But What About The Economy?

But What About The Economy?

Everyone is well aware that the world economy is, to put it mildly, slow. We hear people lamenting every single day about the cost of groceries and gas climbing. They complain they can’t afford to even go out and eat at a restaurant.

I can tell you one thing for sure – hoping won’t make things better. Hoping won’t makes things turn around all by themselves. Hoping won’t eliminate all the issues we face today as a people and as an individual.

The majority of people today are sad, disgusted, frustrated, angry, and tend to find blame wherever they can. The reasons vary. Some have been forced to retire early. Others have lost their jobs and haven’t been able to find another. Even more are realizing that their current job is possibly at risk as lay-offs and down-sizings continue.

Many say they hope things will get better. If you’re on the highway of hope, it’s time to take the next exit because “hoping” will take you nowhere. Action is required! If you’re one who has decided to take matters into your own hands, you are probably giving some serious thought to start your own business, whether with the help of a start-up kit, turnkey business package or a franchise.

The home inventory industry is growing, partly due to the increased awareness of the need for an inventory. The slow economy has encouraged people to find ways to protect what they own, knowing how hard they worked to get where they are today and realizing how difficult it would be to financially recover if they had a major loss. Baby boomers are called on to be executors of their parents’ or sibling’s estates. Banks are requiring business owners to provide a complete and thorough list of all assets before they will even consider offering a loan. This is a great time to begin a home and business inventory business because the demand is increasing.

There are other industries that are seeing growth. Do your homework, then do something!

You might be asking, “But what about the economy?” My question is, “What about it?” Seth Godin posted a blog titled, “The chance of a lifetime” in which he encourages us “to choose optimism, to choose action, to choose excellence.”

Why not?

We create the life we choose to live. If enough decide to choose action, imagine what might happen! If we choose optimism, imagine the attitude adjustments that could happen overnight! If we choose excellence – excellence in everything we do – imagine the changes that can take place before our very eyes – in our own lives and in the lives we each touch!…

Cabinet Layouts and Styles for an Organized Garage

Cabinet Layouts and Styles for an Organized Garage

The addition of cabinets to any garage will not only improve the organization of the space but will dramatically improve the aesthetics of the area. Garage storage cabinets and cabinet designs have come a long way. Just like your kitchen cabinets, garage cabinets have evolved to include a variety of styles and colors and are stunning in appearance.

Cabinets will get rid of the clutter that is so common today in a private garage or personal workshop. Designate a place for every portable power tool, garden tool and supplies. This will make your work space more efficient, your projects will go smoother, and your life will be less stressful. Eliminate the mess behind doors and on the floor in the corner. Create a more organized and orderly appearance.

Cabinet options include wall cabinets, base cabinets, pantry style units, and mechanics cabinets with multiple drawers for small tools, parts, and gadgets. For portability you can add cabinets with wheels. These easy to roll, caster mounted, cabinets make it fast and easy to rearrange your workspace for special projects.

As far as the layout, the possibilities are endless and are dependent upon your personal needs, likes, and dislikes. A common layout is a row of base cabinets which double as a workbench. Above the bench mount a row of wall cabinets. Shorten the workbench and install a full height pantry at each end of the bench if you need additional storage space for paint cans, hardware, and other large items. To create a user friendly work area mount a light above the bench and install power outlets on the back wall.

Experiment with other layouts that may be more suited to your needs. Perhaps you have a 2 car garage but only one car. In this case an L-shaped or U-shaped design layout would add ample storage space for most any requirements. If you have larger vehicles or a smaller garage consider wall cabinets only, with some flip out counter space or roll-around workbenches. If you are adding a table saw to the mix, put it on wheels too.

Before you decide on a layout sketch out your design to see how it all works out. Grab a standard sheet of graph paper and draw an outline of your garage to scale. Each A�” square on the graph paper would equal one foot. Then sketch in the cabinets that you intend to install. Remember that a standard base cabinet is about 2 foot deep or 2 squares on your graph paper. Be sure to allow space for opening the drawers or swinging out the pantry doors.

Your sketch should also include your cars, motorcycle, or other large items stored in your garage. Include a location for your lawnmower, wheelbarrow, and pressure washer. Now that you have everything in place; check to see that you have room to open your car doors and walk around inside. It is much easier to erase a line than to relocate a wall mounted cabinet.

If you are computer savvy, perhaps you would prefer to do your layout in PowerPoint. Just set the page size to 20 inches by 20 inches for a 20 ft x 20 ft garage. Add scaled solid boxes for your car and your cabinets. The boxes can easily be moved around to test out different layouts. Be sure to show the location of the garage doors, windows, and the entrance to your home. For the more adventuresome, you may want to try a free online CAD program like Sketch-up, this could even be fun.

Available garage cabinet colors range from simple natural wood to rich, dark, wood grain stains and anything in between. Choose light maple, almond, Folkstone grey, or any color to match the d?�cor of your home or your personal taste. For the hunter or fisherman in the family, you will even find cupboards in a Mossy Oak Camouflage finish.

