There was a time when women were regarded as the weaker sex and were only good for doing household chores like cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes among others. However, that notion has taken a complete reversal today with women figuring prominently in the world of business, politics, and other areas traditionally dominated by men. This is why it is not surprising that many women are also looking into the best home based business opportunities to help augment their income.Without a doubt many women can perform multiple tasks simultaneously with minimal difficulties. Maybe this is because they have been trained so well in the household with taking care of the kids while cooking and washing the dishes. All they had to do was to apply this to the business field and they are actually the best home based business entrepreneurs. Women are likewise very good at handling budgetary requirements, a skill essentially when running your own business.Perhaps one of the most common challenges that women looking for the best home based business will face is how to manage her time at home so that she can concentrate on her home office. This may be easy when the kids are at school and the husband is at work. But what about during weekends when everyone is at home? This is where house rules become very important. She must be able to strike a balance and isolate a specific time dedicated mainly on her home office.Can you imagine the horror of being on a business call then your kids suddenly barge into your home office crying or shouting or whatever? That would definitely negatively impact your business call. So part of the practice for the best home based business would be to make it clear that your home office is off limits to all children. You may also need to secure the services of a babysitter just to keep things in order.Another important practice that you must develop if you want the best home based business is to be able to separate your home budget from your business budget. You must resist the temptation of digging into your business funds in case your household budget becomes short. In this context, you must put to good use some sound accounting practices which will allow you to separate your capital from your profit. You can use your profit for whatever purpose but your capital must remain intact.Taking the cue from big businesses, the best home based business principle would be to put in some of your profits back into your capital. This will help you to grow your business better by using more capital to invest on more products for your business. Try to do this on a regular basis and in just a few months you will see your business blossom. It may even allow you to shift careers in just a matter of time.One common mistake that women, especially mothers, do when they take on the best home based business opportunity available to them is that they are somewhat shy. They forget to tell their neighbors, friends, family members, teachers at their kid’s schools, PTA members about their new business. All of these people are potential customers that you can benefit from. Depending on the type of business that you choose, you may also be able to help them out with something that they are having trouble for a long time. For example if you are in a health related business, you may have the answer to a co-parent who has long been looking for an allergy cure or something like that.Essentially, when you want to take on the best home based business opportunity you can have, you need two main things, discipline and dedication. You need to be dedicated enough so that no matter what challenges come your way you will be ready to face up to it. Discipline because after all the home chores, after all the caring for the kids and your husband, you still need to muster enough strength to give time to your chosen business. With a little patience everything will pay off in the end.
How To Remove Wallpaper Borders
So you bought a new house. You love everything about it except for the ugly wallpaper borders in almost every room. Time to get them off the wall. Removing wallpaper borders is not an easy task, but with a few good tips and some elbow grease, you can get the job done.
The best way to remove the wallpaper border depends on what type of wallpaper was used, what type of surface it was glued on and what type of adhesive was used. One of the easiest things you can try is to use a hair dryer to heat the wallpaper border which may loosen the adhesive enough to let you peel it off.
Usually if the border has been glued to wallpaper, it will come off fairly easy. Slightly mist it down and use a plastic scraper to remove it from the wall. If the wallpaper border has a vinyl covering that won’t let the water or any commercial wallpaper remover soak through, use a perforation tool over the entire surface of the border to allow it to soak in.
If the wallpaper border has been glued directly onto a painted wall, use warm water and some commercially available wallpaper remover and give it plenty of time to soak in before you try to scrap it off.
Steaming also works well for removing wallpaper borders. Steam the entire surface of the wallpaper border. Start from the bottom to the topmost part in sections. If the adhesive is very strong, steam the boarder twice or more until the wallpaper boarder starts to loosen from the wall. Use a plastic or soft metal scraper to avoid damaging the wall. Scrape the border off the wall working from the bottom up. Use warm water and a clean sponge to remove any remaining adhesive from the wall.
Instead of using a commercially available wallpaper stripper, you can also use a mixture of fabric softener and water. Mix 1 capful of fabric softener with 1 quart of water. Pour it in a spray bottle and spray it right on the wallpaper border. For very strong adhesives, you can also use a sponge and soak the boarder with pure fabric softener.
