, first-hand, just how many people there are in your area who are interested in your proposed product or service, and would be "willing to stand in line and pay money for it." This is known as defining your market and pinpointing your customers. If after checking around, talking about your idea with a whole lot of people over a period of one to three months, you get the idea that these people would be paying customers, your next effort should be directed toward the "detailing" of your business plan. The more precise and detailed your plan - covering all the bases relating to how you'll do everything that needs to be done - the easier it's going to be for you to attain success. Such a plan should show your start-up investment needs, your advertising plan, your production costs and procedures, your sales program, and how your time will be allocated. Too often, enthusiastic and ambitious entrepreneurs jump in on an extra income project and suddenly find that the costs are beyond their abilities, and the time requirements more than they can meet. It pays to lay it all out on paper before you get involved, and the clearer you can "see" everything before you start, the better your chances for success.
Now, assuming you've got your market targeted, you know who your customers are going to be and how you're going to reach them with your product or service. And you have all your costs as well as time requirements itemized. The next step is to set your plan in motion and start making money.
Here is the most important "secret" of all, relating to starting and building a profitable home-based business, so read very carefully. Regardless of what kind of business you start, you must have the capital and the available time to sustain your business through the first six months of operation. Specifically, you must not count on receiving or spending any money coming in from your business on yourself or for your bills during those first six months. All the income from your business during those first six months should be reinvested in your business in order for it to grow and reach our planned first year potential.
Once you've passed that first six months milestone, you can set up a small monthly salary for yourself, and begin enjoying the fruits of your labor. But the first six months or operation for any business are critical, so do not plan to use any of the money your business generates for yourself during that period.
If you've got your business plan properly organized, and have implemented the plan, you should at the end of your first year be able to begin thinking about hiring other people to alleviate some of your work-load. Remember this: Starting a successful business is not a means towards either a job for yourself or a way to keep busy. It should be regarded as the beginning of an enterprise that will grow and prosper, with you as the top dog. Eventually, you'll have other people doing all the work for you, even running the entire operation, while you vacation in the Bahamas or Hawaii and collect or receive regular income from your initial efforts.
If you want to reduce your body fat, focus on increasing the amount of exercise you get rather than decreasing your food intake. A recent national study was done using two groups of sedentary men, one group in their 20's and the other over age 65. A lot was learned from this accumulated data and it is interesting to note that there was a significant relationship between lack of physical activity and fat. Not surprisingly, the most sedentary men had the most body fat.
These studies have also indicated that the governments current recommended daily allowance for calories does not correlate with the body's actual energy needs. For example, although 2400 calories have been calculated for older men, they in fact burned an average of 2800 calories daily.
The leading experts now recommend that people who want to lose weight start increasing their physical activity. Just being more active in general (such as climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, moving around instead of sitting still, sitting up instead of lying down as well as showing some excitement and enthusiasm instead of boredom), are things that more effectively burns calories and reduces body fat. Everyone seems to have lost sight of the value of being active. Consider this, a half-hour aerobic workout accounts for far less energy expenditure than our minute-to-minute movement in the office or at home.
Millions of people are trying to lose weight, spending approximately $30 billion a year on diet programs and products, often they do lose some weight. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost. A national panel recently sought data to determine if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so.
Being seriously overweight and particularly obesity predisposes individuals to a number of diseases and serious health problems, and it's now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive, some of the excess frequently is saturated fat.
People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Although your weight may initially drop while dieting, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat. To avoid getting fatter over time, increase your metabolism by exercising regularly.
Walking is one of the best exercises for strengthening bones, controlling weight, toning the leg muscles, maintaining good posture and improving positive self-concept.
To lose weight, it's more important to walk for time than speed. Walking at a moderate pace yields longer workouts with less soreness - leading t more miles and more fat worked off on a regular basis. High intensity walks on alternate days help condition one's system. But in a walking, weight-loss program, you are not required to walk an hour every day as some people would have you believe.
When it comes to good health and weight loss, exercise and diet are inter-related. Exercising without maintaining a balanced diet is no more beneficial than dieting while remaining inactive.
