Wise Buy of Home Furniture

Furniture has always been the best asset of every house that helps in adding a good home environment. Give credits for the size, color, shapes and designs of every house because these will leave a very good impression to the owner as well as for all your guests and visitors. If you are planning to have a discount bar stools to be placed inside your house and sleep in Simmons Beauty Rest world class mattress, you will probably have to decide for the best and high end quality of these kind of furniture.

The following are smart advice that will help you choosing for the right kind of furniture and home decorations.

There are many styles of furniture and home decorations that are available in the market today. Its up to you where will you place it inside your house. The decorations and styles of furniture will depend on the interest and favorites of the person. There are also ready made products that available in markets with an affordable price and of best quality furniture materials too. But if you want for the cheapest prices and wants to have your own personalized furniture, you can go to furniture shops that offer services like this. Internet sources will also help you in purchasing for the right kind of furniture. It gives a lot of information with regards to the features, characteristics and elements of your chosen furniture. Just type in the search engine what you will want to buy and in just a second, you will see various websites that offers great discounts and variety of quality made furniture.

If you choose for furniture, make sure that it has a capacity to maintain its durability and flexibility. You can base this on the positioning of the furniture inside your house or in your room. It is more important to keep your furniture on areas with little accidents and breakage. Once furniture is use everyday, for example a cabinet, you are used to open and close the doors of it, this may cause breakage and are prone to damage some of its parts. Furthermore, the durability of the furniture is not merely based on where you will placed it in your house or the price but it is on how they are built with proper technique and best quality materials.

After you chose for your selected furniture and plan to buy one, it is important to take this as an advice. Check every parts of it making sure that it was properly built and with no damage. The finished product must be smooth, well painted with colors and has the ability of making it lasts long. Try to check if the applications of varnish or polish are well done. It denotes for a nice looking and attractive furniture. Ensure that every pieces of it has passed the standard of being durable and flexible. Always remember that you have the capacity to select and choose for the great products for furniture. Remember that when you budget for furniture, you have to base it on its everyday use.

Eldercare Tips – 17 Questions to Answer Before Your Parents Will Accept Help Shopping For Groceries

For eldercare services to be tolerable to the elders, you need to explain to the in-home helpers exactly what your parents want help with. It’s not enough to say “hire someone to clean the house.” Does this mean the person cooks meals? Does laundry? Makes beds? Waters the lawn?

It seems simple enough. Your father said he can’t drive anymore so he needs someone to help him with shopping. Unfortunately, it’s easy to misinterpret what’s really needed. Does your father need someone to take a grocery list, go shopping and drop groceries off in the kitchen? Or does he need someone to stop by, pick him up, wait outside while he shops, bring him back, and drop him off? Does he need someone to go in the store and shop with him? For him? Help unpack and put the groceries away?

People make assumptions about what to do and how to help-and don’t get enough detailed information for the assistance to be acceptable to person needing assistance. To avoid these mistakes, and the complaints and cycle of hiring and firing in-home aides, get a complete picture of what your parents want help with. Begin the conversation by focusing first on a single, simple issue like shopping.

Because an apparently simple task like shopping is actually a series of smaller tasks, we have broken each topic into its components. Explore these details with your parents to learn what they really mean when they say “I think I want help shopping for groceries.” The detail may seem excessive to you, but it will make your parents feel understood and allow you to train the helper in acceptable assistance so his/her tenure will exceed a nanosecond.

• Shopping for groceries
Some people enjoy grocery shopping and would miss the activity. They may like the social connection of seeing and talking to other people in the store; they may enjoy slowly wandering down the aisles looking at and feeling the fresh fruits and vegetables, or they may want to keep control over decisions about what is purchased and how much money is spent. For these reasons, grocery shopping can plug into issues of authority and companionship.

Be sure you don’t hire a mismatch, e.g., someone who comes in and does a fabulous job selecting, buying, and organizing the groceries thereby annoying your parents who love to shop and see this as one of the last vestiges of control over daily life. Talk to your parents about the tasks involved in grocery shopping.

Do you want help:
• Deciding how much to spend?
• Making grocery lists?
• Getting to and from the store?
• Selecting the groceries?
• Navigating the aisles?
• Reaching items on very high and/or low shelves?
• Putting the groceries into the cart, onto the checkout counter?
• Paying?
• Carrying the groceries to the car and into the house?
• Unpacking the groceries?
• Doing the whole thing?

Grocery related issues – Do you want:
• Someone to follow along patiently while you shop?
• Someone to chat with while you are shopping?
• Someone to talk to the store clerks for you if you need help finding an item?
• Someone to handle the payment at check out?
• To do shopping on a regular schedule…when?
• To buy only specific brands or specific product sizes?

You may not have realized how much was involved in shopping for somebody else. Busy people just zip in, buy what they need and zip out. But, for people whose world has gotten smaller, these little things matter a great deal. No matter how experienced the provider of eldercare services is, he/she cannot anticipate each client’s preferences and may not ask in sufficient detail to get adequate information. Use these questions to help your parents get clear on exactly what they want help with and how they want to be helped, and to train the helper so he/she can provide elder care services they will accept.

Accent Your Wardrobe With Fabulous Jewelry Pieces

Women love to be fashionable. They love to dress up in stylish clothes. But being fashionable does not only mean wearing trendy clothes. A woman can be fashionable even with a plain outfit. The key to being fashionable is proper accessorizing. Even by wearing the plainest of the plain clothes, a woman can become fashionable with the help of some fashionable accessories for women.