If a European look is more your style, select a cabinet with a modern look. This is a sleek design with chrome and black accents. The radius corners and smooth automotive like sheen offers a contemporary, refined, appearance. The polyurethane coating over the MDF structure offers a rigid, durable product. The smooth PVC finish not only looks great, it is also easy to clean up. The 4″ adjustable feet make installation a cinch, even on an unlevel garage floor. These easy to assemble kits are available in black and graphite grey.

For a more rugged appearance consider a steel cabinet. The black frame complimented by two tone silvervein door panels creates an eye catching, modern look for your garage. The sturdy construction will withstand heavy use in a more active workshop or garage. If you perform a lot of automotive maintenance, or …

Galvanised Steel Tote Pans for Effective Storage

Galvanised Steel Tote Pans for Effective Storage

What exactly is a tote pan? Well, the word “tote” means “carry” or “to carry”, so perhaps a more simple explanation of the phrase tote pan would be “carrying pan”. In industrial sectors they are simply known as tote pans and they are used for various kinds of storage.

One of the most important things in a big warehouse or stores area of a business is the storage system. If you have you spent any time (either as a worker or overseer) in a workplace where the warehouse is the centre piece if you like and the hive of all the activity, you are likely to have drawn at least two conclusions.

The first conclusion you may have reached is that if the storage area is not particularly well organised then what usually follows as an output is total chaos!

However, if you were lucky enough to witness an effective storage situation in action, you are likely to have noted just how much smoother and easier things were running.

Of course, these pans are just one small part of an overall storage solution but they prove to be a vital piece of the puzzle all the same. These pans are available in many different sizes and can be found in many different finishes, such as the galvanised steel referred to in the title.

They can be used to store all kind of items and components but perhaps because of their general size are best suited to small parts storage. In a store room for example you may find a series of tote pans lined up on a shelving system, each containing various small items crucial to that particular industry or work place.

They are easy to label, if required and they are easy to move and carry (hence the word “tote”), thanks to their fairly light weight and handle on the front section. Many tote pan variations can also be stacked, which is particularly useful when storage space is at a premium.

There are plenty of accessories too. If you want to divide a pan up into sections to enable you to store multiple components in a single pan, you can with useful dividers. If you need to keep the stored elements relatively free from dust, you can also fit the pans with slide on lids, essentially making them a sealable box.

So, it is evident that galvanised steel tote pans are an effective and important part of any good storage solution.…

Staring Your Very Own Boat Storage Business Easily

Staring Your Very Own Boat Storage Business Easily

There are a good number of places in the world, where boats are considered as one of the most important means of transportation. Purchasing boats can be a pricey investment for the owners and therefore, storing them in a safe and secure manner becomes quite important. This is where the role of a boat storage business comes into play. Starting an RV Storage business in such a place can be a quite lucrative option for you. Starting a boat storage business is not an easy task. But by following the below mentioned points, you can start your very own business in an easy manner.

– First of all, you are required to create a superior quality storage place. If you are having a good facility will lot of vacant space and proper protection, you will likely attract more number of boat owners towards your facility. While constructing a boat storage facility, you should keep the average size of a vessel in mind. Most of these recreational vehicles are about 20-40 feet long and 10-12 feet wide. The average weight of these vehicles range around 3000-10000 pounds. All these factors must be given due importance in order to create a perfect storage facility.

– Locality of your facility is the second main factor that you need to consider. Your property should be conveniently located near the active boating zones like lakes, rivers and oceans. The business will be more successful if the RV Storage business is located in proximity to the water bodies.

– Next, you should build proper stacked boat cradles inside the storage facility in order to maximize the available space. Installing a boat lift inside the storage unit can make it easy for you to move the boats around and place them inside the empty cradles.

– Now, you need to get a proper license from the state or local government in order to make your business existing in the eyes of law.

– Taking a good insurance cover to provide complete protection against any kind of damage, injury or theft event in your property. Security and protection of the boats are the main concerns of the boat storage business. This concern can be effectively dealt with by acquiring a full coverage policy.

– Enhancing the security of the premise should be the next step in the business set up process. You should consider installing protected entry systems, surveillance cameras, anti-breach alarm systems and other security devices in order to make sure that the boats are secure at your storage facility.

So, these are some of the main points that can surely help you in setting up your very own boat storage business easily.…

Maintaining Backyard Bliss

Maintaining Backyard Bliss

If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard to call your own, you appreciate the advantage of having a private retreat in which to pursue the activities that help you relax and unwind from the daily grind; whether it be planting petunias, floating around in the pool, or surrounding yourself with friends for a big barbecue feast. The backyard is the backdrop for a variety of activities, which means it will inevitably become the home of a collection of tools, toys, and other outdoor paraphernalia–things that can get in the way and under foot. Under these conditions, your peaceful haven may turn into a source of stress and frustration. What to do?

