3 Car Maintenance Tasks That Will Keep You Safer On The Road

Auto

While your driving habits and the conditions on the road have a lot to do with your safety when you’re behind the wheel, what many people don’t realize is that the extent that they upkeep and maintain their vehicle also has a huge impact on how safe they are on the road. When your car is in disrepair, it’s much easier for vital components to break or stop working properly, which could easily result in you getting into a car accident.

Because of this, it’s crucial that you spend some time learning about the most important car maintenance tasks that you should be doing on a regular and consistent basis in order to keep your car in good working order. To help you with this, here are three car maintenance tasks that will keep you safer on the road. 

Keep An Eye On Your Tires

Since your tires interact with both the body of your vehicle and the roads you drive on, it’s vital that you keep an eye on this very important part of your car.

According to Dan Collins, a contributor to CarBibles.com, part of keeping an eye on your tires means checking your tire pressure on a very regular basis. This can help you to avoid things like blowouts. In addition to your tire pressure, you should also ensure that your tires have enough tread and that you rotate your tires as outlined in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. 

Check Your Fluid Levels Regularly

Within your vehicle, there are various types of fluids that you need to ensure are always at the proper level if you want your car to function at its peak performance. 

While most people know that you need to get your oil changed regularly, many neglect to check the levels of the other fluids. According to Mark Huffman, a contributor to ConsumerAffairs.com, you should be checking the level of your coolant, transmission, wiper fluid and others as well. I

n many modern vehicles, you’ll often get an alert if any of your levels are off. But by making it a habit to manually check, you can be sure to notice any issues before they become big problems for you. 

Don’t Use Old Wiper Blades

The most important thing when you’re driving is being able to see the road and the objects around your vehicle. What can make this easier, especially during inclement weather, is having good wiper blades. But if your wiper blades are old or falling apart, it can drastically reduce your ability to see out of your windshield.

To ensure that this never becomes a problem for you, iDriveSafely.com recommends that you replace your wiper blades as soon as they start to streak or screech.

To help you stay safe while on the road, consider doing the maintenance tasks mentioned above on a regular basis.

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Tips For Designing A Successful Business Website

Business

Building a business website that draws in viewers is the goal, and you’re responsible for filling in all the blank space in between.  A weak or sloppy site design will hinder your business from progression, as the digital realm is such a dominant part of today’s general culture.  

If you’re a small business owner, the job of designing your business website will likely fall on your shoulders.  Don’t freak out. There is more than enough info available online to guide you through to a well crafted end result.  

Start expanding your competence in web design now, and check out a brief look at some helpful tips for designing a successful business website.  

Engage visitors immediately

You need to design your business website in such a way that visitors are immediately intrigued and engaged in the content they find.  It’s not all about bells and whistles, rather what your target audience is truly seeking to find. 

Delve into the specifics of how to create an enticing homepage for your business website.  Apply the design tactics you discover, and watch the response of web users shift for the better.  

Make communication easy for visitors

Communication will help your business build a meaningful rapport with your target audience.  Your business website should make communication easy for web users. Use plugins within your design to allow visitors to ask questions, arrange services, or share their experiences.  

Mobile friendly sites reign supreme

The mobile presence on the web is no longer something to be ignored, and your website won’t do much good without mobile optimization.  Breaking down the subject of mobile optimization means that you need to figure out what design elements make your website easier to use/view on a mobile device.  

For instance, your display should easily adjust to various screen sizes.  Also, give users the ability to easily manipulate the moving parts of your site.  Don’t make the buttons too tiny.  

Include social media in your design

Social media is a huge part of the consumer presence online.  Tapping into the heart of the social web will provide priceless visibility for your business.  Add social media sharing icons to your business website design, and choose their placement with strategy in mind.  

Add a blog section for more content 

Your business website won’t be complete without a “Blog” section to give users something to latch on to as they browse.  Fill your blog with posts that are relevant to the industry in which your business operates.  

Learn how to incorporate the concepts of SEO within the text and design of your business blog, and your content will be much more effective at reaching the right audience.  Search engine optimization focuses on giving Google’s search bots what they seek, so your content is presented to the right viewers.