Fashionable accessories for women can really help any woman look great. Women are very lucky that there are so many fashion accessories for them to choose from. Handbags, shoes, scarves, hair accessories like clips and headbands, belts, and jewelry are only some accessories that women can make use of to enhance their overall look.

Among the different kinds of fashionable accessories available to women, jewelry are the easiest and most convenient to have. Women love jewelry. Almost every woman has at least one set of jewelry. It is easy to shop for jewelry as they can be seen anywhere and they can be bought just about in any place or store whether online or on site. A set of jewelry contains a necklace, a pair of earrings, bracelets, a ring, and even a watch.

Jewelry can be plain and simple or they can be elaborate. Corollary to this, jewelry can cost cheap or they can as well be priceless. Jewelry can be made up purely of precious metals or with a combination of exquisite gems and stones. The precious metals consist of pure gold, silver or otherwise known as white gold, and bronze. However, the jewelry can as well be merely gold, silver, or gold-plated, which are not pure precious metals.

On the other hand, the different kinds of gems and precious stones consist of pearl, diamond, ruby, emerald, opal, turquoise, Swarovski, and aquamarine, among others. These can really be expensive, so that people who really cannot afford the genuine ones have the option to buy mere imitations of the any of the aforementioned gems.

What is great about jewelry is that any woman can own one. In fact, a woman can have different sets to suit every occasion and outfit like a formal gathering, a casual party, or even for just for daily casual wear. With jewelry, a woman can choose to look chic and posh, or she can opt to look simple and feminine, or she may even want to look hip and funky. In any case, she can always look good with the right kinds of jewelry as fashionable accessories for women.

It is really only a matter of choosing the right kinds of jewelry as fashionable accessories for women, which will allow women to look however and whatever they want to at any given day or occasion.

Avoid Turning Travel Into Burden

People travel for different reasons. Most people travel for reasons of relaxation and recreation. The idea of travel appeals greatly to those who want to take the time off from their daily routines and off from dreadful workloads and stressful deadlines. Thus, people in the travel industry have designed their services to provide the best possible convenience and comfort for clients. In fact, countless travel agencies around the world designed travel deals and vacation packages in the most customer-friendly features as possible.

Yet, despite myriad of choices and long preparations; some dream travel vacations turn into nightmares. In some cases, well-drafted travel itineraries unexpectedly come across problems in airports, hotels and resorts. Unfortunately for some, a minor delay in one of the travel stops lead to a series of related and similarly exasperating troubles. In minutes, all that was carefully arranged for weeks or months turn into a chaotic chain of events. When the situation becomes this worst, most travelers prefer to cut-off the escapade and return home with great disappointment and enormous regrets.

While there are uncontrollable circumstances, a traveler can take some precautionary measures to make sure that the trip would go smoothly. By observing these measures, the traveler can reduce the possibility of the trip going wrong. These practices can also help when things start to go out of hand while on travel.

First and foremost, people should check on the reliability of their travel service provider. Some discount travel offered by irresponsible travel agencies also discounts the fun in the travel. Such companies’ partnership with airlines and hotels could not be trusted. Entrusting your travel concerns to these companies may only lead to delayed flights, reservation problems, booking issues and others. Choose a travel agency that has a respected name in the travel industry. Companies like Expedia Travel have reliable backgrounds and dependable experience in the industry for many years. Their partnerships to other travel service providers are proven strong and efficient. And their deals on travel ensure greater travel fun and experience.

Even after all the arrangements are made, travel planners should not be excessively laid back of the travel details. With the help of a trusted travel agency, travelers must continually check on the status of their travel reservations. One can never know the tendency of reservations to changes especially those that can easily be affected natural forces. For example, schedule of flights can change if there are problems in the weather.

Travelers must also make sure that they are knowledgeable enough on the basic details of their destinations. It is best for people to know the culture of the place to avoid offense on local practices. A tourist must also be aware of the different activities that can be done in the place. This could be helpful, especially when there are cancellations of activities in the middle of the trip.

Finally, one must see to it that they have everything taken cared of before traveling. Chores and tasks that were left done could cause major disruptions on the travel. Having something to worry about the travel reduces the fun factor of the trip. Make sure important matters like financial related chores, home and properties security, work requirements, necessary notifications and others are already settled before setting out.

When problems occur during your travel and you feel the need to be assisted by the right company, turn on to Expedia. The company has coupons that you can purchase online. Expedia also has the reliable connections to air carriers and hotel across the globe.

Make your travel experience a pleasantly memorable one. Don’t let problems ruin your dream travel.

Cheap Home Furniture

Sooner or later, you will find yourself in possession of a nice and rather empty home. You stand in the large empty space you now call your own and try to envision how you want it to end up. Until very recently, I’ve played this game with minimal space.

Furnishing each tiny apartment became a delicate balancing act of what’s absolutely necessary to have and how to maximize the space I had. This time I had a new problem. I unpacked my tiny moving truck and I set all my stuff in the corner of my living room. There were a lot of decisions to be made on what to buy, how much to spend, and the best ways to make it all look great without taking out a loan. Visiting the big brand stores was a nightmare because even though it all looked great, the concept of actually paying for any of it would give anyone an ulcer. So where can you get cheap home furniture that doesn’t look awful and can actually make your new place into the home it’s meant to be? The answer to this question is to shop around for the best and most inexpensive quality pieces you can find.

