Buy It, Sell It, Make Money - Your Guide to Finding and Reselling Luxury Goods - Reviewed

Buy It Sell It Make Money: Your Guide to Finding and Reselling Luxury Goods for Personal Wealth has been a longstanding resource for anyone who wants to make a living through auctions. Everyone witnessed the rise of eBay but not many realize that it is a serious source of revenue for regular people.

These days anyone will tell you about a million ways to make money online, everything from running a website to taking surveys online but the fact is that simple is the way to go. And there is nothing simpler than the concepts taught in this book which rely on the oldest business strategy of buying low and selling high.

An additional benefit to the strategies taught in "Buy it, Sell it Make Money..." is that the book focuses on showing you way to sell luxury items. The obvious benefit is that per sale you will be making more money. This means that unlike other bulk sellers flooding the online auctions with discount goods you don't have to focus on sheer volume. A single sale for you will be enough to make a good profit.

At the same time don't get too excited and expect sales to come pouring in. There is a fine art to flipping luxury items as Nancy and Daren Baughman point out. The couple has been running their company eBizAuctions out of in Raleigh, North Carolina for several years now. Daren is a certified and licensed auctioneer and a Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) with the Institute for Supply Management. Nancy is a Certified Personal Property Appraiser (CPPA) and a member of the Certified Appraiser's Guild.

In their book they outline their Flipper system which covers a wealth of information on how to choose the right products to sell. They go into depth about the importance of brand value and lay out which products retain the highest value over time making them great for flipping. They combine this info with real life examples of who to scout out the products, price them accordingly, and create a successful auction for the product.

In "Buy it, Sell it Make Money..." they also outline techniques for negotiating prices and show you the most common mistakes made in the reselling business and how to avoid them. They also let you in on insider tips such as which product are in high demand and how you can trade up and getting more for products.

Overall this is a great resource for anyone that wants to learn how to make money buying and reselling high end items. Unlike the get rich quick from eBay books the Baughmans root their guide in real research based of their own successful and profitable business. Just remember that every business requires dedication and tons of hard work regardless if you're using the internet to make money taking surveys or reselling gold rings, nothing comes easy.

Gardens That Need Less - A Book Review

If you are like me, then you want to grow your own organic vegetables, and have your own really cool garden, but, you also know that you hardly have time to spend making it perfect. But did you know that there are many time-saving ways to have your garden and eat well too, without it taking hours a day - it's true. Let me explain. You see, what you need is an education in gardening and some sure fire tips to make you the local gardening expert. So, I'd like to recommend a very good book to you:

"Low-Maintenance Gardening" by Fiona Gilsenan - 1998 (A Sunset Book).

Are you interested in gardening, but also realize the need to save water? Perhaps you travel a lot and know that your lack of attention could cause the plants to all die? Have you considered the local critters in the area that might eat up your garden or the problems with insects that feast upon your plants? Well, if any of these things are serious issues for you to consider then you need to get this book.

One super feature of this book, is that it breaks things down by region so no matter where you live, there are tips and information for you. There are also many time-saving methods outlined in the book, to insure that you spend your time wisely. The book also has hundreds of easy to manage plant species that you can plant that work well together and require very little care or water.Whether you are looking for an oriental garden, vegetable garden, decorative garden or a total xeriscape, this book will be perfect for you.

The Top 3 Ways To Let Go

If you are spending a great deal of time thinking about something that is bothering you, it is imperative that you let it go. By placing attention on the problem you are making it worse. The law of attraction works-what you put out in the universe, comes back to you. So, unless you want a whole lot of angst take my advice and practice the following steps:

1. Look honestly at the problem before you. Since I'm not tackling life or death issues in this article, let's assume it's a relatively minor thing. Let's say you got in a disagreement with your mother-in-law. Your husband told her that you exchanged the pretty blouse she got you for your birthday. She got offended, and you have to see her next month for Christmas.