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3 Tips For Finding The Right Interior Designer To Work With

DIY / Home Improvement

If you’re ready to take the decor and design of your home to the next level, bringing in a professional is arguably the best thing you can do for yourself. But because the appearance and feel of a home can be something so personal, it can often be challenging for a homeowner to find the right interior designer to work with that will bring all of their design dreams into reality.

So to help ensure that you’re able to find the right partner to work with on your decor and design project, here are three tips for finding the right interior designer to work with in your home. 

Know Your Own Preferences

Before you start meeting with potential designers that you’ll work with, you first want to have some solid footing regarding your own preferences for the design of your home. 

According to Stefan of Homedit.com, you can’t really be sure that you’re hiring the right person for your interior design job until you know what you like and what you don’t like. Otherwise, you might just end up with a home designed just the way the designer envisioned it rather than how you’ve envisioned it. 

Even if you don’t feel like you can pinpoint your design aesthetic exactly, at least having an idea of what you like or prefer can help ensure that you’re able to find a designer how can deliver for you. 

Find Open Minds On Both Sides

Once you know what direction you’d like the design of your home to go in, you should then start meeting with potential designers to see if you can find someone who’s a good fit for you.

When thinking about personal fit, Lisa Frederick, a contributor to Houzz.com, recommends that you try to find someone who has an open mind to you and your ideas but who also allows you to work with an open mind as well. Only when there’s real give and take or collaboration between you and an interior designer will you be able to get a final product that you love but that also pushes you a little in your own design aesthetic. 

Get Billed By The Hour

Because using an interior designer can often become expensive, it’s important that you find the right person or firm to invest your time and money into. However, even with all your research and planning, you might find during the design process that you’ve picked the wrong designer. 

To safeguard against this, TodaysHomeowner.com advises that you work with an interior designer that charges by the hour. By going this route rather than using someone who will bill you for the entire project, you can easily stop working together without financial backlash if you realize that this wasn’t the right partnership afterall. 

If you’re wanting to hire an interior designer to help with the design and decor in your home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find the right person or design firm.

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5 Reasons Why You Need Good Sleep

Health & Fitness

Most people are aware that their bodies begin to break down after getting bad or no sleep, but it’s not always apparent as to why sleep is such a strong determining factor for our wellness.  Instead of being grumpy without reason, educate yourself.  

If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t really do math at 3 am, then it may help to enlighten yourself on the physical reasons why you need good sleep.  Here is a brief look at some of the most important reasons why your body requires sleep to function.  

Lack of sleep breaks down cognitive function

When you don’t get good sleep on a regular basis, your body and mind suffer.  Your ability to think clearly breaks down without rest. Your decision-making abilities are compromised when you’re sleep deprived.  

If you’re trying to learn something new when your brain is tired, you are likely to obtain less information than you would if you were fully rested.  The brain gets busy taking care of other survival functions in the body when you’re tired, and you have less power to learn new things.  

Your body works harder when you’re tired

When you are not sleeping properly, your body goes through unnecessary stress.  Exhaustion is hard on the heart and other organs in the body. Lack of sleep can cause high blood pressure issues, and high blood pressure can lead to a slew of other health issues.  

If you knew you could avoid such a struggle by simply sleeping, you may be more inclined to lay down at night.  Take sleep seriously while you’re young, and make the most of your potential in life.  

Poor sleeping patterns are linked to depression

Not getting quality sleep can lead to issues with depression.  If you already have depression, sleep is even more important to properly maintaining your mental health regimen.  

Without sleep, your brain doesn’t have enough time to recharge its “happy” chemicals, and your mood suffers as a result.  As your mood affects an array of variables in your everyday life, it is crucial that you practice regular self-care.  

Your motivation will suffer when you’re tired

Living a lifestyle of very little sleep can be a strong factor in the crumbling of your goals.  If you’re tired, you may not feel up to pushing yourself to the fullest extent of your abilities.  Your forward progress in life could be stifled or even halted by poor sleeping patterns.  

Your body needs time to recuperate 

The bottom line regarding your body’s relationship to sleep is that you are like an electric car.  Once your power is drained, you can’t really do much until you recharge. Your bed is the charging station. 

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3 Tips For The Perfect Home Office Setup

Business

While working from home can be a blessing, it can also be hard to know how to separate your work and home life when everything takes place in the same location. To help with this, many people find that having a home office, one that really creates a boundary from the rest of their home, can make things much easier. However, setting up the perfect home office isn’t always as simple as you might think.

