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Crate and Barrel Outlet – Contemporary Home Furniture and Accessories for Modern Living

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Crate and Barrel is a home furniture and accessories shop that offers good quality at a reasonable price. You will always find something perfect and useful for your home. You may not easily chance upon an actual Crate and Barrel store but you can always check their website for your online shopping convenience.

Gordon and Carole Segal started crate and Barrel during the ’60s. Its concept was inspired by their European honeymoon. They noticed that majority of the home improvement stores in Europe has functional and durable products. Furniture and accessories are also contemporary and very appealing. Since then, they decided to start their own shop that will offer functional and aesthetically appealing products to young couples.

The first Crate and Barrel outlet was opened in Wells Street, Chicago. They leased an abandoned factory and started their own business. Their products are imported directly from Europe. Its first product line includes French copper pots, bistro dinnerware, and ceramic accessories that they have bought throughout their travel.

One interesting idea of their first outlet is that merchandise is displayed on top of crates and barrels that were used during its shipping. This emphasized one of their strongest points against competitors – their products are direct imports.

Crate and Barrel products are now available in over 170 stores across the US. They also ventured in the international market and had their stores in Toronto and Calgary, Canada. There are also plans of setting up a store in Dubai.

Though they started originally in European house ware, you can also find other styles in their items. You can have Mexican, Thai, and Indian-inspired designs among their broad product line. Their products are often contemporary and have exciting colors. You will find that their furniture and accessories will fit in your house because of its physical appeal and functional use.

Crate and Barrel outlet offers everything that you will need in transforming your house into a home. They offer both indoor and outdoor furniture. You can choose from different styles of living room, dining room, and bedroom sets. You also have different options for your porch and garden. There are umbrellas, bistro sets, and other outdoor furniture to suit your preferences.

Majority of their small appliances are related to food and drinks. There are mixers, waffle makers, and food processors. They also offer oil and drink mixes.

For decorative items, you can find numerous candles, holders, frames, and mirrors. Kitchen goods and bath accessories are also aplenty. There are pots, pans, bake ware, and bowls. Bath accessories like shower curtains, linens, and mats may change its colors and patterns seasonally. You may want to watch out for mark down sales whenever they clear out for the next season.

Online shopping is also one of the strong points of Crate and Barrel. It will offer you with promos and convenient shopping experience. You can create a registry when you purchase online to avail discounts. Shipping and packaging normally takes one week so you need to order ahead of time if you are planning for a big event or a major redecoration in your house.

Helpful Notes When Preparing A Taxi Driver Accounts To Save Money

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Self employed taxi drivers in common with other self employed businesses are required to submit a self assessment tax return form each year reporting the main totals from the taxi drivers accounts. The final submission date for these accounts to enable the tax authorities to calculate the tax payable is 30th September while the final deadline for submission of the self assessment tax return is 31st January. Miss the 31st January deadline and the penalty fine is 100 pounds.

The simplest solution to preparing the taxi driver accounts is to collect all the taxi receipts and expenses together, hand them over to an accountant who will prepare your self assessment tax return and might charge between 150 to 450 pounds for the privilege. That is taxing. Taxi driver accounts does not have to be that taxing. You can prepare your taxi driver accounts and self assessment tax return yourself but do something.

These taxi driver notes in preparing the taxi driver accounts and completing the self assessment tax return are to assist that process.

Mileage Allowances

Taxi drivers can claim as an alternative to vehicle running costs mileage allowances of 40p for the first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter. You may not claim mileage allowance and vehicle running costs. Should you choose to claim the mileage allowance then keep good records of mileage covered, purpose of journey.

Taxi Capital Allowances

If you bought a vehicle in the financial year 2007-08 and used the vehicle as a taxi you can claim a first year writing down tax allowance of 25% of the cost of the taxi, restricted to 3,000 pounds for vehicles costing over 12,000 pounds. On vehicles purchased in previous tax years you can claim 25% writing down allowance on the balance not yet claimed. Many taxis are bought and sold each year and where a taxi is sold the capital tax allowance that can be claimed is the difference between the written down value for tax purposes and the amount of sale proceeds. First year allowance on non vehicle assets in the current tax year 2007-08 is 50% for small businesses.