Most importantly, be open to the prospect of shopping for used items. Perhaps used is the wrong term to adopt. What kind of strain would an end table or a bookshelf possibly be put under that it couldn’t pass for new? How about a picture frame or a lamp? Chances are these items were bought in some massive store with a giant advertising budget to pay. Many times people pay ridiculously inflated prices but how roughly was the furniture really handled while in their possession? Although my grandmother’s furniture probably a hundred years old it doesn’t have a nick or scratch on it.

In many cases, this furniture may have never been put to heavy use but purchased for show. Perhaps the piece in question was sat delicately in the living room while its owner remained diligently working away from home with no children and business trips to attend to. I have furnished my home with furniture from discount outlets and want ads. It looks beautiful and I can honestly say I’m thrilled with how it came out. I’m sure others have had similar experiences and are either looking for tips to do as I have or want to share their own inexpensive solutions for furnishing on a budget. Come check out my blog to see my cheap home furniture and to share your great ideas for home design, lighting solutions or artistic projects to make your home truly your own.

Bringing Out the Best in Professional Library Staff in Sierra Leone

Introduction

Bringing out the best from library staff has been an issue for the proper functioning of librarians in Sierra Leone (SL). Librarians, according to Crosby (2008) are information experts in the Information Age. Their expertise in the handling of information has not been seen or realized, even though these professionals have been around for a long time. Librarians and information professionals have not attained the status and position they should rightly occupy in society. In most Ministries, Departments and Government Agencies (MDAs), where information handling and records keeping are key functions, librarians, records managers and information professionals have not been employed to do these jobs. Instead, other professionals, mostly people with accounting and business management backgrounds have been employed. In essence, the work of librarians has not been so much felt and appreciated.

Library and information services in Sierra Leone

Information is a fundamental asset for any society to thrive well in this 21st century. It is the tool by which learning takes place and decisions are made. It provides the needed answers to people’s requests and longings from all walks of life. Therefore, the provision of library and information services to all is indisputable. Almost all types of libraries exist in SL, because no individual library can provide all the information needed by every potential user. In this regard, different libraries exist to serve different users and their needs.

The Sierra Leone Library Board (SLLB) serves as both the National and Public library in the country. There are mainly nine (9) Academic libraries scattered throughout the country, all of these are found in the tertiary institutions (Universities, Colleges, Institutes and Teacher Training Colleges) providing higher education. School libraries are found in most Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary Schools. However, a vast majority of these are not functional. Special libraries are found in MDAs, private companies and individual established libraries. In addition to these are research and documentation centres, such as the Medical Research Centre; Information Resource centres, such as that established by the Embassy of the United States of America; and many small community information centres. These information centres are widely used by information seekers due to the main fact that they provide online services for almost free of charge.

The SLLB serves as the pivotal point for the provision of library and information services in the country. It is open to all: professionals, academics, researchers, students, pupils and for all children. There also, the general populace information needs are catered for. All of these are geared towards meeting our societal needs for information, education, research, entertainment and leisure activities.

Staff in libraries and information service institutions in Sierra Leone

There are two broad classes of staff employed in our libraries as is the case for libraries all over the world: those involved in library and information work, and those who provide back-up services. Library and information staff functions at different levels from non-professional, Para-professional, professional, specialists to managerial. At the support level, there are also manual/care taking staff, clerical/secretarial, technical and computer staff, and specialist staff. These all play a part in providing the information that users’ desire.

Library staff should function above the normal information provision role. Other important functions are:

I. Guide – providing physical, technical and intellectual guides to information resources in various formats;
ii. Collaborate – with others, known users as well as users who come for some manner of services over and over again, and even remote users;
iii. Prioritize – be flexible in performing new functions in order to incorporate new demands in procedures, structures and directions;
iv. Empower – delegate responsibility thereby empowering colleagues; and
v. Understand core capabilities – of the library, its environment, colleagues and most importantly the users.

Training library staff in Sierra Leone

The Institute of Library, Information and Communication Studies (INSLICS), Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone (USL), is where Librarians and Information Professionals are trained and equipped for the world of work. INSLICS comprises two divisions that offer two distinct programs: the Divisions of Mass Communication and Library, Archive and Information Studies respectively. The Mass Communication Division offers academic courses in the art and science of human communication and prepares students for career opportunities in public information services, print media, broadcast media, public relations, film production, advertising, marketing, advocacy and related fields. While the Division of Library, Archive and Information Studies caters for the professional training of librarians, records managers, archivists and information scientists to manage libraries, resource centres, information centres and related activities.

The Division of Library, Archive and Information Studies was formally established in 1986. It aims to provide for the training and education of Librarians, Archivists, and Information Scientists at a variety of levels, for those employed in both professional and non-professional capacities in Libraries, Archive Departments and Information Centres. Within the USL it is the particular mission of the Division of Library, Archive and Information Studies to educate men and women for professional careers as librarians and information specialists and to foster research and service programs relating to society’s library and information needs.

Its goals are:

I. To furnish students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are basic to professional competence and career-long professional growth in the field of library and information services;
II. To expand the knowledge base of the profession through research; and
III. To share its resources by extending services within and beyond SL.