So to help ensure that the space you create for your professional life gives you everything that you’re needing, here are three tips for the perfect home office setup. 

Make Lighting A Primary Concern

One of the most important things to think about when creating the perfect home office is lighting. Because you’ll likely be working in this space for long hours during both day and night, you want to be sure that you’ll have plenty of lighting options.

According to Shannon Belew, a contributor to The Balance Small Business, you should try to bring as much natural light as possible into your home office space. Not only will this help make things easier to see, but it can also help to improve your mood and productivity. 

In addition to natural lighting, install various other forms of lighting as well, including both overhead lighting and task lighting. By having all of these options, you’ll always be able to find the perfect light to work in, regardless of the type of work you’re doing. 

Get Comfortable With Ergonomics

Another key to a functional and productive home office is comfort. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should work from your bed or bring in a big, soft couch. Rather, you should make furniture choices based on what’s going to be ergonomically best for you and your body.

Coral Nafie, a contributor to The Spruce, shares that not only do you want a desk chair that is adjustable to you and gives your body the support you need, but all other furniture and accessories you have in your office should be customizable, including things like your keyboard, desk height, monitors and more. 

Make It A Place You Enjoy Going

Everyone gets those days where they’d rather be doing anything else other than working. And for those who work from home, days like this can be filled with distractions in every other room of your house. 

To combat this, Michelle Pippin, a contributor to Fit Small Business, advises that you try your best to make your home office a place that you enjoy going to and working in. Even the smallest details, like the scent of the room or what music you have playing, can make a big difference in wanting to go to work versus wanting to avoid work. 

If you need a home office to work in but haven’t found the perfect way to set it up yet, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you with just that.

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3 Signs That Your Marriage Is Headed For Divorce

Love

Being married is one of the hardest relationships that a person can be in. While you likely love the person you married more than anyone else on the planet, that doesn’t necessarily mean that things are going to be easy for you in your life together.

For many marriages, things don’t end up working out long-term. And while there are things you can do to bring a marriage back from the brink, some relationships are just better to be left to run their course. 

If you’re wondering whether your floundering marriage will be able to stand the test of time, here are three signs that your marriage is headed for divorce. 

You Find Excuses Not To Spend Time Together

At the beginning of a relationship, any time spent apart can seem like torture. But if you’ve found that you’re starting to enjoy the time you spend separate from your spouse, this could be a sign that things aren’t going well.

According to Stacey Feintuch, a contributor to Reader’s Digest, the time you spend apart from your spouse doesn’t necessarily have to be negative on your marriage to present a problem. Even if you feel like you’d rather be at work, watching shows on your own, or spending time with friends and family, this could have a very big impact on your relationship with your spouse, which could lead to a rift in your marriage. 

Evidence Of Contempt In Your Marriage

How you think about and communicate with your spouse can be a big indicator of how long your marriage will last. One of the biggest threats to your marriage in this way, according to Marni Feuerman, a contributor to PsychCentral.com, is feelings of contempt.

When you or your partner does or says something that puts one of you above the other, this is a sign of contempt. This type of behavior could include things like mocking each other, name calling, rolling your eyes, or using hurtful sarcasm or humor. With contempt in your marriage, things like love, respect, appreciation, and kindness will quickly be eaten away at. 

The Majority Of Your Feelings Are Unhappy Ones

While there are bound to be times in every marriage where feelings get hurt or unhappiness sets in for one reason or another, if you start to find that you or your spouse are feeling unhappy in your marriage the majority of the time, this could be a sign that a divorce is imminent.

According to Bela Gandhi, a contributor to Today.com, most couples can ride through the little fights or disagreements. But once you start feeling like these are the rule and not the exception, things can start to go downhill fast. 

If you’ve noticed any of the above signs or symptoms in your marriage, you may find yourself closer to a divorce than you realized.

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3 Tips For Dealing With The Other Driver Following A Car Accident

Auto

While being in a car accident in the first place isn’t ideal, the type of person you’re in a car accident with can easily make or break the situation. Although no one is ever happy or excited about damage to their property or to their physical bodies, being able to effectively communicate with the other driver can make the whole process of handling a car accident go much smoother.

