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Perhaps that statement above should be able to convince anyone to start selling software either as a full time job or on the side. It is essentially not just something many desire; it is needed. Evidence of this can be seen in the harsh economic downturn that is currently encompassing the globe. Last year security software (anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc) rose by 18.6%. It is surely one of the few industries that are still seeing a rise in profits when almost every other niche is setting its sights and expectations lower to accommodate the economic situation.

There are numerous ways to make money on the Internet, and with that said there are also numerous scams that you need to watch out for. If you are looking to make money selling a product, you will need to make sure you are selling in a niche that truly is needed and will be profitable. One such current market niche is computer software. In fact, computer software is one of the top money making niches on the Internet.

When you think about it, with everyone not only using but depending on computers today, there are virtually millions of software programs that are needed. From computer games for kids to spy ware software for the savvy, the needs are truly endless. When it comes right down to it, everything you do on your computer requires a software program to run it. And, most importantly, companies that develop software are constantly looking for people to market and sell their programs so that they too can make a profit.

No compare this to a piece of software that, let’s say, changes your desktop background every 10 minutes. Which do you think will sell more? Just because the software market is vast and expanding rapidly doesn’t mean that everything will sell, you have to know the proper way of going about it. Which software is in demand, marketing techniques and digitized software over hard copy are all things that need to be fully understood before you enter the market.

Help is on hand and no one expects you to just be thrown right in at the deep end. A free online report called: Conquer the Software Niche’ can provide you with the essential knowledge in allowing you to start selling software online right away.

Software sales do not look like declining anytime soon so it is advisable to get in while the going is good and start selling the product that every person with a computer needs.

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There is quite a bit of inventory on the market right now. Staging your home is the easiest thing you can do to make it stand out and bring in top dollar. When looking at homes, prospective buyers usually spend more time in homes that are staged. The longer a prospective buyer is in your home, the better chance they will make an offer. Top real estate experts claim that homes under $600,000 that are priced right and staged well usually sell within 30 days, even in this market.

The longer your house is on the market the more prospective buyers start to de-value it which often times results in you having to do a price reduction and you will be more likely to get “low ball” offers. To sell your home quickly, spend just a little time and money staging it. Here are some tips to get you started.

#1 Clean out the Clutter! Every room in your house needs to “minimalistic” while your home is on the market. This might be uncomfortable for you but it will sell your house. Order a storage pod or find a friend willing to store your stuff. Clear out half the stuff out of every closet and cupboard. Only keep the clothes, kitchen gadgets and other items that you absolutely need for the next couple of months. There should be empty space in every closet, drawer and cupboard. Often times the first thing prospective buyers do is open your cupboards and closets. They want to know that all of their things are going to fit. If you have full closets and cupboards they will assume that there is not enough space for their things.

#2 De-Personalize Your Home. Clear off your refrigerator and clear out the majority of personal photos. Prospective buyers need to visualize themselves living in your home and many people have a hard time doing that if there are pictures of you and your family everywhere or if there are knickknacks and trinkets cluttering up your walls and shelving. Box them all up and store them. You can put them back up in your new home.

#3 Fix your Home. Go around your house and make a list of all of the little things that need fixing. For example, loose banisters, broken outlet plates, squeaky door hinges, nicked walls and so on. When people see broken things in your home, even if they are small, they see more work they have to do which de-values your home and some people will assume that you do not take good care of your home. Everyone wants to buy a home from someone who has taken good care of it.

#4 Paint, paint and more paint. Paint is the easiest and cheapest way to freshen up your home. Use neutral colors and consider consulting with your Realtor before choosing the colors. If you have any wallpaper, strip it and paint the walls. Most prospective buyers will see wallpaper as work and will want to knock that off of the price.

#5 Relocate your pets. Ideally send all pets to a friend or relatives house while your house is on the market. People will spend significantly less time looking at your house if you have pets and many people have pet allergies and will not even go in your house. If the pets need to stay, keep them kenneled during showings. You may have the sweetest dog in the world but if a prospective buyer is scared of dogs, they will not walk through your home if there is a loose dog. Open your windows as much as possible to keep the air fresh. Continually run your ceiling fans.

#6 Clean Up! A sparkling clean house seems like a well-maintained house. It also gives buyers a chance to notice your house, not your dust bunnies. They will be more likely to want to spend time in your house, which means they are more likely to buy it. Clean your home daily while it’s on the market. Just 20-30 minutes a day will make a big difference and keep it smelling fresh.

