The remodel rule of thumb

The remodel rule of thumb. Bathrooms are high on the home remodel list for return on investment. A real estate rule of thumb says the amount you spend to remodel a home's bathroom should not be more than five percent of the home's value.
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The gas economy rule of thumb

The gas economy rule of thumb. Economists acknowledge that rising gasoline prices tend to diminish overall economic performance. An economic rule of thumb says every penny per gallon rise in gasoline prices takes about $1 billion out of the economy.
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The credit rule of thumb

The credit rule of thumb. The average credit card debt among all American households is about $8,400. A credit card rule of thumb says every dollar borrowed on a credit card takes three dollars in payback.
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The sports rule of thumb

The sports rule of thumb. A sports rule of thumb says, "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings," meaning the game is not over until the game has ended. This phrase was coined in the late 1970s and is derived from an opera’s final scene featuring a singing heavy-set woman.
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The aviator’s rule of three

The aviator’s rule of three. A simple but potentially life-saving rule of thumb for aviators is the rule of three. If three things go wrong on the ground before departure, do not depart. If three things go wrong in the air, get on the ground.
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The birthday party rule of thumb

The birthday party rule of thumb. When a child reaches pre-school age, celebrating their birthday with a party of their friends and family becomes a big deal. The rule of thumb for a child's birthday party says the number of party guests should roughly equal the age of the child.
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The ad copy rule of thumb

The ad copy rule of thumb. For most audiences, a straight, simple advertisement does the trick. A sales and marketing rule of thumb says avoid the use of highly technical, pretentious, or slang terminology in marketing and sales copy.
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The vegetable rule of thumb

The vegetable rule of thumb. The rule of thumb for vegetables says the darker the color the more nutritious. Maximize the nutrients in vegetables by eating them raw, steamed or baked.
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The name rule of thumb

The name rule of thumb. Many of us are challenged to remember the names of people we meet, especially during a large gathering. A rule of thumb for remembering names says to repeat the person's name at least three times during your initial conversation with them.
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Kraft’s serving size rules of thumb

Kraft’s serving size rules of thumb. Kraft foods rule of thumb for serving size says one clenched fist is about eight fluid ounces, two hands cupped is about one cup, the palm of a hand is about three ounces, and two thumbs together is about one tablespoon.
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Rule of thumb

Rule of thumb. Webster's Dictionary defines "rule of thumb" as follows: 1. a general or approximate principal, procedure, or rule based on experience or practice, as opposed to a specific, scientific calculation or estimate. 2. a rough, practical method of procedure.
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Wirth’s rule of thumb

Wirth’s rule of thumb. Swiss computer scientist Niklaus Wirth stated in a paper in 1995 "software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Wirth's Law formally states that computer software increases in complexity faster than does the ability of available hardware to run it.
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The comma rule of thumb

The comma rule of thumb. A comma is used in writing as punctuation that separates a sentence into readable segments. There are rules for when to use a comma. The writer’s rule of thumb for commas says when in doubt leave it out, when you are unsure about the use of a comma.
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The presentation rule of three

The presentation rule of three. Audience members tend to retain about three things from a presentation. A presentation rule of thumb says use the concept of three to structure your presentations. Present three ideas, each having three sections, with each section having three items, and so on.
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The timeout rule of thumb

The timeout rule of thumb. The timeout method for child discipline has been used for years. Professionals recommend parents begin using timeouts when children reach about age 2 ½. The timeout rule of thumb says 1 minute for every year of age. For example, a 3-year-old gets 3 minutes, a 4-year-old get 4 minutes, etc.
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The married tax filers’ rule of thumb

The married tax filers’ rule of thumb. Married couples have the choice of completing two separate individual tax returns or one joint return. An income tax rule of thumb says file jointly unless there are very high deductible expenses, such as medical expenses, accountable to only one spouse.
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IRS hobby rule of thumb

The IRS hobby rule of thumb. For tax reporting purposes, the IRS uses the following rule of thumb to determine if a venture is a business or a hobby. If a business reports a net profit in at least 3 out of 5 years, it is a for-profit business. If a business reports a net loss in more than 2 out of 5 years, it is a not-for-profit hobby.
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The 80/80 designer’s rule of thumb

The 80/80 designer’s rule of thumb. To keep things within scope and budget, always design for the rule and not the exception. The 80/80 design rule of thumb says design for what 80% percent of people want to do 80% of the time.
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The sales rule of seven

The sales rule of seven. Selling to new customers is more difficult than selling to existing customers. A business rule of thumb says it takes seven contacts with a potential client to turn them into a customer.
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The sunlight rule of thumb

The sunlight rule of thumb. Sunlight sustains all life on Earth through photosynthesis, climate, and weather. The human body produces Vitamin D from sunlight. An environmental rule of thumb says about 4.5 pounds of sunlight falls on the Earth everyday.
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The 90-50 project management rule of thumb

The 90-50 project management rule of thumb. The most difficult part of a project is the last 10%. The 90-50 project management rule of thumb confirms this. It comes into effect when you have completed 90% of the project leaving only 50% left to complete.
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The moving rule of thumb

The moving rule of thumb. A real estate rule of thumb says the typical homeowner will move on average every five to seven years. Moving is closely tied to life cycle. People move at certain events such as college, marriage, career advancement, divorce and retirement.
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The repair versus replace rule of thumb

The repair versus replace rule of thumb. The useful life of items such as home appliances or yard equipment can be extended through repairs. The repair versus replace rule of thumb says purchase new if the repair cost of an item exceeds 50% to 70% of its replacement cost.
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The demand rule of thumb

The demand rule of thumb. This rule of thumb says when demand is high, prices are high, and when demand is low, prices are low. Purchase mowers and grills in the winter and buy snow shovels and firewood during summer.
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The supermarket rule of thumb

The supermarket rule of thumb. Supermarkets tend to reap relatively low profit margin due to their large volume of products and high overhead costs. A business rule of thumb says a supermarket makes twenty-five cents profit on twenty-five dollars worth of groceries.
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Moore’s Law

Moore’s Law. Moore's law states that the complexity and capacity of an integrated circuit will double every two years. Among other integrated technologies, this rule of thumb applies to processing speed, memory capacity, and display screens.
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The startup capital rule of thumb

The startup capital rule of thumb. A business rule of thumb says a startup company should go into business with a sum of money at least equal to the projected revenue for the first year of business plus its anticipated expenses.
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The email rule of thumb

The email rule of thumb. Pause before you send an email message you might later regret. Avoid personal attacks and other negative comments. A good email rule of thumb says do not send an email if you would not say it to a person's face.
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The collision coverage rule of thumb

The collision coverage rule of thumb. This rule of thumb says drop the collision and comprehensive coverage from your auto insurance policy if the current value of your auto is less than $2,000. Put the premium savings in your pocket.
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The rule of 72

The rule of 72. This rule of thumb calculates the number of years required to double an investment at a given interest rate. The value is determined by dividing the interest rate into 72. For example, an investment at 8% will take about 9 years to double.
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