We hear about these health numbers all the time. And, they keep changing consistently. One thing I have observed is that the healthier we want to be the lower we want the numbers. And, we can lower them by planning our own health and fitness regimen.Let’s break free from our old lifestyle and take our families with us on a new ride to health and fitness. Let’s be examples for our kids, and teach them the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle.What’s good for today? Here is a summary, and remember, always do research because nothing stays the same.Blood PressureNormal – lower than 120/80Pre-Hypertension… that point just before your pressure is too high: 120/80 – 139/89Too high, or hypertension: 140/90 and higherCholesterol – And remember, cholesterol does not get high because of our lifestyle; my doctor once told me that only 35% can be controlled by us, the rest is hereditary.Where you want it: less than 200 mg/dlBorderline: 200 to 239Too High: 240 and upHDL Cholesterol – the good stuffReally Good: higher than 60 mg/ld and upModerate Risk: 40 – 59Major Risk: Below 40LDL Cholesterol – the bad stuffOptimal Less than 100 mg/dlBorderline: 130 – 158High: 160 and moreBlood Glucose – fasting levelsHealthy is less than 100 mg/dlPre- Diabetic 100 -125Diabetes: 126 or higherHow can you control your numbers? First, you need to go to your doctor to find out what your numbers are. Nest, you need to make a chart for each of the above numbers.And next, you need to make a plan, a goal of where you want your numbers to be, and how fast you want to reach your goal. And then, you need to follow your plan.Sound easy? Well, it really can be, if you study and research your options, both natural and medical help is available. You can combine both in order to reach your goal.Some of the issues to study are:-Natural remedies to lower the numbers.-Diets to help lower the numbers.-Exercise and fitness plans to help lower the numbers.-Medicines available. Read about these before you go to your doctor so you can discuss them with him/her.Make that plan and then follow that plan. It works.Medical Disclaimer: This article is designed for educational purposes only and should not be used in any other manner. This information is not intended to substitute for informed medical advice.
A 1031 exchange is a strategy used to defer or eliminate the payment of capital gains taxes arising from selling a real estate property used for investment or for “productive use” in a business or trade. It is named as such because “1031″ is the IRS code section 1031. “Exchange” refers to the core of the strategy in which one investment property is sold (relinquished) and a new investment property is purchased (acquired) and intended to replace the sold property.*Review of Capital Gains*A capital gain is known as the profit from selling an investment. It is the difference between the cost basis of purchasing the investment and the amount for which it was sold.Capital Gain Tax Deferral Through a 1031 ExchangeA 1031 Exchange would enable the investor to avoid paying tax on the capital gains realized from the sale of an investment or business property. A third party intermediary, an entity not related to either party, would retain the capital gains (profit) from the sale until a replacement investment property is found and purchased by the investor.The capital gains realized from the sale of the investment property will be applied to the purchase of the newly acquired property, thus avoiding the payment of capital gains taxes. Very specific requirements must be met and only certain properties qualify for a 1031 exchange.Determining If Your Property Qualifies For a 1031 ExchangeThe detailed process of a 1031 is somewhat complex and it’s always advised to seek out a tax professionals’ guidance throughout this process. Any errors will disqualify the investment property exchange and the investor would be required to pay the capital gains tax.Summary of 1031 Property QualificationsCertain qualifications of the existing property and the replacement property in question must be met. These qualifications include:1. Type of Property2. Intended Use of Property3. Like-Kind Property4. Specific RequirementsType of PropertyTwo types of Real Estate Properties qualify: Business Properties and Investment Properties that are owned for the purpose generating income. This may be revenue from a business or income generated from the investment itself (ex. Rental income).*Key Point: Personal Property Does not QualifyFor example, rental properties or a Plumbing business would generally qualify for a 1031 exchange.This is a very specific requirement and excludes any personal property. While most homeowners consider their home an investment, its primary purpose is a place of residence, not to generate investment income.Summary of Properties Excluded1. Inventory2. Dealer Inventory (Flipping is excluded)3. Personal Property held for sale4. stocks, bonds and notes5. Interests in Partnerships6. Vacation homes7. Certificates of TrustIntended PurposeThe intention of current property and the replacement property must be for a business or investment purposes.* This may sound obvious, but there are some situations where intent will come into play. For instance, an investor wants to buy a rental home in Florida as part of a 1031 exchange. The investor currently owns apartment rentals and is looking to sell and replace them with the vacation home.Intended purpose will determine if this situation qualifies for a 1031. For instance, the vacation home will qualify if the intent is to collect monthly rent from tenants. However, if the investor intends to reside in the vacation home, even if only in the winter, it does not qualify for a 1031 exchange.*Key Point: Personal Property AND Vacation Homes are Excluded from a 1031 Exchange.Like-KindThe properties to be exchanged must be of “Like-Kind”. According to the IRS, the investment properties must be of similar character and nature. However, the grade and quality of the new property does not have to be similar.For instance, an investor may have own a landscaping business and wants to sell it in exchange for a residential home that he or she wants to fix up and sell for a profit. Would this qualify for a 1031 exchange? The answer is No.Purchasing homes with the intent of flipping’ them does not qualify for 1031 exchanges because they are considered “Inventory”. Inventory is not eligible for a 1031 exchange.However, a shopping center can be exchanged for an apartment complex, or raw land intended for business can be exchanged for a department store.Summary of Specific Requirements and Safe Harbor Provisions1. Both Properties are held for investment or use in a trade or business.2. A Replacement property must be identified within 45 days of the sale of the relinquished property.3. Replacement property must be purchased within 180 days of the sale of the relinquished property.4. A qualified intermediary must be designated to hold the proceeds of from the sale of the relinquished property until the closing date of the replacement property.5. To remain tax free, capital gains received from the original sale must be utilized for the purchase of the replacement property.In closing, the 1031 Exchange is an excellent strategy to protect business profits, yet it’s a complicated endeavor that requires the assistance of professional guidance and planning.