#7 Set-up your bedrooms as bedrooms. You can set one bedroom up as an office, but no multi-purpose rooms. Bedrooms should be very minimalistic, a bed, nightstands and maybe a dresser, that’s it. Everything else needs to go. The nightstands and dresser should be totally cleared off, except for maybe a lamp.

The key is you want people to notice your house, not your stuff. Your prospective buyers need to be able to visualize themselves’ living in your house and their things fitting in your house. Make your house neutral, minimalistic and show that it’s well maintained. This will fetch top dollar and sell your house the fastest.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of the Life Made Simple E-zine and is a speaker, author, and Professional Organizer in Minneapolis specializing in home organization and home office filing system. Heidi energizes her readers’ lives by simplifying their homes and schedules. For more info, free home organization tips, and to receive her FREE e-Solutions Kit, Finally Revealed: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit www.HeidiDeCoux.com and discover how to find what you want fast, end the frustration of endless searching, and have more fun!

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Imagine, you open your closet doors and all of your items are displayed neatly on shelves and hangers. You can see everything and simply select the items you want. This article contains three easy steps to help you get the closets of your dreams!

Step 1: Purge. Pull out everything you don’t love or find useful. In your wardrobe closet, if you are having a hard time figuring out what you love, flip your hangers around so that they are hanging on the rod backwards. As you wear each piece of clothing put it back with the hanger hanging correctly on the rod. At the end of a year you will know exactly what you have not worn because the hangers of those items will still be backwards. If you have not worn it in a year, you don’t love it or find it useful.

What to do with the clothes and items you have purged:

Have a Clothing Swap — Invite your friends to clean out their closets. You could forward them this article to help them get started. Set a date and time for every one to bring over their unwanted clothing and accessories and a dish to pass and/or beverage. You could also expand this swap party to include home furnishings, candles, beauty products or kitchen gadgets. Create the feeling of a “store” in your living room featuring everyone’s items. Mingle, eat and shop – for FREE! You will get some new fun pieces to add to your wardrobe, get rid of all of your unwanted items that are cluttering up your closest and have a fun free party with your friends. Donate all of the left over items to charity.

Consign – How about making some extra money? Some consignment stores will accept all seasons of clothing all year around which makes it easy to consign. A select few consignment stores pay upfront for clothing, although, those types of consignment stores are generally hard to find. One nation wide store that pays up front is Plato Closets. However, they only accept casual trendy clothing. I recommend that you first take your items to a consignment store. Any items the store does not take use for your Clothing Swap Party.

Consignment stores typically sell clothing on the same season schedule as regular retail stores. At the end of each retail season they will donate the items that did not sell for you and pay you a commission on your items that did sell. But you are usually in charge of knowing when a retail season ends and collecting your payment. Most stores do not automatically mail you a check. To make it easy, just put a note in your calendar on each of your deadline dates to call them so that you can pick up your check.

Step 2: Install a Closet System – Most closets need more than a basic rod and pole. Installing a built in closet system of adjustable rods, shelves, drawers, hooks and accessories will usually double or even triples the amount of use-able space in your closet. Plus it makes it much easier to see and find your items. There are many great options available from inexpensive do-it-yourself systems to having a Professional Organizer / Closet Designer out to your home to design a system for you and have it built and installed for you. Closet systems range in price dramatically but many basic but effective systems are surprisingly inexpensive. A new well-designed closet system will make a big impact on your life.

Installing a Closet System is easy and will:
• Make your life easier by saving you time and money
• Double or even triple your closet space
• Make your home tidier because it’s easier to put things away
• Add value to your home

Step 3: This is the most fun step! Purchase matching hangers for your wardrobe and coat closets. They will give your closet a clean uniform look and will save space.

The best hangers to get are the sleek thin velvety soft hangers, usually known as Huggables. They come in a variety of colors. Your clothing “sticks” to the velvet so even tank tops and silky shirts won’t fall off the hanger. They have a thin space saving design and the best part is they prevent “shoulder bumps”. You can even hang sweaters and lightweight knit shirts on them.