Taxis bought on Hire Purchase

Claim capital allowances on the original cost of the vehicle, interest and other charges count as business expenses and go in the self assessment tax return box 3.61 Other Finance Charges

Taxi Running Costs

When completing the self assessment tax return taxi drivers should enter fuel costs in box 3.46 cost of sales not motoring expenses. A standard check carried out by any competent inland revenue inspector inquiring into a self assessment tax return would be to check when the taxi driver was on holiday and examine if fuel receipts had been included for this period. Not many tax returns are inquire into as the system is based upon trust but taxi drivers should ensure their accounts do not contain this fundamental tax fiddle. Taxi running costs also include repairs, servicing and parts including tyres, road tax, taxi insurance and AA/RAC membership. Include radio hire and taxi office costs in general administrative expenses.

Household expenses

If you run your taxi business from home you can claim a proportion of household expenses as business expenses in the taxi accounts. Household expenses are likely to be disallowed unless they are either specific to the business or a specific area of your home is devoted entirely to your taxi business. Using part of a room part time would not be sufficient to include the household expenses in the taxi driver accounts.

Spouse Costs

You can claim expenses for partners who work for your taxi business and payments up to 100 pounds per week would not attract income tax or national insurance however any payments claimed in the taxi driver accounts must be real payments for real work done. The Revenue naturally adopt a strict view on taxi expenses claimed for partner work as it is an area some people might use to reduce the tax liability. Care is required to justify the partner as an expense.

Other Expenses

Enter all business expenses in a named expense box on the self assessment tax return. Avoid entries in box 3.63 Other Expenses if possible as any significant amounts in this box may give rise to an Revenue inquiry into the self assessment tax return.

The best method of ensuring the taxi drivers tax bill is as low as possible in the future is undoubtedly to meticulously maintain good records of all taxi receipts and expenses and mileage covered which offers the opportunity for taxi drivers to compare the taxi running costs against mileage allowances and choose the most tax efficient option. The decision to claim mileage allowance or taxi running costs can and often does change during the financial year. In general when a more expensive taxi cab is purchased then the capital allowance of 3,000 pounds will often outweigh the potential mileage allowance although if the vehicle is low value the mileage allowance might be the best option and a method of saving valuable tax pounds which you are entitled to. The best taxi accounting software will automate the comparison of taxi mileage allowances with taxi running costs doing the taxi accountants work for you.

Bring The Fashion To Your Home

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Fashion is a popular term nowadays, but have you really ever wondered what fashion really is? Fashion is basically a word that is used for a particular style that is popular in the current time period. May that be clothing, jewellery, shoes, bags, eye wear, make up or accessories, if it is popular, it will be in fashion. Fashion varies cross culturally and geographically, what may be considered to be fashionable in one part of the world may seem completely absurd in another part.

Fashion is never consistent, the world of fashion is perhaps, the most dynamic environment till date, and fashion completely depends on individual preferences, hence there is no fixed or universal phenomenon of fashion. In a country like Pakistan, for example, fashion trends revolve around their traditional attire i.e. shalwar kameez. Every season change brings about new fashion trends that are religiously followed by all. On the other hand, in the western cities like the England, fashion clothing revolves around an entirely different scenario.

Fashions come and they go, what one must be sure about is to pick out the fashion style that best goes with a person’s personality. One must not try every bizarre trend just to make they look hip or fashionable. The best fashion is the one that depicts your true personality with great comfort and ease. Talking about what is new in fashion these days, tights and skinny jeans are still in, which is the same as previous year. However, people are concentrating on wearing more tights and jeggings (the new combination of tights and jeans). Pairing your tight with a bright colorful top is what is in these summers. Lots of accessories and shades to keep your eyes safe from the blazing heat, is what you should go for, since comfort must come before style. But this doesn’t mean that you cannot look stylish at the same time. Aviators are the most in thing this season if you are planning to buy new sun glasses this summer.

Moreover, huge bags are out of style and clutches and handy bags are in this summer. Pair your outfit with a stylish clutch to complete your attire and you will good to flaunt your perfect stylish sense everywhere. However, you must be sure not to overdo it, since nothing can be as disastrous as being overdressed. So be careful while choosing which fashion is the best for you.

