Saturday, April 30, 2011

Remodel rule of thumb

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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Friday, April 29, 2011

Gas economy rule of thumb

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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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Credit rule of thumb

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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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Sports rule of thumb

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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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Aviator’s rule of three

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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Monday, April 25, 2011

Birthday party rule of thumb

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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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Ad copy rule of thumb

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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Saturday, April 23, 2011

Vegetable rule of thumb

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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Friday, April 22, 2011

Name rule of thumb

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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Thursday, April 21, 2011

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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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

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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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

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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Monday, April 18, 2011

Comma rule of thumb

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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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Timeout rule of thumb

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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Friday, April 15, 2011

Married tax filers’ rule of thumb

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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Thursday, April 14, 2011

IRS hobby rule of thumb

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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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

80/80 designer’s rule of thumb

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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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Sales rule of seven

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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Monday, April 11, 2011

Sunlight rule of thumb

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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Sunday, April 10, 2011

90-50 project management rule of thumb

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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Saturday, April 9, 2011

Moving rule of thumb

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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Friday, April 8, 2011

Repair versus replace rule of thumb

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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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Demand rule of thumb

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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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Supermarket rule of thumb

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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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

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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Monday, April 4, 2011

Startup capital rule of thumb

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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Sunday, April 3, 2011

Email rule of thumb

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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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Collision coverage rule of thumb

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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Friday, April 1, 2011

Rule of 72

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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