The Division currently offers the following courses:

1. Special Certificate in Library, Archive and Information Studies – this is a one year full-time course and is ideally suited to those with some experience of library and information work, who wish to receive training in basic library/information skills;

2. Diploma in Library, Archive and Information Studies – a two-year full-time course for those who may have some experience of library work and who hope to hold a Para-professional position in a library/information centre or archive in the future;

3. Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Library, Archive and Information Studies – a four-year full-time course;

4. Post-Graduate Diploma in Library, Archive and Information Studies – a one-year program for graduates;

5. Master of Philosophy in Library, Archive and Information Studies – a two-year program, i.e. one year taught program and one year research.

The challenge for library staff

The challenges facing library staff in SL are numerous. Among them, the following are worth mentioning: low wages, limited capacity, no proper networking, poor infrastructure, users’ ignorance and the polemics of status.

The challenge of users’ ignorance

An anonymous writer once wrote that “A library is a hospital for the mind.” This means that the librarian is the trained doctor or nurse to administer treatment to every sick mind. This also means that the user who needs information is the sick mind that really needs treatment from the librarian. This is the ideal case, but not the pragmatic one. For every Sierra Leonean needs information for survival and growth; but going to the library is the major barrier. This is due to the fact that many are not well informed that the library exists to provide the daily information they want. As such there are libraries with information and knowledge to help people, but these people are unaware of going there for such help. It is therefore the responsibility of library staff to make people become aware that the library can meet their daily information needs. They must find ways and means to reach out to the public. Two important ways for every library are through the public relations and marketing library and information services.

The challenge of the polemics of status

Wilson (1982) stated that librarians have long exhibited a curious, and intense, status anxiety that is reflected in the endless polemics about the professional status (or lack thereof) among them. Librarianship should be one of those professions seeking a conspicuous status in the market. As Harris (1995) mentioned, since the inception of the idea of a ‘library’ in the United States, and more significantly, since the middle of the 19th century, librarians and friends of libraries have been debating the proper role of the library profession. Librarianship is one of those professions that impinge on the very survival of any society. The Librarian commands a unique status parallel with traditional professions in SL. If we can accept the saying that “knowledge itself is a form of power,” then the Librarian is the controller of that power. He is the custodian of the nation’s knowledge base.

A redefinition of the library profession and the librarian in developing countries is urgently needed. Just as how Huttemann (1985) mentioned that “self-sustaining and self-reliant Pan-African economic growth needs to develop its natural and human resources.” So the work and role of librarians are keys for SL to realize her much envisaged economic growth and prosperity. As Huttemann further stated that the promotion of socioeconomic and cultural development can be conducted properly only if it is supported by sound information and documentation services needed for sectors like education, health services, agriculture, industry and trade alike. In essence, it is a matter of must that librarians should be in the business of accessing, organizing, storing and disseminating information where and when needed.
It is also crystal clear that librarians must question the definition they have accepted. A thorough understanding of their role is a sine qua non for a clearer view. They must come forward with the goal of helping society to understand that they exist to provide information for survival and growth. This goal, as insisted by Bundy and Wasserman (1968) and Harris, Hannah and Harris (1998) must be to forge a new professional identity.

Librarianship, according to Taylor (1980), is the profession that is concerned with the systematic organization of knowledge in all its various formats and its dissemination for the purpose of preserving society’s cultural heritage, promoting scholarship and the generation of new knowledge. However, this definition is far-fetched to the common understanding of many Sierra Leoneans. The general view is of some persons sitting behind many books in large stalks of shelves and waiting for patrons to come and request for assistance. For long librarians in SL have been labeled as “book keepers” and jobs for those teachers who have been left out unnoticeable by the school curriculum. The profession itself has long been battling with Public Relations (PR). As Mchombu (1985) put it ” In most developing countries, the percentage of population which are active library users is still very low… it is, therefore, important to encourage many more people from all walks of life to increase their use of Libraries so that existing information resources can be fully exploited” (p.115). In essence, as Mchombu further asserted library staff can no longer afford to sit and wait for a few enlightened readers to come to them, they must be more aggressive, be prepared to go out and search for and encourage all potential readers to come to the library because it has information which can be applied to what they are doing to improve final results.

To this, librarians must ensure that they emphasis on creating value from know-how and expertise. Bell (1973) has long since made this clarion call that the central figure in the post-industrial society will be the information professional. For as Bell insisted what counts is not raw muscle power, or energy, but information. The central person is the professional, for he is equipped, by his education and training, to provide the kinds of skill that is increasingly demanded in the post-industrial society.

Bringing out the best in library staff

The library profession must be able to overcome its challenges. A sure way of doing this is to motivate every library staff. When library staff are properly motivated, the best from them can be realized. Library managers should as a matter of must, make motivation for staff an issue of importance. Motivating staff in any organization is probably the most difficult task of the manager. Not only do people react differently to the same stimuli but the motivation process is quite complex. It is concerned with those factors that stimulate human behavior, how behavior is directed, and how it can be maintained. Staff can seem at times to behave illogically, perversely and unpredictably. Contrary to the belief of some, the good management of staff is not just a matter of common sense. To manage staff requires a formal effort to grasp these influences so that our individual attitudes can be controlled and developed to meet the day to day staff situation in a way in which common sense will have difficulty (Shimmon, 1976).