Cheap Loans – For The Borrowers Fixated On Low Cost

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Finance market is at peak reaching for new heights. Increasing number of lenders in the finance market has opened a new dimension for the borrowers to take advantage of borrowing money at competitive interest rates. Each lender wants to grab more and more number of borrowers and thus offer infinite number of loan options and that too at cheaper rates. Cheap loans are the latest addition in the loan category that offers cheap and easy loans to the borrowers.

The word “cheap loan” is defined differently by different people. For some a cheap loan can either be a loan with the lowest monthly repayments for a sum of money, or to another a loan which has the lowest amount of interest repayable in total. A cheap loan can be in the form of cheap personal loan, cheap secured loan, cheap unsecured loan and the list is endless.

The usage of cheap loan is not confined to middle or lower class people. It just implies that a loan is offered at better terms and conditions that go perfectly with the borrower’s requirement. These terms vary from individual to individual. For a regular income earner, a lower monthly loan will help in saving a big sum of money. On the other hand, for a businessman whose monthly income is not stable, a loan with flexible monthly payments such as overpayments, underpayments or payment holiday will be highly suitable.

Before you apply for a loan, the first thing you need to consider is what a cheap loan means to you, a low cost, lower monthly payments or a longer monthly term some of these or a combination of all these.

Various loans are available in the loan market to meet the needs of diverse group of people in UK. To find a cheap loan, you need to do a bit of research. You can start your research with finding the lenders who can provide cheap loans. Traditional lenders such as financial institutions and banks can be approached to find out their terms and policy of lending. Applying for a loan from a bank involves a lengthy and rigorous process. It involves lot of paperwork. A borrower has to stand in queue to deposit their application form and has to wait for a long time to know the status of their application. What will a borrower do with the money he can borrower today which he needed a week back to meet some urgent financial crisis. Important factors such as speed and time get ignored in the whole loan application process.

But, in case if you have learn to match pace with the latest technology then you can look for online lenders who can offer you better deal at cheaper rates. Online loans can save your precious time and money. Online lenders understand that the key factors rules in today’s fast-paced life are speed and right timing. And that’s what they focus on. The online process of applying for a loan is easy. A borrower just needs to fill up a small application form with some personal details such as name, loan amount one wants to borrow and few other. One should not worry about his or her personal information getting misused; majority of the online lending websites ensure its privacy.

Do read the privacy policy of the websites to make sure that your details are in the safer hands. A borrower can browse infinite number of online lenders by browsing through several lending websites to find the loan that is cheap and matches his or her personal needs and financial circumstances to the best. A borrower can collect loan quotes from several lenders for the loan that he is looking for and then he should compare them to find the best cheap loan.

Next thing you need to focus on is your credit status. A good credit rating will help you borrow money from the finance market at better rates. People with bad credit rating too can get a cheap loan but, the interest rate or monthly payments will be comparatively higher. As there exist a risk of default or failure to pay the installments on the part of the borrower.

A loan that involves low monthly payments, longer repayment term, flexible repayment options and low cost will be a perfect mix of what is called a cheap loan. A well-planned thorough research will help you find a cheap loan that goes well with your financial circumstances.

Benefits of Buying Home Furniture Online

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You get a much wider choice when you buy home furniture online than from a physical mall store. This is particularly true when you visit the website of a distributor or dealership rather than a manufacturer. While the latter is restricted to its own range of products, a distributor can offer you the range offered by each of multiple manufacturers.

For example, the Stickley website will offer only Stickley furniture while a distributor can offer Stickley, Simply Amish, The Custom Shoppe, Southwood and Sherrill furniture, and also great mattresses from Jamison besides. That is surely better than having to choose from just one company’s range of products!

A Wider Choice of Home Furniture

This is one of the greatest benefits of buying home furniture online: you get a wider choice, and not just of the traditional type of furniture. You might want a beautifully upholstered sofa and armchair suite from Southwood Furniture, perhaps in a period Queen Anne style or in a delicately slender Thomas Sheraton design.

However, on browsing further through the distributor website you might come across some beautifully plain Simply Amish furniture that could get you thinking along a different line – rather than sumptuously upholstered period furniture for your living room you might like the idea of a style more fundamental to the original pioneers.

Perhaps a traditional hickory rocker, or an aspen sofa and chairs furnished with comfortable cushions rather than fully upholstered. Maybe even a comfortable four post glider for something different, and you could introduce a touch of modernity with an Amish entertainment center, accommodating a large LCD flat screen TV set and hi-fi unit.