Another “homemade” option is vinegar. Mix water and vinegar and pray it on, or use an old paint roller and roll it right on the wallpaper boarder. The stronger the wallpaper adhesive seems to be, the more vinegar you should use. Use the vinegar option as a last resort, since it will smell pretty strongly for a few days. Wipe the walls down with a damp rag after you removed the wallpaper boarder to get as much of the vinegar as possible off your wall.
Five Tips for Selling at Live Auctions
Ah, the old-fashioned country auction! The idea of a country auction conjures up certain images for people. The image of a fast-talking auctioneer offering up an antique table or chair is a popular example.
People who are buying household goods or collectibles are looking to get their items at the lowest price possible. However, the people who are selling their items at auction are hoping for the highest price!
Unless a person is in the business of buying and selling antiques or other items, not a lot of thought goes into how goods are prepared for sale via the auction process. However, if you are one of the growing number of people using auction venues to sell your collectibles or other inventory, there are a few things to learn first about how to sell at auction before you bring a truckload of stuff over to the next event.
Tip 1: Make sure the things you want to sell are a good “fit” for the auction house you’ll be using.
Never bring a load to an auction house without actually having been to one of the previous auctions. It’s important to get a feel for the type of goods that the house sells. For example, at one very rural country auction it was common for the owners to sell live chickens, pots and pans, car parts, and farm equipment.
After close investigation, this would not be the right venue for selling your daughter’s “Hello Kitty” collection. On the other hand, the spare John Deere parts that you bought at last week’s yard sale might be just the right thing for the buying crowd at this auction.
Tip 2: Be sure you clearly understand the terms and policies of the auction house.
Visit with the auctioneer ahead of time. Call to find out what the best days and times are to visit. One of the worst possible times to drop in for an informational visit with an auctioneer is the day of the auction. Call ahead and ask. While you’re at it, find out what are the best days and times to drop your stuff off.
Once you have a little time with the auctioneer, you’ll be able to find out what type of commission he or she takes from consigners (which is you), and what type of paperwork might be needed. Some auction houses send out Form 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. An auctioneer may need to see your identification and have you fill out a W-9. Be prepared.
Find out what happens to your items if they don’t sell. For example, some auctioneers may have a minimum starting bid. If, for some reason, one of your items does not sell, it may be grouped with another one of your pieces. Know the auctioneer’s strategy beforehand so that you aren’t surprised on pay day.
Tip 3: Make sure the auctioneer knows what you’re selling.
It might be perfectly obvious to you that the signed print you are consigning is a rare and valuable piece of art. However, the auctioneer may not know this particular artist. Make a note of anything particularly special about your items, and leave the note with the piece. Be sure to tell the auctioneer about it as well. He or she might determine that this is something to highlight on the company website or in the newspaper listing.
Tip 4: Present your items neatly.
No one likes to have to dig through a box full of grimy and greasy car parts to see what treasures might be in there. Separate the parts and lay them out on a flat, or use more than one box to de-clutter the lot.
There is no need to buy fancy display boxes. It’s easy enough to go to the local convenience store or supermarket and ask if you can have the emptied boxes or flats that they are discarding.
While it’s good to present clean items, take care not to ruin the value of anything by over cleaning. For example, if you find some old cast iron cookware, clean the obvious dirt and grime, but don’t scrub it to its original finish. For many people, this ruins the value of the item. So, clean and tidy and organized is the key here.
Tip 5: Don’t complain to the auctioneer if your stuff doesn’t sell for as much as you’d like.
The phrase to remember here is, “You win some; you lose some.” That’s just the way it is. There are some days where an auction house is loaded with people who all seem to want what you’re selling. There will be other days where the crowd is sparse, and the bidding is simply not competitive.
Remember that it’s in the auctioneer’s best interest to sell your things for the highest possible hammer price. But sometimes, it’s just not going to be a stellar sale. The auctioneer is only human, and is also disappointed if a sale doesn’t go as well as planned.
If you notice that every time you bring a bunch of goods to sell that you’re not realizing as much as you think you honestly should, try another auction venue and compare apples to apples. That is, bring the same types of items to the new auctioneer and compare the results.
Unless the auctioneer is particularly disagreeable or inconsiderate to you or buyers, there is no reason to confront him or her about a sale. If you find you just don’t care for an auctioneer’s style or methods, find another one. Believe me, there are plenty of them out there!
The primary thing to remember as you learn how to sell at auction is that the business is unpredictable at best. You will have good days, some not-so-good days, some great days. The more you sell, the more experience you will gain, and the more enjoyable the business will be.