Family issues can be tricky, and cause for too much unwanted tension. It doesn't have to be that way. The best way to tackle issues like this is take immediate action. Don't let too much time go by, that just makes the situation more awkward.

2. Take action. Your intention and feeling behind this action is key. It is very important to be respectful and humble. Try not to come off as placating. The Mother-in-Law is already in a sensitive mood and she will be highly attuned to a lack of genuineness.

If you normally do not talk on the phone, don't start now. If you email, do that. Give your sincere thanks for her generous gift. Tell her you thought the blouse really was beautiful. Refrain from adding, "but"...

3. Communicate with integrity and compassion. Be honest, yet kind. Know that she really meant well and the last thing you wanted to do was to offend her, especially since she has been so good to you.

Use this as an opportunity to tell her who you are as a unique individual. Again, be honest. Maybe you are a tomboy, and do not like frilly things. Maybe your family had a habit of exchanging gifts that were passed around, and you were raised that it was no big deal. Maybe you are a control freak, and it's difficult for you to accept clothes that you did not pick out.

The last thing you want to do is to appear "right." Be willing to let your Mother-in-law win. Express your blunder, as something that was just you being you, but add that you should have been more sensitive to the idea that she might have misconstrued that you exchanged her gift.

Tell her what you got instead, and how much you enjoyed the whole experience of shopping. Tell her you love her, and ask her for a Christmas gift idea, so you can get her something special.

Take a deep breath and allow yourself to smile. There is nothing more you can do. You were compassionate and truthful. You apologized, and allowed your mother-in-law to get to know you better. In most cases she will gladly forgive you and respect you. If she doesn't, do not beg.

You have done all you can do. Continue to practice positive thinking, because the law of attraction never stops working. Allow yourself to rest in a state of happiness. You are a kind soul who handled a sticky situation with dignity. Let it go, and the power of love will go full circle.

Copyright 2011, Avenstar Productions

Investing in Commercial Real Estate

You have been investing in residential properties for some time now and you feel like you can make the jump to investing in commercial real estate. This could be true, but keep in mind that investing in commercial real estate is far more risky and more expensive than investing in the residential real estate that you are used to. Because it is riskier, it normally can make you more profit. There are positives and negatives to investing in commercial real estate.

In general, the profit attained from commercial real estate can be traced back to the overall economy. As things look up in the business world, the value of commercial real estate tends to be on the rise. Commercial real estate has increased in volume approximately 20% over the last few years, making it easier for small investors to profit from this niche of the real estate market.

Of course, the value of all commercial real estate is not solely dependent on the overall economy of the country, it is more dependent on the economy of your region, town, or even neighborhood. If your property is located in an area that has seen little growth in recent years, you are not likely to make a decent profit.

During a recession, commercial foreclosures and vacancies tend to be more likely than residential foreclosures. In the case of a vacancy during a recession, the property owner may be forced to sell the property for less than the value in order to keep themselves afloat. These factors contribute to the risk of commercial real estate investment. However, during a boom in the economy, there are many people that want to try their hand at their own business or expand their current business, which opens the door for more tenants for commercial real estate.

One way to invest in commercial real estate without going out and purchasing a property is through something called a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). These are traded securities that allow the smaller investor to become a part of a large scale commercial project. Most REITs specialize in certain types of properties such as office buildings or hospitals, which add to their stability. There are several benefits to REITs Ð they are traded like stocks, so you can buy and sell them as you wish; the share price will increase in value as the property value increases; shareholders, in many cases, get a share of the rents generated from the property.

REITs have become very popular in the last few years because they are generally a positive investment. REITs are required by law to distribute 90% of their profits as dividends. These dividends are paid to the share holders. REITs also hold some tax benefits that will save you money on April 15.

There are several methods of investing in commercial real estate, and we have just touched on a few. Like anything else, investing in commercial real estate is not for everyone, but with a little knowledge of the situation and good problem solving skills, this type of investment could be the boost that your finances need to get you where you want to be.