It is particularly important that the manager of a service organization like a library/information unit makes this effort for two reasons: Firstly, his product, being service is closely linked with the attitudes of serving staff themselves and it is not possible by inspection to reveal a faulty service in the easy way that faulty materials can be detected; and secondly, the cost of labor is likely to continue rising at a greater rate than that of the manager’s other main tools, machinery and materials, and he must therefore use the staff he really does need to best advantage (Webb, 1985). Some of the staff may be motivated by money and what it will buy, others by achieving ever higher services year after year, and some by the “thrill of the change.” Thus the manager, will need to address motivation in some depth by studying speculations such as organizational theory and behavior.

The challenge for bringing out the best

Someone has said unofficially that Sierra Leoneans naturally are not difficult to please. Sierra Leoneans are generally motivated when the two lowest layers of Maslow’s pyramid are satisfied. One of the basic problems in this society is a good remuneration package that can take care of the basic needs of people. In this part of the world five basic needs are evident: food, shelter, clothing, transportation and medical. If attention is paid to these needs for every library staff, we have solved much of the problems affecting them and we are on the verge of getting the best from them.

So a good package must contain basic pay and allowances that will cover rent, transportation, and medical. The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) announced minimum wage pay is Five Hundred Thousand Leones (SLL 500,000.00), placing it at Eighty United Dollars (US$ 80) at the current exchange rate (2016). This will not provide the good pay that librarians will want to work for. The rising cost of basic necessities, particularly food items, due to inflation in the country, means that this minimum wage is not encouraging. Therefore libraries must ensure that they go two times beyond this minimum wage pay in order to meet their staff basic need.

Furthermore, staff should be sent to the library school for training and development. Longer-serving staff without qualifications can be encouraged to do certificate programs. Reference and other professional librarians are to be sent for refresher courses and exchange programs for capacity development.

Conclusively, the best from library staff can be enhanced if the challenges facing them are dealt with and if they are properly motivated. Among the several challenges, user ignorance and the polemics of status are to be surmounted by librarians. Furthermore, they should be fairly motivated to take on their proper roles. In this sense, their remuneration packages as well as encouragement for career developments and training must be attended to. The library school should help in this direction.

Consider Purchasing An Entertainment Wall Unit – You Are Not In College Any Longer

If you know of a college student, then swing by their apartment and take a look at the furniture in the room. I am sure that you will find pieces that do not match, pieces that have one or more food stains and pieces that look like they were left on the curb for the last garbage pick-up. So answer this question – does your living room furniture look like you are still in college? If your TV and DVD player are still sitting on upside down milk crates, then it may be time to start shopping for a real entertainment wall unit.

Your situation may not be as extreme as previously mentioned, but if you are out of college or just working full time, then you really have no excuses for beat up old furniture. Think about it, the way your home looks reflects the kind of person you are. Do you want people really thinking that your idea of a TV wall unit are milk crates and a board you nailed into the wall?

Now, before you jump online or run to your nearest furniture shop you should take a few things into consideration. After all this is a pretty big purchase and not something that you will want to take lightly. An entertainment wall unit should not only be physically appealing, it needs to be structurally sound as well. The last thing that you want is to have that nice TV come crashing down because of shoddy workmanship.

If you have a lot of heavy things you plan on placing in your new entertainment wall system, then you probably want to steer clear of any flimsy material like particle board being held up by a few nails or screws. If you have such things as a big screen TV or stereo receiver complete with a surround sound speaker system, then take a look at the material that the unit you are considering buying is made out of. Go through the product to see how it is constructed and how it is rated quality wise. Is it real wood or is it cheap particle board? What materials are being used to hold all of the pieces together?

Nothing would ruin a nice night watching DVDs than to have your large TV bend and break the shelf that it is on. While the material used in making TV wall units is of great concern, you should also look at what you plan on placing in it and on it. Does the color of your TV and other electronic items match? Are they too large and heavy for your entertainment wall system? Is there a chance that it may bend and break?

Ask yourself these questions before making the leap to buy an entertainment wall unit. Don’t take any chances that you next big purchase will end up costing you even more should it collapse and cause your precious electronics to fall and break.

Best Furniture – Sauder Home Furniture

Sauder home furniture is the best quality among all available in the market at present. The quality is is accepted all over the world and has even become a standard in the industry. Sauder is a brand name that has made a mark in the industry and is going strong. Furniture is one of the most important part of a home and it shows the life style of the members of that house. Good quality and durability is always preferred by everyone and it provides wide range of home and office products for people with different lifestyles. The home products includes computer desks, beds, executive desks and computer desks. The quality of products can be trusted with closed eyes and the company gives you guarantee about their products performance. When you buy a Sauder product you will receive a guarantee card along with that product and in case you are not satisfies with the quality of the product you will get a new one from the company in almost a week. Buying a branded furniture product is always a wise decision and it doesn’t matter if you buy it directly by visiting a store or online via some website, and this is one name that you would never want to miss.

The best thing about this company is that you can even place an order according to your requirement and you will get the product delivered to your place in a month. For people who often have to shift their houses due to some reason face huge problems dealing with their furniture as it may get damaged during the moving process but Sauder provides you with a perfect solution to it. you can disassemble the furniture product and move it to a new place and then assemble it back by following the instructions given in the manual. So in all the quality and the durability of Sauder home furniture products is unmatched and are highly recommended if you are really serious about your home.