When someone is injured or suddenly becomes ill, there is usually a critical period before you can get medical treatment and it is this period that is of the utmost importance to the victim. What you do, or what you don't do, in that interval can mean the difference between life and death. You owe it to yourself, your family and your neighbors to know and to understand procedures that you can apply quickly and intelligently in an emergency.
Every household should have some type of first aid kit, and if you do not already have one, assemble your supplies now. Tailor the contents to fit your family's particular needs. Don't add first aid supplies to the jumble of toothpaste and cosmetics in the medicine cabinet. Instead, assemble them in a suitable, labeled box (such as a fishing tackle box or small took chest with hinged cover), so that everything will be handy when needed. Label everything in the kit clearly, and indicate what it is used for.
Be sure not to lock the box - otherwise you may be hunting for the key when that emergency occurs. Place the box on a shelf beyond the reach of small children, and check it periodically and always restock items as soon as they are used up.
Keep all medications, including non-prescription drugs such as aspirin, out of reach of children. When discarding drugs, be sure to dispose of them where they cannot be retrieved by children or pets.
When an emergency occurs, make sure the injured victim's airway is not blocked by the tongue and that the mouth is free of any secretions and foreign objects. It is extremely important that the person is breathing freely. And if not, you need to administer artificial respiration promptly.
See that the victim has a pulse and good blood circulation as you check for signs of bleeding. Act fast if the victim is bleeding severely or if he has swallowed poison or if his heart or breathing has stopped. Remember every second counts.
Although most injured persons can be safely moved, it is vitally important not to move a person with serious neck or back injuries unless you have to save him from further danger. Keep the patient lying down and quiet. If he has vomited and there is no danger that his neck is broken, turn him on his side to prevent choking and keep him warm by covering him with blankets or coats.
Have someone call for medical assistance while you apply first aid. The person who summons help should explain the nature of the emergency and ask what should be done pending the arrival of the ambulance. Reassure the victim, and try to remain calm yourself. Your calmness can allay the feat and panic of the patient.
Don't give fluids to an unconscious or semiconscious person; fluids may enter his windpipe and cause suffocation. Don't try to arouse an unconscious person by slapping or shaking.
Look for an emergency medical identification card or an emblematic device that the victim may be wearing to alert you to any health problems, allergies or diseases that may require special care.
You may not realize it, but the insurance rates you pay for your car can vary dramatically depending on the insurance company, agent or broker you choose, the coverages you request and the kind of car you drive. Listed below are a number of things you can do right now to lower your insurance costs.
1. COMPARISON SHOP
Prices for the same coverage can vary by hundreds of dollars, so it pays to shop around. Ask your friends, check the yellow pages or call your state insurance department (phone numbers are on back page). You can also check consumer guides, insurance agents or companies. This will give you an idea of price ranges and tell you which companies or agents have the lowest prices. But don't shop price alone.
The insurer you select should offer both fair prices and excellent service. Quality personal service may cost a bit more, but provides added conveniences, so talk to a number of insurers to get a feeling for the quality of their service. Ask them what they would do to lower your costs. Check the financial ratings of the companies too. Then, when you've narrowed the field to three insurers, get price quotes.
2. ASK FOR HIGHER DEDUCTIBLES
Deductibles represent the amount of money you pay before you make a claim. By requesting higher deductibles on collision and comprehensive (fire and theft) coverage, you can lower your costs substantially. For example, increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision cost by 15% to 30%.
3. DROP COLLISION AND/OR COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGES ON OLDER CARS
It may not be cost-effective to have collision or comprehensive coverages on cars worth less than $1000 because any claim you make would not substantially exceed annual cost and deductible amounts. Auto dealers and banks can tell you the worth of cars.
4. ELIMINATE DUPLICATE MEDICAL COVERAGES
If you have adequate health insurance, you may be paying for duplicate medical coverage in your auto policy. In some states, eliminating this coverage could lower your personal injury protection (PIP) cost by up to 40%.
5. BUY A "LOW PROFILE" CAR
Before you buy a new or used car, check into insurance costs. Cars that are expensive to repair, or that are favorite targets for thieves, have much higher insurance costs.
