It is true that we Americans have an awful lot of stuff. We are true consumers, buying so many of the things that catch our eyes. Truly, do we need everything that can be found in our homes?

Garage, yard, and other types of sales are a great way to get rid of unneeded possessions. That is, if we have a mind to get rid of all of our clutter.

For some households, having too much stuff isn’t the issue — having the room to store what isn’t needed for the season is. Not all homes are 2500 square feet or larger — many people live in smaller homes or have larger families and they simply need the space.

Outdoor storage sheds are an important way to handle the overflow. Bicycles, lawn equipment and tools, sporting equipment, and outdoor furniture can easily be placed inside, freeing up needed space in the garage, under the deck, or on the porch. If you select a unit that is large enough, you can put up shelving and store files, boxes and other items you don’t want sitting on the ground.

When choosing a storage shed consider the following:

• Estimate the space you will need for storage. Plan for the future and allow for additional room as your family grows or your needs change.

• If ventilation and natural lighting is needed, choose a shed with windows.

• Select a unit with double hinged doors to move heavier equipment in and out.

• Plywood flooring should be sufficient, but do you need walling?

• Is your shed tall enough to walk around inside of without bending over?

• Is a shed made of galvanized steel sufficient or do you prefer wood? How about plastic?

There are many different accessories you can choose from for your storage shed including cedar siding, storm windows, electrical hook up, flower boxes, shingles, cupolas, and more.

Of course, when choosing a shed you need a flat surface and good drainage to ensure that water moves away from the shed.  Building up the ground around the shed may be necessary in order to provide the right pitch away from the unit.

Now can be a great time to buy a shed as builders and retailers seek to move inventory. By shopping around, you can get the perfect storage unit for a price that cannot be beat.

Resources

Home Improvement Showcase

Remodeling Your Home

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Tags: cedar shed, doors, galvanized steel, shingles, storage building, storage shed, windows, wood shed

Travel Tip

Learn a little French without traveling overseas.  How about visiting French Quebec and Montreal.

You will get a little bit of France without the overseas expense.  So make your travel plans soon:

visit Montreal, Quebec
visit Quebec City, Quebec

montreal cam shots

Home Improvement Tip

Warmer weather is on the way.  Time to assemble and organize your sports closet.  The closet can be in the basement or garage with easy access to all sporting equipment:

view closet organization systems | view sports closet equipment

Consumer Financing Tip

Oil hit another high this week.  Analysts expect gasoline prices to climb to $4 per gallon by Memorial weekend.  So take charge and reduce your transportation costs.

view tips on reducing transportation costs

Credit Card Tip: Reduce Your Gas Costs

College Planning Tip

Monthly Checklist for April 13

see our BLOG:
campus life for planning tips and other campus gossip

Tags: Weekly Tips, weekly travel tips

BLOG postings: (link to Achieving Success BLOG for all posts and PDF downloads)

Discipline to Success:

The Physical Attribute

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Benjamin Franklin

continuation from BLOG post: part VII.c

Last Week:
we went over a 6-step plan to build up your physical character.  The plan has you performing some physical change for the next two weeks.  So this posting is a repeat of last week’s posting.  We will pick up our discussion next week after everyone has completed a 2-week build out plan.

What we discussed last week:

Tasks to Develop and Strengthen Your Physical Attribute

You begin shaping a well-rounded character by first developing and strengthening your physical attribute. The physical attribute requires less total energy to develop and impacts your motivation at greater levels than any of the four character attributes.

Evaluate your current physical attribute. Determine what improvements or enhancements that you should make in each of the following areas. List the desired change or enhancement on a piece of paper:

• Physical Exercise
• Physical Inner Strength
• Physical Diet
• Physical Appearance

Select a change that you want to make. Select only one change at this time. Trying to tackle more than one physical change can lead to discouragement and failure.

Don’t select a change that is so easy to achieve that you fail to make an impact on your physical development. What good is lifting two pounds each day. On the other hand, don’t select a physical development change that is impossible or too difficult to obtain. Select a program that is challenging but not too difficult. Your goal is to make a positive impact on your physical attribute.

Try to understand that physical changes are part of a hierarchy. If you choose to shed some pounds, you might first concentrate on improving your diet before exercising regularly. If your physical change is to become more active, concentrate first on a routine exercise program before becoming involved in a physical sport. Develop your physical program in respective steps so that you don’t injure yourself or become discouraged.

Plan the tasks required to achieve your physical development goal. Detail exactly what you need to do to achieve your plan, including time schedules and preparation. For example, you may need to schedule yourself to retire to bed 30-60 minutes earlier than normal so that you can awake early in the morning to exercise.

Also, try to be specific in the physical change you want to make. Define exactly the tasks needed to make a change. Don’t write, “. . . I want to lose 30 pounds.” It doesn’t mean anything. Identify in detail everything needed to successfully lose 30 pounds. This may require a daily schedule of exercise and diet. You may want to refer to other literary works that can help you define these tasks.

Develop a two-week schedule. Select a time that will best achieve your physical goal. For example, you might want to schedule your development early in the morning so that it doesn’t conflict with your other obligations. You can use Appendix Form-F to complete this step as diagrammed: link to our PDF appendix for all forms.

You can copy and cut the form to size so that it can fit easily in your pocket or handbag. Take Appendix Form-F and write the physical development program in the space provided at the top of form.

Remember that old habits are hard to change. You can expect a hard climb. You need to force yourself out of bed if needed. Plant several alarm clocks around the room to prevent yourself falling back to sleep. You must resist the temptation to skip a day. You are changing life-long habits, and that requires perseverance. Make a commitment to complete the physical goal assigned for each day no matter what tempts you.

Develop the physical change as planned by performing the tasks or steps that you have designated. Evaluate your performance at the end of each day. Check the box if you completed the goal for the day. Appendix Form-E is a progress report that measures your daily progress and action. Continue executing this step for the next fourteen days.

You will return to this post next week to complete Step 7.

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Tags: Achieving Success, how to achieve success, success building steps