Get New Ideas With Online Furniture Stores

When they set out to buy home furniture, most people will have something in mind, but they will also be unaware of all the options available to them. It’s only by browsing that you get exposed to fresh ideas and options that may never have entered your head. By visiting a mall furniture store you see only what that one store stocks, and you will even more restricted if that store is a single manufacturing outlet.

That’s like going to a sports shop that sells only Titleist golf balls or Slazenger tennis racquets! It is so restrictive! Few would visit a sports store like that, so why do so when you are looking for furniture? Furnishing your home is an expensive thing to do, so you would think that the greater choice you had the better!

Discounts Might be Available

Not only choice in design, style or manufacturer, but also choice in price! When you buy online you can often get discounts not available from offline stores, since the online facility is less expensive to maintain than a mall store. It’s a fact that many businesses that have both an offline and online sales outlet can reduce their prices because the online sales are able to finance part of the cost of maintaining a mall store: rental, rates, staff pay, power costs and so on.

You have none of that with an online store – or at least very little. You have staff to pay of course, but that’s about it. Then you get all the other benefits that an online operation can offer. The major of these is information: if the internet is good for one thing it is for the provision of information. Not only can an online furniture store offer you its entire range of products to look at on your screen, but it can also provide you with specifications of each piece.

Online Room Space Planning
The dimensions of every piece of furniture are at your fingertips, enabling you to easily plan how it fits into your room. You can use online room space planning software to fit each item into your room – and you have the firm’s entire stock to play with, not just the pieces they are able to display in their showroom.

Add to these benefits the fact that you are under no pressure to buy. They might mean well, but how often have you been annoyed by pushy sales staff trying to ‘help’ you come to a decision? You would feel self-conscious if you wandered around a mall home furniture store for 3-4 hours without making a purchase!

By purchasing home furniture online you do not need to travel and can make your decisions while you sip a cocktail on your sofa. Then order, pay, check the insurance or warranty and arrange delivery without even standing up, let alone leave the house!

Summary of Benefits

Here is a summary of the benefits of buying home furniture online that we have just discussed:

• A wider choice of furniture manufacturers
• View 100% of firm’s stock – not just a selection
• Come across new ideas for furnishing your home
• Discount prices
• All specifications and dimensions immediately available
• Online room space planning facilities
• No sales staff to bother you
• Take as long as you like to choose
• No traveling: choose from the comfort of your sofa (or buy one if not!)

You can no doubt think of more. The point being made is that you have total control over your shopping: when you do it, where you shop and how long you take when buying home furniture online.

Save and Profit From Your Own Online Travel Booking Engine

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Now is your chance to finally profit and save big from the largest market shift in history. That is the Travel Industry Shift from the Brick & Mortar to the online Click & Mortar.

Are you ready for a good time off rate for your next vacation? If you are watchful for the cheaper prices, mull over using the internet and booking online using an online travel website. These online travel websites are becoming in demand with holidaymakers and travelers nationwide.

Usually, you will come up with cheaper rates, cheaper prices in airline and traveling fares. Online travel websites are qualified to accommodate their clients with cheaper pricing because their over-heads are normally less than your standard travel agency who maintains a big staff, have to pay a lease for their office space and have to furnish equipment for the travel industry. Utilizing the internet, travel entrepreneurs can cut their expenses by spending exclusively over the internet or by telephone.

Online travel websites are providing instant communication over the internet, where conventional travel agents have to check and research travel information. So, travelers are benefiting from instant travel information, services and the convenience of booking all travel online and not needing to leave the home or work place to book their travel.

Now travel enthusiasts can use these online travel websites to select their own vacation destinations, stops, routes, dates, and basically plan their own vacation to fit their particular needs. As you continue to read this article, you will find my resource box at the bottom with a link that will show you how you can profit big from this huge market shift in the travel industry. This is made possible with your very own online Booking Engine website.

So, there are numerous advantages for travelers to use online travel websites instead of a conventional travel agency. Online travel websites will allow you to plan and select your vacation or destination and then select the most affordable flights or passage to your selected vacation destination. Select an online travel agent with industry experience, this means that they will have sufficient expertise and knowledge, contacts and additional to guarantee you get the least expensive deal possible.