In your non-wardrobe closets clear shoebox bins work well. Sort all of your miscellaneous items into categories (when there are more than one of the same type of item), such as, shoe shine supplies, first aid supplies, nail polishes, travel sized products and so on. Separate items into individual bins and label the fronts of the bins. This makes it easy to find what you need and put things away. You can label your bins by just using blank white labels from any office supply store and a permanent marker or with a label maker. Label makers make great household tools.

You could start by organizing one closet in your home every week or even every month. Before long, all of your closets will be perfectly organized!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of the Life Made Simple E-zine and is a speaker, author, and Professional Organizer in Minneapolis specializing in home organization and home office filing system. Heidi energizes her readers’ lives by simplifying their homes and schedules. For more info, free home organization tips, and to receive her FREE e-Solutions Kit, Finally Revealed: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit www.HeidiDeCoux.com and discover how to find what you want fast, end the frustration of endless searching, and have more fun!

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You can use common household items to create your own safe, non-toxic cleaning solutions. They are inexpensive (healthy for your pocket book), healthy for our planet and healthier for you and your children and pets.

Tile, Counter Tops & Toilet Bowl Cleaner – Mix baking soda and water together until you form a paste with a similar consistency as soft toothpaste.

Shower Doors – If your glass doors are covered with scum, wipe them down with lemon oil. As a preventative measure, you can use a few drops of lemon oil on them once or twice a month.

Shower Heads – If you shower heads have mineral deposits, put vinegar in a plastic bag and attach the bag to your shower head using a rubber band. You essentially want the shower head to be immersed in vinegar overnight. Then rinse with water in the morning and they will be mineral deposit free and sparkling clean!

Window’s & Mirrors – Fill a spray bottle with Club Soda. Spray on glass and immediately wipe off solution using newspaper.

Unclogging Drains – Pour equal amounts of salt and baking soda down your drain. Run hot water for a couple of minutes. This will work great if your drain is clogged due to oil or grease. If your drain is clogged for any other reason, such as hair, this solution probably won’t work for you.

Faucets with Lime Scale – Rub on some lemon juice and let it sit over night. In the morning, wipe with damp clothe.

Stainless Steel Sinks, Fixtures and Appliances – Dilute one part rubbing alcohol with two parts water. Put mixture into a spray bottle, spray mixture onto a soft cotton cloth.

Hardwood Floors – Mix together one part distilled white vinegar and two parts water. Vinegar disinfects and is great at picking up dust.

Scuffed Floors – Apply 2-4 drops of tea tree oil. Wipe off the excess oil with a soft cloth then take a clean soft cloth and rub in white distilled vinegar.

Wood Furniture – Create your own polish by combining 2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil with the juice from 1 lemon. Rub it on your furniture with a soft cloth.

Glassware – To make your glassware sparkle, add 1 cup of vinegar to your rinse water.

Vehicle – To clean your car, mix 1/4 cup of liquid Castile Soap with a full bucket of hot water. You can use it to clean your car’s exterior, windshield, hubcaps and tires. Use a clean soft sponge and thoroughly hose it off when you’re finished washing.

Garage Floor – To remove oil stains and get your garage floor looking like new, cover oil spots with baking soda and sprinkle with water until a paste forms. Let the paste stand overnight. Then scrub with a damp brush, rinse and wipe clean.

Cheers to a clean healthy home, a healthy family, a healthy planet and a healthy pocket book!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of the Life Made Simple E-zine and is a speaker, author, and Professional Organizer in Minneapolis specializing in home organization and home office filing system. Heidi energizes her readers’ lives by simplifying their homes and schedules. For more info, free home organization tips, and to receive her FREE e-Solutions Kit, Finally Revealed: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit www.HeidiDeCoux.com and discover how to find what you want fast, end the frustration of endless searching, and have more fun!

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#1 — Go out for dessert instead of dinner. Dinners out can get expensive but it’s not fun to stay in every night. Eat dinner at home and go out for dessert. To save time and reduce the temptation to go out to eat, make up large batches of food and freeze it in individual serving containers. This way you can heat up a homemade gourmet meal in minutes then go out for a yummy dessert after wards.

#2 — Borrow instead of Buy. Need a special tool for a project or maybe a hedge trimmer or tent. Go to NeighBorrow.com to find someone near you that will happily lend you theirs, free of charge.

#3 — Turn down (or up, depending on the season and climate you live in) your thermostat before you leave your house. Shut the vents off in rooms that you do not use during the day, such as, bedrooms or family room and keep the doors closed. No sense in heating or cooling rooms that are not being used.