6. CONSIDER AREA INSURANCE COST IF YOU ARE MAKING A MOVE
Costs tend to be lowest in rural communities and highest in center cities where there is more traffic congestion.
7. TAKE ADVANTAGE Of LOW MILEAGE DISCOUNTS
Some companies offer discounts to motorists who drive fewer than a predetermined number of miles a year.
8. FIND OUT ABOUT AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT OR AIR BAG DISCOUNT
You may be able to take advantage of discounts on some coverages if you have automatic seat belts and/or air bags.
9. INQUIRE ABOUT OTHER DISCOUNTS
Some insurers offer discounts for more than one car, no accidents in three years, drivers over 50 years of age, driver training courses, anti-theft devices, anti-lock brakes and good grades for students.
How would you like to own and operate a STRING of Internet Businesses all generating THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for you every month even as you laze around in your pajamas at home?
And how would you like to do this with an operating cost of less than $300 a year for EACH Internet Business that you do?
That's A YEAR.
Unbelievable?
Especially when you know that a conventional business would GOBBLE up thousands of dollars PER MONTH in the rental of office space alone, and you haven't taken into account the staff's salaries yet?
Well, believe it.
Because that's the truth, IF you know EXACTLY what to do!
My name is Sen Ze. I've been an Internet Entrepreneur and Coach for many years now after having been exposed to the power of Internet Entrepreneurship way back in 1995.
Just so that you know that I'm not spewing hot air - I currently own multiple Internet Businesses selling various products and services.
One generates very qualified leads for my services as a Mind-Reader (I charge $3,000.00 for a 45-minute show). Another generates very qualified leads for my services as a Corporate Trainer in the areas of sales, marketing, teamwork and leadership (my partner and I charge $3,000.00 - $6,000 or more for a workshop session depending on the duration and number of participants).
Yet another sells a product on getting the Media to feature you or your business for free (the Deluxe version costs $697 and is worth every cent as you can get tens of thousands of dollars' worth of "advertising" back from the media - completely free). And there's another one selling access to a suite of online Point-And-Click web site templates, tools, software and tutorials to enable business owners to easily and quickly set up their web sites on the Internet and market them effectively to make money online - even if they've never done anything like it before or possess designing or programming skills (pay either $29.97 a month or $297 a year and save 2 months).
I use 5 different credit card Processors for different web sites to accept payment from my Customers. Just one of them has processed exactly $360,098.65 in sales.
However, I sometimes take a back seat and REFER Customers to other Merchants to earn a commission for every sale. This depends on whether I've found other Merchants with great products that I can recommend to my Customers or Prospects on my lists.
And why not? On one very memorable occasion, my one-time referral made me $5,000.00 in commissions for sales made within a few days. I spent about a quarter of an hour composing that e-mail recommending a particular Merchant's product, and then just one second clicking on the "Send" button to my small database of extremely targeted Prospects. And five thousand bucks was the result within 72 hours. That's five thousand big ones for 15 minutes' work.
Which works out to $333.33 per minute.
That's a really nice number, in more ways than one.
Earn A Very Comfortable Living With The Lowest Possible Overheads Ever - Right In Your Pajamas At Home!
In addition, most of my Internet Businesses are operated by me alone. So I have very few employee problems to worry about, very low overheads each and every month, and only "work" as and when I feel like it!
I say this not to impress you, but to impress upon you that the Internet has opened up A WHOLE NEW WORLD of possibilities for entrepreneurs from AROUND THE WORLD who aspire to start a FREE OR LOW-COST Internet Business of their own and earn a VERY COMFORTABLE living with it without ever having to leave their homes or mortgage them in the process!
If you're one of them, and you want to get going very quickly with the right guidance, may I suggest that you get my one-of-a-kind Mini-Encyclopedia Of Low-Cost, High-Profit Internet Business Models?
Not only that - discover how you can be in business one week from now and earn truckloads of cash after that with the same Mini-Encyclopedia!
My first posting for this blog. What I want you to watch is this video clip of mine. It's called 'Rindu Bayangan'. (a song made popular by the Carefree band in the 70's). It's me playing the guitar in this video clip with the background music rearranged by my friend Gcloud.