How To Take Care of Your Home Furniture

Furniture plays a big role in amplifying the beauty of our homes. You should therefore take care of your home furniture as it is also a costly investment. If we take proper care of the furniture, it will look better and serve us for a long time. To help in maintaining your furniture, there are some dos and don’ts that you need to be aware of. Some of these are:

· Placing drinks and tea cups directly on the table may leave a very undesirable stain on it. Some stains are not easy to remove and may require that you scrub to remove them. This may lead to damage of the furniture. You should consider using coasters as they can improve life of the furniture.

· Do not expose leather furniture to direct sunlight. They may fade out their color due to the effect of suns rays. To protect your leather furniture from sunlight, use curtains and drapes

· Dusting of the home furniture is not advised as it can reduce their life. You are advised to make use of a clean cloth and/or by using polish.

· Do not keep shoes on the furniture, guests should be advised to leave their shoes at the shoe rack. Train kids to take care of your home furniture from an early age. They should also be trained to have their shoes off the furniture. Shoes leave dirt marks that are not so easy to clear. Removal of such stains not only time consuming, but also diminishes the beauty of the furniture.

· You should call for pest control services from time to time so that you can eliminate and prevent bed bugs and dust mites which may ruin your furniture.

· You should clean off spills from liquids immediately whenever this happens on your wooden furniture. The spills can mess the beauty of your home furniture.

· You should not move heavy home furniture by dragging directly; consider putting bumpers before dragging to prevent damage to both the furniture and the floor.

It is important to take care of your home furniture as it can save you a lot of money on repairs and replacements. For you to get a better service from your home furniture, you should ensure that you take utmost care in handling your furniture. These will ensure that you do not have broken and stained furniture in your home.

How to Understand, Start and Run a Successful Home Based Travel Business

Why this is such an excellent choice for a home based business, and How To Get Started

Are you seeking information on a Home Business, or possibly you’ve read a whole lot and now you are trying to sort out what might be the BEST home based business? This is a long article, but stick with it all the way and we’re very confident you’ll have your answer(s).
Are you looking for the Best Home Based Business ? Recent polls show that over 70% of people who search the Internet are looking for such an opportunity. But does something like this really exist?

Here’s the problem: if you asked ten different people what the “best” home business was, you would probably get ten different answers. The truth of the matter is it really comes down to finding the best one for YOU.

We are all coming from a unique background. Each of us first has different wants and needs, and a want or need will determine what is best. Then we all have different abilities, and yes.. your abilities DO match up to what might be the best for YOU. What’s best for a friend or neighbor and might work for them might be a total mismatch for you. This article will give you a good instigate and provide a direction on what is one of the most universally agreed upon as a “Best” business.

We all have different interests and personalities, interests , abilities, and personalities. We have different strengths and weaknesses. We also come from all sorts of different circumstances. So it makes sense that not all of us are going to be interested in the same home based business model.

If there was truly ONE business that was for everyone, can you imagine how competitive that field would be? It would be VERY difficult for anyone to make any money!

You have probably seen advertisements all over the internet about THE #1 income making opportunity. Don’t get fooled by all the hype and so-called ways to make easy money. There is no such thing.

That’s where this article comes in. This article is NOT a comprehensive list of reviews of the thousands of home based business ideas out there. It’s an article that tells you some parameters of a good home based business, then discusses the travel industry. We give you the pros and cons both of a job and being in business; we tell you the history of our industry, and then why it’s so good and the place to be right now as it rides two major trends: Travel and the Internet.

I have researched and tried (sometimes failing miserably) many home based businesses, both online and in the real world, BUT, I have found and chosen something that is a legitimate way to make a great income from home. That’s what this is about. It’s a great fit for me, but because you are NOT me and probably have a different personality (thank heaven!), it may not be for you.. and that’s ok. But if you see things as I do, and as is presented here…

The best home based business for ME is a HOME BASED TRAVEL BUSINESS. I know it will also be for many of you.

But other than the fact that I’m just a normal, ordinary guy with no special talents.. and in fact, I’m probably older than most readers at 69 and I started this just last year, this article is not about me. It only points out that about anyone can easily get involved in the home based travel business. This is about YOU and what YOU want from life and your “working hours”, whether you are a stay-at-home-mom, a retiree, or any other category.

So the question becomes, out of all the various choices: Why start a online travel business?

We are going to discuss first the “Why”, then a little about the various types, and then the “how”. This will take some time, so grab a beverage of your choice and read on. In fact, I suggest you print this out while the coffee is brewing so you can really digest it. Mark it up. Pencil in questions.. and let’s get going!

First and foremost, when choosing a home based business, it’s really important to ask yourself “Why” are you doing this, and are you prepared to take it seriously and treat it like a business? That means regular hours of commitment of time and a commitment of money as any and all businesses you own are going to require some degree of investment.

This is probably as good of a time as any to differentiate between a JOB and a Business. ..

A job, including a home based “job” is one where you are going to essentially be trading time for money, and the assumption is that you have an employer of some sort who is going to pay you either on a dollar value per hour spent, or some dollar value for certain production. That production could be sales production as it often is; it could be manufacturing production, or it could be service production.. so many envelopes stuffed; so many calls made, so many of about anything done. That person is going to pay you for that, but you know that person or company is only doing this because they are going to make a certain amount of money on you. You are essentially paid what the job is worth; what the employer could get a replacement for you for. Regardless of your skills, you are not being paid what YOU are worth, but what the job is worth. For accepting this, you get some degree of security knowing that if you do “the assignment” or “the job” you are going to receive a certain, predictable amount of money. You may even receive some benefits. But the “security” is a joke because everyone knows that there is very little security. First the employer must remain in business. He must have a market for whatever it is you are doing, and markets change.