#4 — Have a Clothing Swap with friends. Invite your friends to clean out their closets, bring over their unwanted clothing and accessories along with a dish to pass. Lay out everyone’s clothes. Eat, mingle and shop – for FREE! You’ll probably leave with at least a couple of new fun pieces to add to your wardrobe, and you’ll have a fun and free night out. Simply donate all of the left over items to charity.

#5 — Unplug items you are not using. Even if they are off they are still pulling current. This cost savings will add up to more than you think. If you don’t want to continually be unplugging items, invest in a Smart Strip (different than a standard power strip). It does not allow your items to pull electric current when off. You will probably cut your electric bill in half. For more info on Smart Strips go to clearsimpleliving.com/page/smartbuys.

#6 — Wash all your clothes in cold water. It’s better for your clothes, especially darks, and generally they come out just as clean. Just use a little pre-spot if needed. Also, stop running your water continuously when brushing your teeth or washing dishes.

#7 — Consider buying gently used versus new, check Craigslist.org, Ebay.com or HandMeDowns.com before paying retail. You can save a bundle!

Added bonus: It’s great for our environment when we re-distribute items instead of tossing things out and re-manufacturing new things.

Cheers to saving our planet and saving money!

About the Author:
Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of the Life Made Simple E-zine and is a speaker, author, and a Professional Organizer in Minneapolis specializing in Home Organization. Heidi energizes her readers’ lives by simplifying their homes and schedules. For more info, free Home Organization Tips, and to receive her FREE e-Solutions Kit, Finally Revealed: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit www.HeidiDeCoux.com and discover how to find what you want fast, end the frustration of endless searching, and have more fun!

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Are you ready to find out how to get more done in less time? Here are 3 simple steps to get you started.

First and foremost you need to be organized. Most of the people who earn six or seven figures and only work 20 hours per week or less are highly organized individuals. In addition to being organized you need to prioritize. For most of us, 80% of what we spend our time doing, only makes 20% of the difference. People who only work part-time and make six and seven figures know exactly what matters and that’s what they spend their time doing. They skip or delegate everything else.

Step 1 — Get organized and prioritize. Make a list of everything there is to do and handle in your life, your home and your business or job. That may seem like a daunting task that could take days if not months. Just sit down and start listing things you either want or need to get done in no particular order, as they pop into your head. This list of “to do’s” is finite and in reality will probably only take you an hour or two to create.

Step 2 – Take a good look at the items on your list and decide what items will make the most impact on your income and quality of life. Sit in silence for 20 minutes and meditate over your list. The most impactful items on your list will start jumping off the page. Highlight those items.

Step 3 – Move all of the highlighted items from your list into your calendar. Schedule when you are going to do each one and be realistic when determining how much time to allow for each item. For example, you might schedule one of them for Tuesday from 4pm-6pm, another one on Wednesday from 8pm-10pm, and so on.

If you are unable to get all of the items into your calendar within the next two weeks, then you need to refine your highlighted list again before entering them into your schedule.

This process helps you get organized, focus on the 20% that matters most and will help prevent you from taking on more tasks than you can handle effectively. If you are unable to complete a task during the scheduled time, re-schedule the task for another time.

Once you fully switch from keeping a running “to do” list to scheduling every task, you will feel more relaxed, be more efficient, have more time and you will get more done. “To Do” lists tend to be weights on our shoulders. They make us feel like we will never be caught up, never get it all done and often they cause us to focus on the least important tasks.

When you have a running “to do” list you are more likely to stress over what you need to get done and when and how it’s going to get done. By simply scheduling what needs to get done, it will get done when it’s time to do it. No more stressing or agonizing over it.

Be sure to leave open space in your calendar for interruptions and putting out fires. Also, schedule family time, exercise time, alone time, mealtime and organization time (go through your mail, file, etc). This will help keep you organized and in balance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heidi DeCoux is the publisher of the Life Made Simple E-zine and is a speaker, author, and Professional Organizer in Minneapolis specializing in home organization and home office filing system. Heidi energizes her readers’ lives by simplifying their homes and schedules. For more info, free home organization tips, and to receive her FREE e-Solutions Kit, Finally Revealed: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit www.HeidiDeCoux.com and discover how to find what you want fast, end the frustration of endless searching, and have more fun!

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