The heat saver’s rule of thumb

The heat saver’s rule of thumb. Home owners in northern climates may lower the thermostat during sleeping hours in colder winter months in order to save on heating bills. A good money saving rule of thumb says lower the thermostat one degree for every two hours you will be asleep during the night.
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The baker’s rule of thumb

The baker’s rule of thumb. Baked goods rely upon a preheated oven in order to bake properly. As an exception, a baking rule of thumb says any recipe that takes more than a full hour to bake completely can bake in a non-preheated oven.
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The retirement withdraw rule of thumb

The retirement withdraw rule of thumb. As a general rule of thumb, a retiree can withdraw about 4% from his or her savings and investments per year and still keep the fund going indefinitely.
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The coffee rule of thumb

The coffee rule of thumb. The average cup of coffee contains about 85 mg of caffeine. Some coffee brands are higher, some lower. The rule of thumb for coffee says the darker the roast, the lower the caffeine content.
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The college borrower’s rule of thumb

The college borrower’s rule of thumb. The average federal student loan debt among graduating seniors is nearly $20,000. A good rule of thumb says college students should keep total education debt below what they expect to earn in their first year out of college.
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The HR rule of thumb

The HR rule of thumb. "Hire slowly, fire quickly" is a good HR department hiring rule of thumb. On average, it costs a company about one-third of a new hire's annual salary to replace an employee.
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The ad layout rule of thumb

The ad layout rule of thumb. Most print advertisement designs are made up of illustration, headline, copy and logo. Designer and publisher Jacci Howard Bear's design rule of thumb says a well designed advertisement will look just as good upside down.
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The holiday budget rule of thumb

The holiday budget rule of thumb. The typical American consumer will spend between $700 and $1,000 during the holiday season. To hold the line on holiday spending, a personal finance rule of thumb says spend no more that 1.5% of your gross income on the holidays. This includes gifts, decorations, travel and wrapping paper.
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The PC repair versus purchase rule of thumb

The PC repair versus purchase rule of thumb. Personal computers may be upgraded to extend their useful service for another year or so. A helpful rule of thumb in making this decision says upgrade if the cost of the upgrade is roughly half of the cost of getting a new system.
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The retail price rule of thumb

The retail price rule of thumb. A business rule of thumb says if you are manufacturing a product there should be at least a ten-to-one markup ratio between the cost of making the product and the suggested retail price of the finished product.
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The refinance rule of thumb

The refinance rule of thumb. A financial rule of thumb says go with a home equity loan if current interest rates are higher than your existing mortgage rate. If current interest rates are lower than your existing mortgage rate, refinance your mortgage and pay it off at the lower rate.
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The apology rule of thumb

The apology rule of thumb. An apology is often the first step to better understanding in a damaged relationship. A good old rule of thumb for apologies says a meaningful, effective apology should contain exactly one pronoun: I.
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Adages

Adages. An adage is like a rule of thumb. Adages are interesting observations, practical or ethical guidelines, or pessimistic comments on life. For example, "anything that can go wrong will" or "demand creates its own supply."
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The pulpit rule of thumb

The pulpit rule of thumb. For most, it generally takes from five to seven years to become a recognized preacher, priest, cleric or religious celebrant. An old rule of thumb says one hour of study for every minute at the pulpit.
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The commuter’s rule of thumb

The commuter’s rule of thumb. A general rule of thumb for commuting says forty-five minutes is the about the longest duration most people will accept for a one-way job commute.
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The espresso rule of thumb

The espresso rule of thumb. Espresso is brewed by forcing very hot water under high pressure through extremely fine ground coffee. A coffee rule of thumb says you make the best shot of espresso with seven grams of coffee in twenty to twenty-five seconds.
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The healthy eating rule of thumb

The healthy eating rule of thumb. A good rule of thumb for healthy eating says a well balanced diet consists of 50% to 60% calories from carbohydrate, 15% to 20% protein and 25% to 30% fat.
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The dating rule of thumb

The dating rule of thumb. There are dating rules that men should obey. The essential dating rule of thumb for guys says those in a serious relationship should call her at least once a day.
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The tax versus subsidy rule of thumb

The tax versus subsidy rule of thumb. A government tax collects money from citizens, while a government subsidy provides money. An economics rule of thumb says whatever we tax we tend to get less of, whatever we subsidize we tend to get more of.
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The armed forces rule of thumb

The armed forces rule of thumb. There are roughly three million people currently serving in the U.S. armed forces. A military rule of thumb says it takes ten military support personal to put one combat soldier into action.
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The PC depreciation rule of thumb

The PC depreciation rule of thumb. The average desktop personal computer has a functional lifespan of roughly two to five years. A common PC rule of thumb says the value of a fully assembled PC decreases by 1% a week.
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The GDP rule of thumb

The GDP rule of thumb. The gross domestic product (GDP) is the sum of all products and services sold. Employment levels change with the GDP. In the United States, an economic rule of thumb says for every percentage point change in GDP, there is a corresponding 0.4 point change in the unemployment rate.
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The communicator’s rule of thumb

The communicator’s rule of thumb. There is an old saying, "It’s not what you say but how you say it." To this end, a good communication rule of thumb says think twice, talk once.
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The 90/10 project completion rule of thumb

The 90/10 project completion rule of thumb. The last leg of a project is usually the most arduous. A project management rule of thumb says 90% of a project is completed with 10% of the effort, while the remaining 10% requires 90% of the effort.
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The business process rule of thumb

The business process rule of thumb. A business process is a coordinated set of tasks that produce a business result. A general business rule of thumb says it is usually cheaper, easier and more reliable to change a process than to change a person.
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The president’s rule of thumb

The president’s rule of thumb. Twelve U.S. Presidents have served at least two full terms in office. A political rule of thumb says the power of a second-term president peaks the day after winning the second term election.
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The political party rule of thumb

The political party rule of thumb. The majority of U.S. voters register with a political party. A general rule of thumb for political elections says 80% of voters will vote for the party with which they are registered, regardless of the candidates.
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The property tax rule of thumb

The property tax rule of thumb. A real estate rule of thumb calculates a homeowner's annual property taxes at about 1% to 3% of the market value of their home. For example, the property taxes for a $200,000 home will be about $2,000 to $6,000 annually.
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Rule of thumb origin

Rule of thumb origin. One variation has it that the phrase "rule of thumb" first appeared during the 1700s in England. A reported common law during this time called the “rule of thumb” dictated that a man could discipline his wife with a stick that was no thicker than his thumb.
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The 80/20 work rule of thumb

The 80/20 work rule of thumb. Dr. Joseph Juran originated the use of the 80/20 rule in quality management research during the 1930s in what he called "vital few and trivial many." The 80/20 rule of thumb says roughly 20% of your efforts produce 80% of the results.
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