Next, your value is relative! Maybe that employer has a cousin who would like to do your job, or maybe someone comes along willing to do your job for less money. How secure are you? People tell me every day, “I don’t want the risks of a business.” Guess again everyone! You certainly have RISK as an employee as well!. And as to investment… well, many businesses have employee borne expenses, and even the IRS recognizes this. It’s just that there are SOME “out there” that don’t require any CASH investment, but don’t kid yourself.. you ARE making an investment, only it’s hidden in the fact you’re paying it in work and in the sense that you’re not being paid as much as you might if you absorbed certain expenses yourself.

In contrast, a BUSINESS, including a home based business, is one where you choose and control what ever it is your business makes or does. It could be virtually anything, and probably the best business is one where you control the product or service. Here on the internet, Information products are tops; these are followed by service products. Then comes those things you manufacture or make, and finally, there’s the category of items someone else controls but makes available to you for resale. Affiliate programs fall into this category. But you really need to be aware that if you are going to have a BUSINESS you are going to have business expenses, even a home-based business. These are the expenses of the office first, and then you may need to have some product or have been a user of some of the service so you truly KNOW what you have and can do business from a credible point. The product or service should be one of value that if you were the buyer, you’d consume it yourself at retail. Watch the line though… you don’t want to is get into a business where you are required to purchase X dollars amount of product every month, whether you can use this or not. That’s not a legitimate business.

Depending on your philosophy, you’ll probably agree that it is very important to choose a business that interests you. Pick one that you will enjoy doing, ideally something you are passionate about. Think about it, if you are going to start a business from home, it makes sense to choose something that you will enjoy. And if you enjoy it, then you’ll probably learn more quickly and have your heart more into it when the going is tough.

But we’d put just a couple things ahead of this and put “enjoyment” as a luxury. Those things are market size and market growth. Where is your business product or service in terms of life cycle? Is your market expanding and you can ride a wave, or is it declining. And what is the market size and potential. Will there be a business available for you in 5 years? Ten?

Then lastly, we’d probably mention that the business should be ethical and compatible with what you believe. Many people who research businesses, particularly Internet businesses, know that the porn and gambling industry meets the criteria of growth and market size. You may be tempted to look in those areas, and if you are, kindly close this report or article and tear up you paper copy. This is not a part of the business world we want anything to do with. Money and income is just not that important to us.

After evaluating many, many, many businesses and participating in several since 1969, including an early successful involvement with Amway, then Free Life, and a couple others, including a few that just didn’t “go” for us, we became aware of the opportunities in the online travel business. This is a business model that has just evolved over the past few years, and is now in full momentum.

It is also important to be a part of trends. Fortunes are made by riding trends. Currently, travel is a trend to the tune of 6 trillion dollars a year! By 2010, that number is estimated to be 14 trillion dollars!

Think of all the baby boomers that will be retiring in the coming years. And what do people like to
do when they retire? What would you like to do when you retire? If you’re like me, travel is probably very near the top of that list.

That is why the travel industry provides the perfect business for opportunity seekers. It is simply taking advantage of a trend that is just starting to gain momentum. When looked at as a home based business, it rides the second trend: the growth of the Internet as a business medium.

Let’s look at how and why this has evolved into a viable Internet Based Travel Business.

People “booking travel” for others has evolved possibly in three stages. We also should consider the two major market segments: Business travel and personal or leisure travel, and in the later category, we’d include as a very close association, travel and leisure and recreational activities and lodging. We are going to focus on personal leisure travel and recreational travel market.

STAGE 1: Probably dates back about 75-80 years when the primary mode was train and ocean liner. There were no condos, few motels, and little air travel. But there were many lodges and luxury hotels. We’ve all heard of the Baltimore and others. And there was some degree of business travel, but not to the extent we had a few years ago before travel (particularly sales meetings) became so expensive. Other than those vacations to places like Atlantic City, travel was really more in the hands of the more wealthy part of the population, and most of THOSE people just did not want to be bothered making their own arrangements, or even checking places out. A small cadre of “travel agents” was born, although they probably had many more duties along the line of concierge, personal assistant, etc. In large companies, specialists were brought on board to do those arrangements… and seek out bargains and discounts for their companies.

STAGE 2: Now we have more cars, the DC-3 and early airlines are starting to emerge. We have reliable telephones; we have some early forms of fax but the telegram was the primary means of communication on short notice as mail took longer, and people are becoming aware that they can earn money booking travel for others. Providing essentially two services: Knowledge of destinations and Administrative tasks such as actually buying the travel arrangements on behalf of a third party. That third party could be a business or an individual.

Natural business evolution follows and at first small partnerships were formed because now two people might have the knowledge and experience of two different travel destinations, but as a single entity (the travel agency) be able to offer clients more options. Then this single agency could bring more volume to a travel provider such as an airline, hotel, etc than a single person, and hence negotiate better discounts, or as more often was the case, better commissions as not all discounts got passed on. Everyone benefited.

Airline traffic was particularly challenging to book, and in the late parts of Stage 2, computers began to come more and more into play, although they were both expensive and highly specialized. The affordable home computer had not yet really evolved and there were limited travel networks. Travel agencies could afford these computer systems and gain access to the various vendors, which at that time were mainly airlines, and book travel conveniently and easily. This was about to change!

