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10 Building or Home Renovation Survival Tips

Building or the renovation of an existing home can be an extremely stressful experience.

So here are 10 quick tips to make the whole process easier

1. Think of the project as a new diet.

Who doesn't want to lose at least 2 kilos? This is one way to do it. Between running to stores all day and evening long, meeting with contractors, inspecting the work, searching the Sydney metro area for the perfect light fixture, who has time to eat? Provided you don't sabotage this new, unorthodox diet plan, with McDonalds drive through, you're good for losing two kilos. If you are a masochistic type who does some of the work yourself - whether it be painting, laying tile, landscaping the yard - you can count on another five to ten kilogrammes of weight loss. Just think, you may be miserable, frustrated, exhausted, nd down right cynical about the good of the humankind, but your jeans will fit nicely!

2. Write cheques as aerobic exercise.

These workouts are great for toning the wrist and fingers. Usually done in hectic spurts as you race out the door in the morning while the contractors are breathing down your neck and your kids are beating each other with the lunch boxes you just prepared, the stress and frantic activity are sure to raise your heartbeat for a good hour. Grumbling under your breath that the plumber, electrician, or you name it, isn't really worth this much money adds greater intensity and calorie burn to this little publicized exercise regime.

3. Save money through shopping burnout.

Yes, even the most die-hard shopper will come to dread setting foot in any store. This affliction starts innocently enough as you go to look for light fixtures. How hard can it be? Hard! Either the light you want is being shipped from Europe and won't arrive until your youngest child buys his own home, or you just can't find the one you want. You'll shop every lighting and electrical store you know. You'll search Home Depot. You'll haunt hardware stores. And then there's plumbing fixtures. Sink centers, tap handles, finishes, special orders. What's all that about? And the cost. You'd think you were outfitting the palace for a former third world dictator. Of course, there's carpet, tile, hardwood, stairs, and windows. Enough already. And you thought it was a pain picking mints and sweet table treats for your wedding!

After your 1000th trip to Bunnings (or Mitre 10 or whatever), in addition to all the other trips you've made for items that shouldn't count as shopping (toilet seats, for example), you've had it. Your friends won't be able to bribe you to check out the latest sale at Grace Bros. You'll think it will be better when you can pick out "fun" things like paint, wall paper, curtains, fabric, furniture - but don't bet on it. At this point, the pressure to make your home look like something other than an empty rat maze will counteract any joy in shopping. Spending this much money has never been such a miserable experience. As a result, when your home becomes half-way presentable, you'll refuse to shop again - even for groceries - for at least six months. The money you save during this shopping hiatus will be sufficient for you to resume this previously pleasurable past time once more without guilt.

4. Impress your friends with obscure facts.

Only someone that has built or remodeled their home can explain the fluid dynamics of a proper toilet water swirl. Or cite the Australian Building Code that calls for no more than 150mm between electrical outlets. Or brag that triple glazed windows are really the wave of the future for light emitting device technology. See what I mean?

5. Pride yourself on your new creative skills.

You'll discover a creative side that you never knew existed. Like how to wash dishes in the bath. And how to make a full course meal for a family of four using nothing more than a toaster and hot plate. Or how to fit an entire family in a house smaller than your first flat. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That's probably true, but I also think that the only thing that separates modern and pioneer life is just one kitchen or bath remodeling project.

6. Yell at someone other than your kids - and not feel guilty.

Honestly, as a modern man trying to juggle the running of our homes, possibly a job, and the future Olympic soccer aspirations of our children, you have the primal need to yell. At someone. Anyone. Often our spouse and children suffer from this need of ours to release pent up negative energy generated from nothing more than some miniature human leaving smelly gym shoes on the kitchen table. (Ok, that probably deserves a bit of yelling - we eat at this table!) But when you remodel your house, you have a whole cast of characters - and believe me, they're characters - that often deserve a good scream from time to time. Like when they tell you that they tore out the fireplace because they didn't think it looked right. Or when they show you a mistake made three weeks ago that now requires half the house to be torn down in order to fix. Yelling isn't immature or a result of too many steroids, it's therapy.

7. Throw out all of your junk that you have gathered over the years. You know what I mean, all the space grabbers like the old wardrobes, execise eqipment gathering dust in your garage, clothes that haven't been worn for over two years. You'll be surprised at the reclaimed space that suddenly is available.

8. Grow closer to your family through forced bathroom sharing.

The saying goes that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that wise pundit had to share a closet sized bathroom with three kids and a spouse. In reality, there's no greater way to create intimacy in a family than by all trying to get ready for the morning in the same tiny space. You'll learn new exciting things about your children - like toilet paper is purely optional for little boys. You'll discover that there is no bond quite like the one created when the entire family brushes their teeth together over the same sink. You'll realize why the older generation of your relatives only washed their hair once a week instead of facing communal bathroom time. But most importantly, you'll no longer need to yell at your kids to hurry up for school - they're standing right next to you.

9. Earn free flights from all of your purchases.

In what is admittedly (and somewhat sheepishly) the only practical survival tip on this list, get a Fly Buys credit card. Charge everything on it - lights, plumbing fixtures, windows, doors, lumber, carpet. The windows alone can get you close to one free trip. Whether you decide to share your miles with anyone else in the family or to escape on your own to a world of quiet solitude and, preferably, an open bar, is entirely up to you.