Get organized. What you need, of course, is a designated place for everything and everything in its place. And in order to assure that everything is returned to its special place, make sure that it is located in a logical and convenient location. For example, gardening tools should be stored right next to the garden, pool toys should be stored right next to the pool, etc. Admit it, if you have to walk all the way to the garage to put that little garden spade away, it’s just going to be left on the nearest patio table.

So now that you’ve decided on the best location to store your backyard paraphernalia, exactly what should it be stored in? Obviously that depends on how much stuff you’ve plan to. For yard equipment like your lawnmower, rakes, and hoes, the practical solution would be a storage shed. You can also install shelving and peg strips in there for the smaller stuff – like that garden spade. Now what about all the stuff that gets scattered around your deck or patio? Things like all of the kids’ outdoor toys or your pool cleaning equipment? For deck or patio storage, a storage box, sometimes referred to as a “horizontal shed”, is ideal. A storage box designed to accommodate individual dividers makes it even easier to find what you’re looking for. Just knowing you have a secure place to put everything is Reassuring. Getting into the routine of always returning everything to its place is Encouraging. And being able to relax in the pleasant surroundings of an uncluttered backyard, ‘s downright Theraputic.…

Self Storage Makes the Ideal Business Document Archive

Self Storage Makes the Ideal Business Document Archive

Storing documents is a headache for any business as the legal requirements for keeping financial, tax and sales records increase every year.

Many businesses struggle to find the space in their trading premises to archive documents – and moving just to stack papers is an expensive option.

The best place to keep archived business documents safe and secure is in a rented self storage unit.

Because the tax or VAT man can call to see financial records for up to five years after any accounts or return based on those records was filed, businesses need to keep vast quantities of paperwork.

Not only do documents need looking after to make sure they stay in good condition, they also have to be kept secure to comply with data protection laws.

Another worry is criminals stealing information in identity theft fraud. Self storage centres solve all these problems for business. A professional storage facility offers climate-controlled storage rooms with racking for document archive boxes. Climate control is important and well worth paying for because documents will be kept in pristine condition because damage from damp or condensation is eliminated.

Businesses can also rest assured document archives are secure as storage centres have first class security, including CCTV monitoring the site and state-of-the-art alarms. Self storage facilities will also have precautions in place to deal with fire and other hazards.

Cost conscious businesses can keep expenses down by managing the storage space and removing records that are no longer required for shredding and secure disposal.

Self storage archiving is convenient because the records are stored safely, but easily accessible, especially if the archiver clearly labels and organises the documents.

Most self storage units are open during business hours – and many for longer hours as well.

Access to a storage rooms is also easy for staff carrying heavy document bundles.

Wide, well-lit corridors, plenty of trolleys and accessible loading bays make shifting document archives straightforward.

An added bonus is archiving documents off-site frees up valuable space at business premises.…

Photographers Get Organized With Photo Storage Boxes

Photographers Get Organized With Photo Storage Boxes

Everyone, from the hobby photographer to the professional, ends up with hundreds of photographs. When you have a large number of any item, they can get disorganized very quickly, which is why it is a great idea to invest in some photo storage boxes. With these boxes at the ready, you can sort and store your photographs so that they are protected and also easy to retrieve whenever you wish. Photo boxes can also be used for storing other delicate items around the home.

When you have cherished family photos and other photographs of value, you will want to do everything possible to preserve those photos for as long as possible. There are archival storage boxes available for this purpose. Archival photo will consist of boxes made from conservation-quality materials. What this means is that they are acid-free, and this is a big help because acids commonly found in wood and paper products can, over time, damage the delicate surfaces of the photographs. By using acid-free products, your precious photographs will be protected from this harmful substance, and better able to stand the test of time unscathed.

You have many options for organizing photos using photo boxes. You could simply sort the photos by year, and label the outside of each photo storage box, so that you can easily find the pictures you need. Another way to organize them would be by photographer name; this may be a good option for art galleries who show several artists’ works. Some photographers enjoy placing photos sorted by subject matter into their own photo storage box.

Other photography supplies, such as film, can be stored in photo storage boxes. Many of the better photo storage boxes come with reinforced metal corners, and this means that you can stack them up, and over time the weight inside the boxes will not crush the contents inside. Using similarly sized photo storage boxes also means that you can stack the boxes, and they will be equal in size and height, making for a neater display and most efficient use of storage space.

Archival storage boxes also make a great spot to store important documents. Papers that you want to preserve, perhaps even historical documents, can be kept in archival storage boxes and protected from damaging acids and other airborne pollutants.

Archival photo boxes can also work well for storing delicate fabric items. For historical costume pieces, or other sheer and lightweight fabric items, a photo storage box can serve as safe storage.

You can find these and other fine art photography supplies online from photography supply merchants.…