STAGE 3: Change took place almost over night. The airlines deregulated as one part, and competition evolved to a point where commissions were almost non existent to the agencies. The Internet and access to travel databases within the airlines and hospitality industry literally exploded into being, and now EVERYONE had at least almost nearly equal administrative access to the services and could bypass the agencies which started going out of business at an alarming rate. The one thing certain agencies DID retain was a cadre of people who HAD traveled and did have personal experience with various providers… resorts, cruise lines, etc. But as profits to the providers themselves started to decline, so did the availability of FAM trips, and there were fewer agencies.

But along with this evolved another trend! The population is growing and there’s more travelers available, particularly in the leisure market than ever. And many of these travelers just don’t have the time to really do the research, or even to truly shop for the best and lowest costs.

But individuals devoted to and loving to travel such as stay at home moms in travel find that they can provide the same services that the old large agencies did!

All they needed was a vendor willing to work with them, and at this time, new vendors started to emerge.

The emergence is primarily in the area of recreation and resorts as unlike the airlines which have cut back and in many cases have a SHORTAGE of seats and product, resorts (and cruise lines) have continued to build and expand where today, they have an excess or surplus of inventory except for very limited times of the year.

The question becomes: How do we fill these empty rooms? These empty staterooms? These empty golf courses? These unused campsites?

The answer is: Through You!

But you don’t know where they are, or how to negotiate the pricing.. but a newly evolved list of consolidators do! Currently there are three major consolidator groups doing business in the USA, and one stands out above the other two as it has more contacts, more experience, more inventory, and essentially a better pay plan offering the customer more options. What YOU have is a list of contacts or the knowledge and time to introduce the traveling public to these options. Because you are working with the suppliers of SURPLUS inventory who is willing to fill these vacancies at deeply discounted rates, you can pass these rates on, if only you knew how to get your hands on them.

Actually, about anyone can get their hands on any one location at any time at a discount, and many people have been doing that using services such as Orbitz, Travelocity, and others But these are very sharply targeted and focused, and deal much more with just hotels, car rentals, and to some extent, airline travel. One can pick up a major magazine or metro newspaper and find condos for rent from owners, at discounts. But again, this is very limited.

How Do You Get Started?

First, you learn about the 3 major consolidator firms offering travel, and if you just let the word out that you are looking for a homebasd travel agency or company, you’ll find that these people find you very quickly. Or you can do an Internet search using terms like that and find them. Most of the firms have a fairly similar makeup in that they are offering an entire travel package or membership for a fee. This entitles the purchaser to the inside track on deeply discounted travel services.

If they are essentially all the same, what do you look for? We focus in a legitimate business first on product, so we look for product value. We look for a company with flexibility and a product mix. Not all people want to travel internationally, so is there just a domestic package? What is offered that you or your customer can do when they get to a destination? Are there name resort and theme parks? Golfing? How about great meal discounts, as we all “eat out” when we travel? We know cruising is “big” but we know the cruise lines vary from very family oriented to “swinging singles”. Is there a good mix? How about time limitations on the travel package?

As a business, what kind of support tools are available? Training is a must, and is it real, and in real time, with real live people you can talk to and ask questions of? A solid, reliable web site is a must. Does the firm you are looking to join provide one? None will do a good site free, but is this a fair and reasonable cost?

Will you have access to a personal mentor? Can you become a certified, card carrying travel agent as well if you want?

These are but a few of the questions.

The “How Do You Get Started” in the home based travel industry is best summarized by 3 words: “Do Your Homework”

Well, now that you know some of the history, let’s look at a couple more things, starting with some of the advantages of this, particularly in comparison to other options you may have selling nutritional products, informational products, skin care, diet products, or many others.

Aside from the money making potential in our industry, there are many other advantages.

It is easy to start. This facet never ceases to blow me away With the invention of the internet, businesses that have traditionally always been brick and mortar establishments are now available to all of us. The internet makes it easy for everyday people like you and me to start a small business online. We can reach people all over the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the comfort of our own home. People can be checking out your business while you are sleeping, on vacation, or whatever. Phone services like Skype let us actually talk to people all over the world (one of us might be sacrificing some sleep due to time zone differences, but technically, it’s possible!)

Your business is relatively inexpensive to start, particularly compare to a more standard travel agency business. Because you no longer need a regular office, insurance, and employees, businesses. In fact, if you set up a legitimate IRS qualifying home office, many of the costs you have at your current home now become tax deductible (see your accountant, and if you don’t have one.. get one. Maybe you can even barter some travel services for HIS services).

Your potential clients include almost everyone. Who doesn’t like to travel or need a vacation? And if the economy slows, your business grows! Previous travelers who thought nothing of paying full price now start to look for discounts.

You can save a lot of money on your own travel.

What’s the point of owning a business if you don’t get some fringe benefits? With a home based travel business, you become eligible for some incredible discounts. And because you are your own boss, you will have more free time to go on vacation and take advantage of these discounts.

Is there a downside to a home based travel business? Sure, there is in any business.

Travel is a very competitive industry.
In order to have an edge, you have to differentiate yourself from the rest by branding yourself with a superior product. Those who read this article and find a specific interest and contact us as the author will be given some very specific knowledge on how to do this and succeed.

Other than that, I have not come across any other disadvantages to a home based travel business.

We hope you have found this article to be greatly helpful and look forward to seeing a few of you join us in this exciting industry soon.