Recent studies have shown that obesity rates are still on the rise in the United States. Despite all of the health and fitness knowledge, and healthy diet choices that are available, people are still gaining weight at an unhealthy rate. For many people, diets and workouts are a part of the rollercoaster of weight loss and gain that they have been on for years. They lose some weight, then they gain it all back, and then some. What they really need is a new mindset about the way they live their daily lives.Most health and fitness experts agree that the majority of weight problems people face are more mental issues than they are actual physical problems. Shows like “The Biggest Loser” show how much of the weight loss process requires a mental and emotional transformation along with the physical workouts.Take the word “diet” as an example. People who have spent a lifetime struggling with their weight like to say, “Diets don’t work for me.” That just goes to show the misconception we have, and the connotation we give certain words. The reality is, a diet is a word that describes the food you eat. You are all on a diet. Some are healthy diets, some are unhealthy diets, but everyone has a diet. In order to improve your health and fitness, you need to start thinking about it as being on a diet, and start looking at it as a part of a healthier lifestyle.For some people it is an issue of motivation. If they do not feel motivated, they will not make the effort required for a healthier lifestyle. They will not do the workouts necessary to burn calories, they will not eat the fruits and vegetable to keep their diet balanced, and they will not do away with the unhealthy snacks that will derail weight loss efforts. What you need to understand is, if the healthier lifestyle is important to you, then you need to force yourself to do what it takes, and not wait for the proper motivation. As you continue to get healthier, the motivation to continue will come, but that is an after-effect. Motivation rarely comes first for beginners.Proper health and fitness is something that can only come about as a result of a healthy mindset. It is only by changing the way we think about losing weight and getting fit that the physical change will actually happen. It requires a change in your mindset. If you can change the way you think about health and fitness, you can change the way you look.
Becoming a Landlord for the first time is always a daunting experience. To help you prepare for Tenants letting your property here are some practice things you will need to know.As an overview UK Landlords have a number of responsibilities, to include:
repairs to the structure and exterior of the property
repairs to heating and hot water installations
repairs to sinks, baths and other sanitary installations
safety of gas and electrical appliances that you supply
fire safety of furniture and furnishings that you supply
provision of an Energy Performance Certificate for the property
protection of your Tenant’s deposit in a government-approved schemeConsent to LeaseIt may be a purpose buy-to-let investment property or it may be your own home. Either way as the owner of this property if your current mortgage is a residential contract you will need to contact your lender and ask permission for the lender to “consent to lease”. Most lenders will happily agree to this, but some may ask for conditions to be attached. Failure to do this is a breach of your mortgage terms and conditions and could lead to the lender terminating your agreement.Type of PropertyYour Landlord obligations can vary depending on the type of property you are letting. In particular if you are letting rooms or flats within a single property this may be considered a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). This being the case you may need to apply for a licence. Regardless of the type of property as a Landlord you must keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards and comply with all relevant health and safety requirements.Health and SafetyGas Safety Certificates are required by law and must be annually re-certified. All gas appliances within the property must be tested and approved by a gas safety registered engineer – formerly Corgi. This is to ensure that no appliances or heaters are leaking carbon monoxide, which is undetectable in the environment of the home. This is critically important as tragic results can occur and you as a Landlord would be liable. You should keep inspection records for at least two years and give copies of the reports to your existing Tenants within 28 days of each check. You should also give copies to new Tenants before they move in. Failure to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate at its extreme may result in loss of life, prosecution, an unlimited fine and imprisonment.Landlords are also responsible for the safety of electrical appliances. A qualified electrician can provide the required tests. At the beginning of each new tenancy, you should ensure that electrical installations are safe and well maintained. Any electrical appliances you supply to Tenants (cookers, toasters, kettles etc) should be safe for them to use. As a Landlord you should carry out regular inspections of fixed electrical installations every five years. You should also arrange, at least once a year, for a qualified electrician to carry out portable appliance testing (PAT); a safety test on all portable electrical equipment you provide for Tenants, such as kettles. The PAT tester will give you a dated certificate and put stickers on the plugs of appliances to show that they are safe.Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are required by law when any residential or commercial property is either sold or rented. An EPC provides information on a building’s energy efficiency shown on a sliding scale from ‘A’ (very efficient) to ‘G’ (least efficient). The EPC also contains a recommendations report showing how you could improve the rating and make the property more attractive to Tenants. The EPC is valid for ten years and can be used for all new Tenants in that period.Depending on the age and type of your property it may be a legal requirement to have smoke alarms fitted. In the case of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) for example, there is a requirement for Landlords to supply a mains operated interlinked smoke alarm system. In the case of older single family rental properties, technically there is no legal requirement for Landlords to provide a smoke alarm. However, it is strongly recommended that Landlords do provide at least a battery operated smoke alarm or alarms in their rented properties. Where Landlords do provide battery operated smoke alarms they should have a clause in the agreement making it clear that it is the Tenant’s responsibility to check their operation and replace the batteries as and when necessary.Some companies can provide both EPC’s and Gas Certificates.Marketing your property to find TenantsDeciding on the rental income you think the property can achieve can be done by looking at similar properties for rent in your area or looking on-line at property listing sites. You may wish to engage a traditional letting agent who will value and market the property for you. More Landlords these days are turning to online letting agents to find Tenants for them, because they offer tremendous value for money in comparison to traditional agents. Of course the Landlord has to take on a bit more work, but all services from managing a property to inventory check-ins can be arranged through online agents at very competitive rates.Viewings can be done by an agent or by the Landlord. The advantage of this is that you actually get to meet the Tenants in person and this can provide re-assurance and peace of mind. Some agents offer a virtual viewing service where they will attend your property, make a short video of the key features and post the video in a YouTube style format on their site. Tenants can then view your property at any time from the comfort of their own computer.Tenancy AgreementsIt is now much easier to deal with all the legal aspects of letting with a lot of good free advice for Landlords on the Internet, in particular direct.gov.uk. A tenancy agreement is a property rental agreement, which is a legal agreement in writing that sets out the rights and responsibilities of both Landlord and Tenant in a contract. Landlords can either pay for a solicitor, estate or letting agent to draft a tenancy agreement, although it is possible to obtain free tenancy agreements and do them yourself. A tenancy agreement as a minimum should include:the names of all people involved