Use the internet to set up your next vacation, save yourself time, money and gain from the convenience of online shopping and booking. Online travel websites are becoming a big business in the travel industry. These online websites have practical, informative and helpful websites for their patrons to compare prices and find useful information on their vacation destination and their selected online travel website’s choices and services in the travel industry.

Join the travelers of the world and originate your plans and bookings for travel and vacations by using an efficient, professional online travel agent. Save money, time and take advantage of creating your own vacation structure. Decide on the best vacation for you, and let professional online travel websites get the cheapest travel rates available.

I hope you have gotten some good ideas from this article and are able to use them.

What You Must Know About Family Medicine

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A Primary care physician is required for those who have certain types of health care coverage plans. This type of doctor can perform physical exams, write prescriptions for your medication, make diagnoses, and treat common illnesses, ailments, and some chronic diseases like diabetes. You can locate primary care doctors in the online business directory, local telephone directory or a physician referral service can refer you to one in your area or surrounding area. These types of doctors provide care to all family members like adults, teens, children, and babies. Sometimes they may refer babies to a pediatric specialist. These doctors can be contacted online or by phone and many of them require you schedule an appointment unless you have an emergency.

Family medicine is also called family practice and this is known as a medical specialty devoted to people of all ages for comprehensive healthcare. If you have been diagnosed with a serious or disabling condition, then this type of practice will refer you to a qualified specialist who can treat you. When you make an appointment to be seen a the family practice, a representative, receptionist, or nurse will schedule one for you. When you arrive for your appointment, the nurse will record your vital signs and then the doctor will visit with you to treat your medical condition.

If you or your family member need a general doctor to treat minor illnesses or ailments, then you may schedule an appointment to be seen by a regular family doctor. This doctor can provide basic treatment and medication to all members of your immediate family. These doctors keep charts on file on your medical records and medical history. Sometimes this type of doctor may be able to help you with prescription medication costs by giving you sample medications they have in stock in their office. This type of doctor usually does not write prescriptions for narcotic pain killers. They can prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs for pain. Only a pain specialist can prescribe narcotic pain killers.

A family physician can provide the same quality healthcare as a family healthcare doctor, a primary care doctor or a family RN. They can provide medical treatment to all family members of all ages. They offer many great resources to help you understand your medical condition. They monitor your weight by taking measure with a scale. Their nurses in the office take blood pressure readings and record them on their charts. They can monitor blood glucose levels too. They have blood glucose monitors in their office. Some of these physicians will accept walk-in patients. They accept new patients too. New patients will be required to fill out some information regarding their medical history and any drugs they may be allergic to.

Seeing a doctor for your healthcare needs will help you to improve your overall health and self-esteem. They can help you with weight control by providing you with a weight loss diet or refer you to a nutritionist. Family medicine doctors accept a variety of forms of payments that include cash online payments, payments by phone, credit cards, debit cards, e-checks, and bank checks and bank cards. They will also accept health insurance payments and their office staff will work directly with your insurance care provider to collect the payments for medical services provided to you. They make paying simple, easy and fast for their patients. If your medical problem cannot be treated with out-patient care services, these doctors have the authority to admit you for hospitalization in-patient services. After you have been admitted to the hospital, he will treat, run medical tests and prescribe medication for you.

If you have been experiencing problems with your health, seeing a doctor can greatly increase your chances for faster recovery and you will soon be back to your normal daily routine. Sometimes medical conditions can interfere with work. A family doctor can help you get back to work faster if you receive the right treatment and medication for your medical problem.

Top Travel Trends in 2010

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The holidays next year will be to a great extent affected by the economic recession most countries suffered this year. That however does not mean that people will not go on holiday, but that instead they will be more careful with how and on what they spend their money. Holiday makers will spend more time searching for great deals, such as exploring new travel destinations to find the best bargains and joining Online Travel Agencies (OTA) to gain good discounts. Below are some of the predicted top travel trends for the year 2010.

1 – Looking for budget options

Economical holidays will the key deciding factor this year, with holiday makers searching out the best budget details and discounts. Make sure when you plan your holiday this year, not to just go for what looks like the best rate, but hunt deeper for complementary give-aways, such as a free night’s stay on a multiple night stay, gift cards, spa credits, coupons and free dining etc.