To help ensure you’re able to have at least some kind of positive interaction between you and others involved in a car accident, here are three tips for successfully dealing with the other driver following a car accident. 

Do Your Best To Stay Calm

To get everything started off on the right foot, the best thing for you to do, according to iDriveSafely.com, is to try your best to stay calm.

Following a car accident, you’re likely feeling a lot of emotions. If you’re in an accident where people have been injured, seeking medical help is going to be your top priority. But if you’re in an accident where the only damage was done to property, your priority should now be handling the situation calmly and moving on to the next steps of getting this accident taken care of. 

Especially if the other driver of the car was shaken up or angry, you being able to remain calm and keep the situation from escalating can be extremely helpful for everyone involved. 

Don’t Admit Fault

As you try to get things taken care of and figured out after your car accident, you’re going to have to speak with the other driver. What’s important to remember, however, is that you don’t say anything to them that could be construed as you admitting fault for what happened.

According to Kevin Mercadante, a contributor to Money Under 30, it’s crucial to any potential investigation that you don’t lie but that you also don’t say anything that could be used against you during legal proceedings. Regardless of whether you think that accident was your fault or not, that ruling is really up to the police or insurance company to decide, not you. 

Get All The Relevant Information

Even with everything that’s going on after you get in a car accident, you’ve got to push your feelings aside and ensure that you’re able to get all the relevant information from any other people involved in your accident.

To help with this, Selene Yeager, a contributor to AARP, recommends that you try to get as much personal information about the driver and passengers as you can so that it’s easy for your insurance company to contact them later on. Additionally, if there were any witnesses to your accident, be sure you get their information as well, as this could be helpful to you during any investigation.

To help you be prepared the next time you get in a car accident, consider using the tips mentioned above to know what you should do when interacting with any other drivers involved in your collision.

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3 Things To Teach Your Kids About Being Safe Around Animals

Education

While many children love seeing or being around animals, even the tamest animals or pets can sometimes be dangerous if your children aren’t careful. Because of this, kids the world over get bitten by all types of animals on a daily basis. And while many times these injuries aren’t serious, they still could be easily avoided had your children known how to safely interact with animals.

So to help ensure that your kids never get hurt by an animal, here are three things to teach your kids about being safe around animals. 

Stay Away From Outdoor Animals

One of the most important things you can teach your kids about animals is how to keep their distance, especially when it comes to wild animals. Although an animal may look cute and harmless, you never know what an animal could be carrying that could cause serious harm to a human.

To best teach this concept to your child, Dr. Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, a contributor to KidsHealth.org, recommends that you teach your kids never to go near animals they see outdoors. Additionally, you should also teach them never to feed animals they find outside, even ones that may traditionally be seen as harmless to feed, like ducks. 

By drawing a line here, you’ll help to keep your kids away from animals that could bite or attack them. 

Know Where To Keep Their Hands

Not all animals your children encounter will be wild animals. Many times, your kids will see a dog or cat in your neighborhood that they want to pet or interact with. And while their instinct might be to run at the animals, it’s important that they know how to approach pets in a safe way.

According to Hanady Kader, a contributor to Seattle Children’s Hospital, you should teach your children to keep their hands behind their backs while they ask permission to approach or pet someone’s animal. Once they have permission to get near or pet someone’s animal, teach them to keep their hands where the animal can see them and to move slowly and cautiously closer to the animal. This will keep them from scaring the animal. 

Teach Kids When To Leave Pets Alone

In many homes, kids will have pets of their own to play with. But just because an animal is familiar with your child doesn’t mean you should let your guard down completely when your children interact with this animal. 

To help your kids stay safe, even around their own pets, Scholastic.com advises that you teach your kids never to approach or pet an animal while it’s eating, sleeping, or playing with one of its toys. The animal could be reacting negatively to this disturbance and lash out at your child. 

To keep your kids safe from animal bites or other negative encounters, consider using the tips mentioned above to teach them how to stay safe around animals.

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3 Tips For Buying Your First Investment Property

Finance

If you’re ready to start building your investment portfolio, one of the first ways you might think to do this is by buying a piece of property that you then rent out to tenants. While this can be a great investment opportunity for many people, it’s really only going to be beneficial to you if you go about it in the right way and under the right conditions.