the rental price
the deposit amount and how it will be protected
the property address
the start and end date of the tenancy
any Tenant or Landlord obligations
which bills the Tenant is responsible for
how to pay the rent
whether the tenancy can be ended early and how this can be done
who is responsible for minor repairs
whether the property can be let to someone else (sublet) or have lodgersTenant Deposit SchemeDeposits by law have to be registered with an appropriate holding scheme or indemnity scheme within 14 days of the tenancy commencing. This is a legal responsibility for the Landlord. The Tenancy Deposit Scheme is free to use and offers very comprehensive dispute mediation if this should occur.Tenant Credit CheckAs a Landlord you will want to make sure that Tenants can pay their bills. The best indicator to find out if Tenants are financially able to pay their rent is to obtain an assessment of their credit rating. Agents can do this as well as facilitating bank references, employment references and personnel references, although the best assessment will be a credit check report.InventoriesIt is strongly recommended that Inventory check-ins and check-outs are done. Another top tip is to have the property professionally cleaned before the Tenant moves in and they can pay to also have it professionally cleaned when they move out. This tends to avoid any disagreement over how clean the property is expected to be.Full Property ManagementYou may want to manage the property yourself, but you may wish for this to be done by a third party. Full property management services can be responsible for monthly rent collections and any maintenance or repairs that may be required during the tenancy. This is especially helpful if the Landlord lives a long distance from the property or is abroad.Ending a tenancyLandlords can end an assured shorthold tenancy at any time usually after six months, but so as long as any agreed fixed term has ended. There is usually a two months’ written notice period for the Tenant of the date you want the tenancy to end.If a tenant refuses to leave, you cannot evict them yourself, but you can apply to the county court for an order to get your property back. If you have a written tenancy agreement and you have given the tenant notice in writing that you are seeking possession, you can use an accelerated possession procedure, which avoids the need for a court hearing.Access to your propertyRemember that if at any time you need to visit your property then the usual requirement is to give the Tenant at least 24 hours notice. Landlords have no legal right to immediate entry unless there is an urgent necessity to do so, for example a flood or a fire. The key here for positive Landlord and Tenant relations is good, clear communication between the two parties. This will often prevent misunderstandings and lead to a successful rental of your home.
If you want to make extra money online, you need to have to have the right type of traits and characteristics to succeed in an internet business. Making money working online from home is not a job for everyone. If you do not possess these particular personal traits, it is vital that you work towards changing your attitudes and personality so that incorporate these characteristics in order to gain internet success.To be successful in your internet endeavors and make extra money online, you need to:* Be a Risk Taker – Internet success is not guaranteed. It is somewhat of a risky business to earn your sole living working at home on the internet. There is no guarantee of a steady income, or even any income at all.* Be O.K. with Working Alone – Some people need to have others around while they are working, either as a social element or they need someone to tell them what to do. When you work at home in your own internet business, you work alone. And you are the only one responsible for how you work, when you work and how much you work. Your internet success depends on how well you do this.* Have Patience – You may be surprised to learn that being successful online doesn’t happen overnight as some people suggest. It takes time to build up a clientele, a mailing list and a good reputation that will help you make extra money online. You will find that there are many programs and scams found on the internet that will tempt you and claim overnight success, but this rarely happens. Very rarely in life does success come without the time and patience to achieve it. You need to have that patience to realize your dream of becoming a successful internet business owner and make extra money online.* Have a Good Work Ethic – Being successful online is not just a push-button operation. It usually takes work – real work – to build your online business. You have to put in a certain amount of hours in order to realize your dreams and succeed. If you don’t want to do the work, you probably won’t succeed online.* Be Prepared for New Learning Experiences – Be begin, you probably won’t know everything there is to know about running an internet business and acquiring the amount of traffic you need to become an internet success. An internet business in not like running a business in the ‘real’ world. There are differences in the way you get customers, how you advertise, when you get sales leads… and what is considered ‘ethical’ behavior in the internet world. Sometimes it takes trial and error to find out what works on the internet. Regular business practices don’t typically work on the internet so you need to acquire a whole new set of skills and ways of looking at promoting your online business.* Be Prepared for Failure – Succeeding online is a learning process and there is a certain amount of failure that goes along with it. Not everything you do will succeed in how you make extra money online. You have to take your ‘knocks’ and learn from them. You should be able to deal with your failures, learn from them, forget them and move on.* Have Determination – This goes along with being prepared for some failures. No matter what happens, even if you fail in your first endeavors, your real success could be right around the corner. You should never give up on your dream to make extra money online. Be determined and stick with it. Eventually you will succeed.* Have the Passion to Succeed – The most important thing you need is the passion to succeed. Look at how your life is going now. Is that how you want your future to look? Do you want to work for another boss all your life, in a dead-end career or do you want to work for yourself? Do you want to live a better life for yourself and your family – a life that includes more freedom and better income potential? You need to have passion to make your dreams happen and the desire and commitment to make extra money working online.Your dream to make extra money working online can come true. But you must possess or at least cultivate the right traits and characteristics that will enable you to make your dream succeed. Working online from home can be a reality if you truly want it to be. Work on the characteristics you need to succeed in your own internet business success.
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