2 – Eco Travel

Humans are slowly but steadily becoming more aware of their impact on nature. Think ‘green’ is the trend these days, with its effects being felt even by the travel industry. Most travelers look for Eco friendly holiday options, holidays that cause minimum damage to nature. Eco travel was born out of this need and is a continuing trend for 2010.

3- Mixing business with pleasure

The world is always on the go, with most travelers finding it more economical and viable to mix business with pleasure. Nowadays business travelers look for accommodation options that cater to all their business needs while providing leisure activities as well, so they can enjoy the best of both worlds.

4 – Latin adventure

Latin America is finding itself growing more and more popular with travelers as a luxury travel destination.

5 – Train Travel

Rail travel in Europe has grown popular, as this is an economical way of traveling while enjoying the wonderful scenery on the way. This has become even more popular with the new high speed rail links into Spain and Italy.

6- Going Mobile

With the growth of mobile applications and capabilities, it is now even easier to plan your travels, such as tracking flight information and planning itineraries. Mobile phones now play a very important role for travelers in helping them with their travel planning. They are used to receive information from travel agents etc and are fast proving to be invaluable to travelers.

7 – One platform for travel plans

With the busy schedules most of us have, it is easier to have one central platform from which to plan your travel details. This way you can keep track of everything happening in the travel industry, be up to date on the latest happenings and not just make one off purchases. The Internet offers strong travel centrist sites where such central services are offered, so that people can plan every aspect of their travels, from creating the trip, to searching for accommodation, getting advice about the intended trip, finding the best deals down to updating profiles so as to keep friends and family informed.

8 – Adventure Travel

The year 2010 will find people looking for holidays with more action. Most now look beyond the standard and look for adventure such as jumping out helicopters, skiing, safaris, bungee jumping as well as more personalized holidays with private tours of museums and art galleries. For the more adventurous a growing trend is to take a high-speed car tour around major cities!

9 – Seeking out new hot-spots

As with everything in this world trends change. As travelers expand their travel horizons, China, India and the Gulf States find themselves growing into the latest hot-spots. This trend will grow more in 2010 as travel to the ever popular European destinations at the moment for most, is not economical. So traveling to China, India and the Gulf States gives the traveler an exotic holiday while being easy on the purse, with favorable exchange rates and low travel costs.

Keeping It Casual – Adding Style to Casual Home Furniture

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Like a comfortable living space, but still want it to look stylish? There are many different ways to infuse interest into a casual home. First let’s look at what casual style elements are. Most casual rooms are comprised of clean simple lines and warm cozy textiles. Furniture colors tend to be warm and inviting, with fabrics in shades of chocolate browns, beiges, greens, and even reds covering pieces with large comfortable pillows that immediately make you feel at home.

Casual styles are great for families, easily creating that welcoming feeling that makes you want to sit and stay a while. With furniture that is designed to be used, casual looks are designed to be functional and long-lasting. Sofas, sectionals and oversized chairs with large comfortable cushions create a relaxing environment for everyone. Accent tables tend to also be oversized providing ample space for snacks or even dinner and a movie.

While casual furniture can sometimes be seen as simple, or one note, it is easy to incorporate other styles and pieces that create visual interest and style. Accessories can be creative and colorful, and include everything from artistically designed lamps, to furniture pieces that are bold and add a colorful contrast. While modern furniture is not always the best match in a casual room, other styles can easily be used to add a personal touch. Trendy options such as shelving and storage options now come cleverly disguised as tables or ottomans. Bookcase in interesting shapes and sizes also become discussion pieces, as well as places for family photos.

Another great way to update a casual room is by using slip covers to add an exciting pop of color to a chair or love seat. You can also work family heirlooms or antiques into a casual environment, the neutral furniture tones can create a backdrop that will really allow your treasured pieces to shine. You want to choose carefully to find pieces to enhance the space without adding too much color. One of the charms of a casual look is the simplicity of the furnishings and while adding small touches can enhance it, you still want your space to remain that warm, cozy place the family loves.

Casual furniture remains and will remain one of the most popular furniture styles, as everyone wants a nice comfortable place to come home to at the end of the day. But adding color, texture and some interesting pieces to your casual room, can enhance the style into one that is truly your own.