Best Health and Fitness E-Books - Honest Reviews

Here is my honest review of my three favorite, and bestselling, ebooks.

For those of you that don't know, an ebook is just like a regular book but you can download it online and start reading it seconds after you make your purchase.

You'll find the same information on my squidoo lens, along with links to these ebooks.

Best Health and Fitness e-book 1: Burn the fat, feed the muscle

With a title like that, it has to be good. This is the bible of fitness e-books, with more accurate information than you'll find anywhere else.

The book is a bit complicated, but using the book you can tailor a workout to your specific body type and goals.

Set up your workout with the information in this book, and you won't waste a minute of your time. You could easily boost your workout effectiveness by 500%, and thats a safe analysis.

Seriously consider this one, it has been my best purchase ever. By the way, if you buy it through the link in my squidoo lens, go ahead and email me your receipt number so I can send you a free bonus!

Best Health and Fitness e-book 2: Fat Loss 4 Idiots Guide

You might have heard of this one before, it is very popular right now. It is a complicated diet that will let you lose weight without hitting the gym at all.

This is great if your real busy with kids, schoolwork, or a full-time job.

This program has an online diet generator with it that teachers you how to rotate types of calories to have your body effectively burn off of fat.

Buyer beware, you'll need to buy and cook specific foods. This should be obvious but to a lot of people it isn't...

This fitness e-book is different than the others, but that is what makes it interesting. My mom swears by this, shes lost eleven pounds already.

Best Health and Fitness e-book 3: No-nonsense Muscle Building

This is the way to get ripped fast, it is the e-book I refer too most often. This is for you hardcore builders who want to seriously explode with muscle definition.

The online calender that comes with this program is brilliant, it outlines your workouts every day. How easy!

Fair warning, these workouts are intense! I myself saw improvement not two weeks in!!

This e-book has an awesome section about workouts aimed at improving your weak spots. That one section was well worth the purchase.

Anyways those are my three favorite e-books. Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle is the best informative all-around e-book. Fat Loss 4 Idiots is great for busy mothers and other people who can't find time to get to the gym. Lastly, No nonsense muscle building is great for anyone who wants to get ripped quickly.

High Definition Video Conferencing - Greater Picture Clarity

Video conferencing can be traced back to the invention of television, which is nothing but a one way video conferencing so to speak. Tele-video conferencing is the process of a group of people located in different parts of the globe of country (distance really does not matter) and being able to simultaneously take parting a two way discussion by observing all the other members of the conferencing on a video screen live and talk to them as if they were all sitting in the same room. In earlier times such video conferencing consisted of closed circuit television systems, which was the technology where by the video and audio signals were transmitted through a cable system and not transmitted through the air. This resulted in the video quality being very poor in quality as well as being very expensive to transmit. This type of communication was very attractive and the demand for better transmission techniques resulted in companies investing in high definition video conferencing techniques.

The first high definition video conferencing was inadvertently tried out by NASA who required to conferencing with astronauts in space. The distance required very high definition video conferencing capabilities and NASA achieved this by using high frequencies to link up and down between the space stations and the earth stations. This kind of high definition video conferencing has been put to wider use by television news channels using this high definition video conferencing between the studios and the mobile news trucks. High definition video conferencing has since become very common with the technology advancing and transforming from analog to digital format the world over.

High Definition Video conferencing was first demonstrated in the early nineties. Though this technique was still very expensive, it could not be put to use for more mundane applications, such as telemedicine, distance education, business meetings, and so on. The use of normal telephone networks to transmit video failed due to the poor picture quality and the lack of efficient video compression techniques that were available at the time. The greater bandwidth and 6 MBPS transmission rate of the popular though short lived Picturephone in the 1970s did not prosper. These were but stepping stones to the digital high definition video conferencing that the world knows today. The Internet had enabled high definition video conferencing to be put to wider use with more and more people from different walks of life being able to take advantage of this great technology.