So to help ensure that your choice to start purchasing additional properties isn’t a bad financial move for you, here are three tips for buying your first investment property. 

Prepare For A Larger Down Payment

For those who are already owners of their own home, you might have been able to get away with a smaller down payment than the traditional 20 percent. Especially if you were a first-time homebuyer or were buying under other conditions, you might have been able to put five percent, three percent, or even zero down on your home.

However, with an investment property, this small amount isn’t really an option when it comes to a down payment. According to DC Fawcett, a contributor to Forbes.com, mortgage insurance isn’t an option if you’re purchasing an investment property. Because of this, you’ve got to have at least 20 percent ready to put down on the property before you’ll be able to go forward with a loan for the rest of the cost of the property. In some situations, this can take quite a long time to come up with, so make sure you’re ready with this big chunk of change. 

Start With A Single-Family Home

Once you’ve decided that you want to get an investment property, the next thing you need to determine is what kind of property you should buy. While you might be tempted to get something that gives you multiple streams of revenue all for one purchase, like a small apartment complex or duplex, this might not be the best choice for your first investment property.

Rather, Kathy Fettke, a contributor to Fit Small Business, recommends that you start with a single-family home first. By going this route, you’ll be able to get your feet wet as a property investor and manager with just one tenant as opposed to multiple tenants across multiple units. 

Don’t Go With A Fixer Upper

To get the most for your money when buying an investment property, you might be considering going with a fixer-upper, putting some money into it, and then making a lot of money quickly with both the value of the property and the amount you’ll be able to charge in rent.

While this option is good in theory, it doesn’t often turn out to be the case with first-time property investors. According to Tim Parker, a contributor to Investopedia.com, if you don’t have experience renovating properties and don’t have a contractor you’ve used before and trust, getting a fixer-upper could be a huge gamble that has a good chance of not paying off for you. So instead of going this route, try to find a property that’s either move-in ready or only needs minor repairs. 

If you’re thinking about buying your first investment property, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you make the right choices from the beginning.

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5 Vehicles You Need To Have Fun As An Adult

Auto

Being an adult means that you have plenty of responsibility to tend to, but it also means that you have the ability to have another level of fun.  If you love going to the extreme, then you’ll need a variety of different sport vehicles to satiate your adrenaline addiction.  

Redefine your expression of “fun,” and make your Christmas wish list more entertaining this year.  Here is a quick look at some of the best vehicles to facilitate fun when you’re all grown up, but not really grown.  

You need a 4-wheeler 

The Yamaha Grizzly 500 EPS is the best 4×4 ATV available on the market.  Just know that you will pay for what you get when you purchase this 4-wheeler.  The cost of the Grizzly will set you back nearly $10,000.  

If you’re free to pay $200 more, you can get the choice of blue or white with cast aluminum wheels.  You should have the type of fun this fantastic ATV provides the opportunity to explore. Don’t sell yourself short, and invest in the best.  

Get a utility vehicle

You may have a bit of work to keep up with outside of your living space, and you’ll need a utility vehicle to get the work done.  Try discovering what Kubota utility vehicles have to offer, and set yourself up for success on your next outdoor project.  

A motorcycle ups the ante

It’s never a bad time to get a motorcycle and explore the world on two wheels.  You can have speed, danger, and exhilaration all in one small vehicle, but you have to make sure you get the right bike for your body and ability.  

If you’re a bit of a newcomer to riding a motorcycle, you should look into finding some of the best machines on two wheels for beginners.  Check out the Honda CB500F, for starters.  

Honda has been a trusted provider for vehicles of all types for many years.  You can be sure that this beginner’s vehicle will be reliable, comfortable, and extremely manageable. 

Wave runners for fun on the water

You can have fun on land or water, and you may find yourself more comfortable in the middle of the nearest body of water.  Purchasing a wave runner, or SeaDoo, will bring your fun quotient to the next level.  

A four-wheel drive SUV 

If you have never explored the adventures you can find by going off-road, then you are missing out on some top-of-the-line fun.  Consider investing in the 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class. You’ll pay a pretty penny for this 4×4 SUV, but you won’t need to pay for another one for at least a decade. 

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