Buying Individual Health Insurance: 3 Essential Tips From a Health Insurance Specialist

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When you’re buying individual health insurance, you’ll probably get overwhelmed by the prices and options of health plans online. Health insurance is now one of the more expensive items in the budgets of many people, but it can also be one of the best decisions you make if you have some know-how selecting the right health plan for you and your family. Here I will give you the 3 Essential Tips that I advise my clients to use when purchasing individual health coverage.

Tip 1: Do not take health insurance advice from someone that is totally unqualified to give you this advice!!

I cannot stress this enough. It amazes me how many sensible people take advice about what health insurance to choose from people who are totally unqualified to give you this critical advice. For example, when I see health insurance messes, (which I see virtually every day) and I ask where they got their health plan information, I inevitably hear things like: “My brother-in- law told me to choose this health plan, he used to work at the hospital.” or “I read an article that says this is the best plan available.” And so on. Everyone’s got an opinion about what health plan you should choose. Just because they are your relative, or involved in some area of health care totally unrelated to insurance, does not mean they know the answers to your individual needs and questions! Work with an insurance specialist BEFORE the problems come up! You have no idea how many clients I have worked with come to me after they chose a health plan online and then have an insurance coverage issue and expect me to fix it, I want to tell them: you should have come to me for help before! Most insurance specialists get paid through insurance carriers, so their services are free to you. USE THEM!!

Tip 2: Determine your actual needs.

The three things to keep in mind when determining your needs are: budget, patterns of doctor and hospital visits, and prescription drug usage. Ask yourself these questions: How frequently do you visit your doctor? Do you go for checkups only or do you go for sick visits? How many times have you been in the hospital in the past 2 years? Do you take regular prescriptions? What are they? Generic or Brands? This is another area where most of my clients neglect. It is not possible to have maximum coverage in all of these areas in any affordable way, maximum coverage for the doctor and hospital plus prescriptions leaves a dent in the budget. However, most health insurance plans offer more than one version of the same plan. For example, say you have “health plan A” that offers maximum coverage for the doctor, maximum coverage for the hospital, and maximum coverage for your prescription drugs. But “health plan A” costs the same as your mortgage. The good news is “Health Plan A” most likely also has customization options, meaning if after analyzing your needs, you discover that you rarely visit a hospital, you could change “health plan A’ s” hospital coverage to moderate or even minimal which will bring down the premium a great deal. If these options are confusing to you, again, a health insurance specialist will be able to help you. They are already aware of “health plan A’ s” customization features and can match your needs to the appropriate version of “health plan A”. A health insurance specialist also has access to versions of health plans that aren’t available as options to the average consumer buying health insurance online.

Tip 3: Resist the urge to over-insure!!

After you’ve analyzed your needs, resist the urge to over-insure! One of the most common health insurance messes I see is over-insurance. People think that if they have maximum coverage for doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions, they have “good” insurance. The truth is, most people who will be approved for individual health insurance won’t need all this coverage. Two things I advise my clients to be aware of: Health Care Reform and Stop-Loss. First, Health Care Reform allows for preventive care services to be covered at 100%. For example, if you only get checkups, why enroll in the plan with 100% doctor’s visit coverage? Enroll in the plan with a lower premium and pay a $10 copay for your sick visit. The difference in premium with this small detail is $100’s of dollars! Furthermore, some of these “maximum coverage” health insurance plans exclude things like pregnancy. The last thing you want to do is pay a small fortune for “good” health insurance only to discover it won’t cover something you need it for! Second, most health insurance plans have a stop-loss built into them which basically states that when your out-of-pocket costs reach a certain amount, the plan will cover you at 100% for all services. And you don’t need the “maximum coverage” plan for this benefit. Your health insurance specialist can even customize this stop-loss amount!

Then, select your plan after following My 3 Essential Tips:

1. Do not take health insurance advice from someone unqualified to offer this advice. Seek a health insurance specialist, they have studied and are licensed to offer this advice and they’re free to you. USE THEM!!

2. Consider your actual needs. Ask yourself questions so you know what your specific health plan needs are, that way you can make sure you select a plan that meets them. After all, if you don’t know what you actually need in a plan, how will you know if you’ve come across the right fit?

3. Resist the urge to over-insure! Health Care Reform has changed how many plans work and you may be able to receive ample or superlative coverage without over-insuring. And most importantly, without the hefty premiums!

There you have it, online health insurance shoppers! I hope this was helpful!