10. Hire some good looking female contractors and feel like you're 18 years old again. Who says Hooters are restricted to bars?

Finally, remember, the end result of your new house will be worth the aggravation of the process. Plus, think of all the good stories you can tell!

Joe Ovidi is a veteran of numerous home remodeling and building projects. Joe has been in the building and termite prevention game for over 20 years and has been involved in the entire spectrum of home improvement. He shares his home renovation tips, home building ideas, and other various topics.

posted by uzqqkdq @ 10:34 AM 0 comments

MLM Training - When to Develop Multiple Streams of Income

I've made millions in network marketing, I've made millions through investments, and I've also lost a lot of money too. Profit from my mistakes and learn how to best invest the money you make in your MLM business.

Network Marketing professionals often ask me how to manage the profits earned from their MLM income.

Can you make more money by diversifying into investments such as stocks, bonds, real estate, etc., and have your money working for you in other areas besides an MLM business? Or would you make more money by really focusing and investing your money back into your MLM business?

There are three items to think about when answering this question for yourself.

A. What else would you do with your time?

B. What else would you do with your money?

C. What else would you do with your attention (definition: the ability or power to concentrate mentally)?

Every investment (stocks, bonds, real estate, your sister's business) requires that you learn about it. And just the learning costs time and attention. And it is the using up of your attention that rarely gets factored into the "diversify your money" advice.

Probably what's most important here is, the greatest amount of money you will ever lose, is that amount you will never make because of misuse of A, B, and C from above.

I was listening to a radio talk show about 10 years ago and the advice given was to "Select the top three stock market sectors based on trends. Put one-third of your investment capital in each. Wait 10 years and you should be wealthy off your passive investments." I was making about 50 thousand dollars a month above my expenses - so I thought, "Why not?"

I chose the following sectors: Health Care, Technology, and Telecommunications. After losing about half of my money I changed to three different sectors. I looked at my portfolio today and I have lost another $11,848.78.

Don't get me wrong; there have been times I've made over $50,000 dollars in the stock market in a day. Fun! And there have been times I've lost $150,000 dollars in a day. Not fun.

In addition to that, I've spent an enormous amount of time on my "passive" investments. Many hours (per week) have gone into "pondering" (wasting item C from above) what the stock market is going to do next. Reading newsletters, magazines, newspapers, watching the stock market news and commentaries on TV. And still my return has been negative.

The only thing that has remained very stable and predictable is my network marketing income. Had I taken the same amount of money, roughly $500,000 and invested it into promoting my MLM home-based business would I have had a greater return? Yes.

So what about the "Rich Dad Poor Dad" philosophy of "Buy assets that produce more income?" Or the more common way it's stated, "Create multiple streams of income?"

As you may know, I created a prospecting tool based on that philosophy where I explain to prospects how wealth is created by investing in assets. (www.mlmbrilliance.com) So I'm very close to this subject.

However, if you listen closely to the way I stated it in the online movie, I say, "So what are assets? Well the most obvious ones are: stocks, bonds, real estate..." Then I say, "...education and businesses." And to that I'm referring to educating yourself about businesses. Whether that be your MLM home-based business or your pinball machine business.

Two common mistakes in making decisions on A, B,and C from above are:

1. Making decisions based on now vs. decisions based on future. Of course you need to pay your bills now. They're screaming at you! But keep in mind what I talk about in Brilliant Compensation - it's not faster (in the long run) to tie your young son's shoes than teaching him how to do it himself. If you tie his shoes for him you silence the screaming urgency, but you're still stuck with the job UNTIL you teach him to tie his own shoes. When you make financial decisions make sure you're looking at the long-term. Residual income that can be generated from an MLM business is sweet.

2. Making decisions based on "could you" instead of what you "will you" do with your time, money or attention. Example: A guy determines that it's a poor use of his time and attention to mow his own yard, so he hires the boy down the street to cut his grass. Now, what does he do with that extra time (A), and the extra attention (B)? He watches TV. Bad choice. When he was making the decision to hire the lawn boy he thought, "It's a waste of my time to mow the grass when I could be doing more important things like building my MLM business." Make sure when you free up any of the three resources you use them wisely.

Summary: My personal opinion is invest your time, money and attention into KNOWING your MLM home-based business and getting really good and profitable at it. Find and study MLM training that is proven and effective, and master it.

Continually reinvest your profits back into your network marketing business by promoting it more, that's where the high return is. When you have a surplus of income, buy a secure investment like Treasury Bills http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/of/ofbasics.htm until you're ready to learn another business FULLY. By business I'm including all investment activities as well. Then focus your time, money and attention (from the surplus only) on knowing THAT business.

From my experience, diversifying my money has done nothing more than dissipated my focus, which has in turn lost a lot of money, time, and attention.

Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the confidence and skills to be an MLM success. Discover what you must know to become a true network marketing professional. Sign up for his free MLM training newsletter and listen to free training at http://www.brilliantexchange.com.

posted by uzqqkdq @ 2:24 AM 0 comments