High definition video conferencing started out as an important means of communications between scientific, defense and government organizations. The usefulness of this communications technology was realized and so the demand grew by leaps and bounds. So as a result from the early closed circuit low definition video conferencing to the present day high definition video conferencing techniques employed today, high definition video conferencing is being used not only by the high and mighty but by students who are able to use the technology to further their studies by taking part in high definition video conferencing set up by their universities in distant places. House wives are also able to use the technology from the comforts of their homes. The retired and aged people can see and speak to their entire families settled all over the world at the flick of a switch. Yet High definition video conferencing has a long way to go.

Other Health Impairment: When Does Your Child With a Medical Diagnosis Need an IEP Instead of a 504?

Other Health Impairment is a disability category under the United States federal law, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Many parents are unaware that their children with chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome are eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Just having one or more of these diagnoses does not make a child eligible for special education; the disability must also adversely affect your child's educational performance.

Many children have one or more of these diagnoses and function quite well at school and have no need for a specialized plan. In general, school personnel have worked hard to learn how to accommodate the needs of children with health impairments. Many children with health impairments are put on a Section 504 plan based on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This is not the same thing as an IEP. A 504 plan usually offers the child accommodations to help them be more successful in the general education setting. 504 plans may be adequate for many children with health impairments. However, there are three conditions that often markedly affect children's educational performance; attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette syndrome.

Many schools will put children with these three disorders on 504 plans first, rather than assessing them for special education. If your child only needs accommodations, then a 504 plan is great way to assist your child, with a health impairment, to be more successful and to not be discriminated against. If the 504 plan is working then there is no reason to look for alternative solutions. However, if your child is on a 504 plan and their behavior is not improving and you believe their educational performance is being significantly affected by their disability you may want to request a special education evaluation.

IEPs are much more comprehensive than 504 Plans. Accommodations are only one part of an IEP. IEPs also include annual goals and objectives tied to the core content standards and specific service delivery from special education teachers and/or related services personnel (such as Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists and Behavior Specialists). Although they are both based on United States federal laws with similar procedural safeguards, students who exhibit significant behaviors related to these disabilities are usually better served with an IEP. If your child does not qualify for an IEP, then a 504 Plan would be the next best thing. If you decide to request a special education evaluation, put it in writing. Each state has laws in effect pertaining to how long after the school district receives the request that they need to meet with you to have you sign permission for an evaluation to begin.

Simple Beauty Tips For Everyone

There are so many expensive beauty products, beauty treatments and beauty spas selling the mainstream standard of beauty to women all over the world. I am going to give you the most important free beauty secrets for real beauty.

Get 6-8 Hours of Sleep Make sure that you are in bed by 10 pm to ensure that your body and brain receive the optimal sleep benefits. Between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am is when your brain release chemicals that heal your body and slows down premature aging. Studies show that people who do not get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep each night are at a higher risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. Looking healthy, radiant and well rested is a simple tip that everyone can take advantage of.

White Teeth Brush your teeth twice a day. No matter how symmetrical your facial features if your teeth are stained, yellow or dirty this subtracts away from your physical attractiveness. Buy a good mouth wash and toothpaste and take care of your pearly whites. It cheap and simple and it's a simple bit tip for everyone.

Maintain Excellent Hygiene Keep your body extremely clean by showering at minimum once a day. Lotion or oil your body. Ashy skin is not attractive on men or women. Many people take the simplest things for granted and would much rather purchase $100 perfume than take a good shower. Many people think that others are unable to notice their lack of cleanliness because they are surrounded by people who are immune to their natural body odor. However, when you socialize with people outside of your social network they are immediately repelled by a person with poor body hygiene.