With people having less time to go out and shop, most of them are opting to buy from Estores such as eBay and Amazon. So, if you have always wondered how to make money online from home; the answer is by running an Estore. All you need to do to make online money at home is to develop an online Estore.Recommended Websites:· shop-script.com· smallbusiness.yahoo.com1. In case you don’t have a website to start an Estore, you will have to register a suitable domain name for it. Get a domain name, which suits your products, the most!2. The first and important step is to create your online Estore and launch it online. Shop-script.com provides two ways to build an Estore. You can either sign up for the hosted service and start your store or buy Shop-Script, software that has to be installed. Yahoo offers web hosting with unlimited data transfer and disk space.3. Choose a suitable design of your website for the Estore, with good page layout, clear product images, titles, and descriptions and simple navigation. Individuals, who are using the services of shop-script.com, will get 19 design templates to select from. They can be modified according to your requirements. Yahoo also provides a range of design templates to choose from and customize.4. Next you need to add products to you Estore, which in case of Shop-Script products, they can be uploaded either in bulk through Excel file or via a web browser one by one. In case of Yahoo, you can feed almost 50,000 products on the Estore, simply with the help of a wizard or a spreadsheet. Pay special attention to product images and descriptions because if well designed, they will significantly help you to increase sales boosting your dream of make money online from home.5. Add suitable shipping and payment options for your customers. You can use any carrier you like such as UPS, FedEx, and USPS. Payment gateways including PayPal, Authorize.Net, and Google Checkout can be used for processing the payments.6. This is all you need to start your Estore. Now you can operate it to help make money online from home! You will need to main ten and optimize your Estore on a regular basis.ProsYou can keep your own schedule and take care of your Estore according to your convenience and make money online home.ConsMake online money at home by running an Estore requires hard work and you may not get bulk orders initially. It takes time and effort to get the Estore indexed by search engines. You may face some problems in managing customers and shipping products.In order to make online money at home by running an Estore, conduct a market research to find out the products that sell more in Estores and try to include them in your store online. It will also help you get more customers when you spend more time on advertising your Estore. You will have better income wit better sales.
Whether you’re in the market for a major interior overhaul or you’re simply looking to give your home a quick and easy update, chances are you’ve spent some time online hunting for ideas and inspiration. That said, it can be pretty deflating to stumble upon a look you love only to discover the price to achieve it is well above your budget.
Fortunately, there are some killer home decorating blogs that show you how to refresh, revive, and fall in love with your home anew without breaking the bank. For a home that looks far more expensive than it costs to create, check out the following blogs for all of the interior inspiration and DIY tutorials you’ll ever need.
Welcome back to the week 5 update for the One Room Challenge. Check out the blog posts and updates for week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4 if you missed them. It’s crunch time now and I’ll be honest… I don’t know that this project will be completely wrapped up for the reveal date. The great thing is the reveal and hitting a deadline is not the only goal of reason for this challenge. Ultimately having a fully functional and hopefully beautiful bathroom is where we want to end up even it things are a bit delayed.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
When we left off last time the countertops had been templated, the trim was freshly painted and the hardware had been ordered. The hardware took about 1 week to arrive. We chose the Menlo Park 4″ pull from Schlub in chrome because I think the pull has the perfect mix of square and some rounded elements that make it a great transitional hardware option. We went with all pulls for the drawers and doors since the knob option in that line weren’t our favorite.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
The quartz countertops are now installed and things can be put back together. Rectangle, undercount sinks were also purchased through the fabricator. The Marble look quartz from Pental and it is gorgeous with the warm gray veins running throughout. For the edge went for a flat polish eased edge for a clean, simple look.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
Two days after the quartz countertops were installed the tile installer came back to finish up tiling the niches, installing the tile base and grout everything.