Exercise You don't need to join a fancy gym in order to take care of your body. Buy a jump rope and go outside and jump rope for 20 minutes each day. Do 50 jumping jacks, sit ups, pushups and waist -bends. You could also go for a walk in your neighborhood, the local park or the mall. If you don't feel safe walking in your neighborhood, buy an exercise DVD so that you can exercise in your living room or basement. Don't exercise to lose weight-exercise to feel great. Taking the time to take care of your body is the number one way to show that you love yourself. Real beauty always expands from the inside to the outside.

Eat Healthy Foods Incorporate spinach, kale, broccoli, blueberries, strawberries, almonds, walnuts and salmon in your daily diet as much as you can. These foods are good for your brain, heart, and eyes. But most importantly, if you eat a diet rich with these foods you will have glowing, radiant youthful skin.

Drink Green Tea Tea is high in antioxidants that help fight against disease and act as a natural anti-aging agent. Some studies show that drinking green tea blocks the growth of cancer cells and lowers bad cholesterol. Additionally, researchers have found that green tea prevents tooth decay and help dieters burn more calories.

Focus conversation on others This is weird simple beauty tip for everyone but studies show that people who focus conversation topics on other people are perceived as being more attractive and charismatic than people who like to talk about themselves. The next time you meet someone ask them how they feel or think about various topics that are friendly and light-hearted, such as their job, favorite book or movie. Stay away from religious and political topics because they can be very emotionally explosive.

Before you purchase an expensive anti-wrinkle cream, new lip gloss, or shoes to enhance your appearance try these simple beauty tips for everyone.

Career Planning - How We Can All Learn For This College Student's Career Plan!

Career planning has many forms. Recently we spoke with Julie, a college junior, who is majoring in diet and nutrition. Julie has an intern position lined up for next summer working with a dietitian at a local hospital. She has a lot going for her but it's the next step that will assure she has a rewarding and productive career.

For the past three months she has written twice a month 300 word articles on diet and nutrition for her college department's newsletter. We helped her see how she can leverage this writing experience into a source of income and possible resume enhancement. Julie has some internet experience but she has a 14 year old brother who can assist her in some of the technical details.

It took about two hours to put her career plan together. First, she is going to get a domain name related to diet and nutrition. Next she is going to Hostgator and purchasing a hosting account. The domain name will cost her about $9 a year and the hosting account will cost her about an additional $10 a month.

Julie will then set up a WordPress blog and pick one of hundreds or templates available. She plans on rewriting her newsletter articles so they are all in the 400 to 600 word range. Then she will submit them to the biggest and best article community-EzineArticles.com. In the author resource box she will direct the reader to her blog.

Her blog will have additional content and an affiliate link to a diet or nutritional product. The articles will generate traffic which should convert reasonably well. She will study keywords related to the diet and nutrition field and search for keywords where there is less relative competition. In writing articles she will attempt to focus the subject in the article on these less competitive keywords. She plans on having Google AdSense ads on her blog for additional revenue.

Her career plan now is to write at least 3 or more articles per week and make 2-3 blog posts per week. Also, she will get a free copy of CommentKahuna to find related blogs to post appropriate comments with reference back to her blog URL. Her plan is to spend a couple of hours a week making posts on other related blogs. This should generate additional traffic back to her blog and ultimately clicks on her affiliate links.

Her article writing efforts, along with her other plans should generate some income. There are other things she could try for additional traffic but this plan is a start and she intends to modify it as she goes along. Her time is limited each week with her school and studies and a part time job.

In 12-14 months she will be putting together her resume in anticipation to her college graduation in May 2009. By then she will have published over 150 articles, been published in hundreds perhaps thousands of sites on the internet and have a reliable source of monthly income.

In her resume cover letter she can reference her career plan research and writing and perhaps ask the reader to "Google" her name. With 150 or more articles, she'll have 30 or more pages of listings in Google of her writing and sites where her articles are published.

Do you think her resume and cover letter will stand out? You bet it will and Julie is well on her way to a rewarding career.