Guest Bathroom Reno: Quartz Countertops and Grout – One Room Challenge Week 5
The electoral is being relocated for the new lights. There are some drywall and painting touch ups to do and plumbing fixtures to be hooked up. Plus adding all the finishing touches ???? All those little things like towel hooks, curtain rod, and accessories will bring this whole thing together.
It’s been too long since I’ve updated and even longer since this work has been started. This is me sharing remodel updates, mostly for myself (but also for my nagging family members). I’m sharing photos of the progress that has been made while also document the craziness that has gone on. This is just the beginning of the remodel.
Prior to moving in I had 3-4 weeks where my apartment lease overlapped with the possession of my townhome. This allowed me, with the amazing help of my family, to paint, tear-out carpet and somewhat put back together the upstairs portion of my place so that I could have a clean room to put a bed. At least one that wasn’t completely torn apart. One area that felt more livable that the rest. If you haven’t seen or don’t remember these are the before photos from when I took possession. To list it out here are the main things that I was tacking during those week prior to me moving in.
Phase 1 Remodel Projects
ripping out baseboard, carpet and tack strips upstairs and preparing for new hard surface flooring. (this flooring will go throughout minus the stairs and bathrooms/laundry)
installing flooring upstairs (one of my installers did this)
mostly gutting the master bathroom
installing a new tub and rough in plumbing for the master and powder bath
ordering and installing a rift white oak vanity for the master
Painting (and priming where needed) the ceilings and walls of the bedrooms. Caulking and painting the crown molding in the master
replacing and upgrading the baseboard heater in the master and patch the drywall
painting the hallway and down through the stairwell
adding skirt board to the stairs
installing new carpet and pad on the stairs (my carpet installer from work did this)
removing upper cabinets on the fridge side in the kitchen
partially demoing the wall diving the kitchen (prepare to move switches, outlets, heater and thermostat)
removing drywall on wall next to bar in dining area
painting the downstairs powder bath and removing vanity to prepare for a new floating vanity
Those were the main projects that took place and then I moved in the day after Thanksgiving. Getting rid of the original, nasty cat carpet and new flooring made a huge difference to the upstairs. Also neutralizing and lightening the paint made things feel so much more fresh. I still have no baseboards but I’ll get on that one day! For now here are some photos that I snapped along the way.
It’s been a while since been posting on here but I have some new updates and projects that I have been working on. Last summer into fall I was house hunting while knowing the lease on my apartment would be expiring end of the 2019. It felt a little crazy but was a fun process for me. After a bunch of searching I found and closed on a new home!
I was lucky enough to have a few weeks of overlap with my apartment (I ended up moving out 1 month early) so I was able to get started on projects and updates prior to moving in. I’ll share more about those in the coming weeks (there are still so many unfinished things!) but for now I think it’s best to start with some before photos. Also, follow along on Instagram where I post current project updates more often. The pictures show it in the state I bought it in. It’s a great first place to me and was functional as-is but as you might expect I’m here to make things my own by doing updates that I will enjoy while living here and that will also add value and functionality to the space down the line when I sell… or maybe even keep it as a rental. My dog, Nova, has been enjoying the space as well ???? There are a couple of things to miss about my Bothell apartment but I am very ready to have my own place and space.
In 2017 the guest bathroom was remodeled. You can see more photos and read about that here. Almost everything came out and all new things went back in. From emails and comments people have been asking for sources so I have rounded up what I could in this post to share paint colors, products and links that I could find for the bathroom.
Bathroom Sources and Details:
Wall color: BM Balboa Mist
Trim and door color: BM Chantilly Lace
Floor Tile: Pental Mark Chrome 12×24 matte
Shower tile: Jeffrey Court Weather Gray 4×12 gloss subway
Niche tile: Daltile clio mosaic
Bathtub: Maax Rubix tub
Cabinet: Spencer Cabinets – painted BM Cape May Cobblestone
Countertop: Pental Quartz Misterio polished 3cm
Cabinet hardware: Schaub Menlo Park Pull in chrome
Faucets: Hansgrohe Metris single handle in chrome
Shower trims: Kohler slide bar kit, wall mount supply and Hansgrohe tub spout in chrome
Mirrors: Homegoods
Towel Hooks: Delta Tolva robe hook in chrome