INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Property owners will sometimes offer a little wiggle room on the price in order to fill open units. After touring a listing, act like you're interested but aren't sure you can come up with what they're asking. If you're lucky, you may be able to convince them to reduce the rate by a couple hundred dollars.  Suggest a specific amount by using phrases like "$1,900 is a little steep for me, but I could make $1,750 work." Try splitting the difference to land a better bargain. If an apartment is going for $2,200 and your target price is $2,000, they'll be more likely to meet you in the middle if you offer $1,800.  Even if your negotiation attempts don't pay off, they're worth a shot if it means saving you expenses. You won't always be able to talk the seller down. Just because they refuse to budge, however, doesn't mean you shouldn't take the offer, especially if it's in a good location, has all the features you need and is available immediately. More often than not, you should be prepared to pay what's being asked and not a penny less.  In some cases, market values may even continue to go up over time as demand for housing in the area increases. Think twice before dismissing a property that's only a few hundred dollars more than what you're looking to spend. Being stubborn will only cause you to end up without a place to live. If you're worried that you might not be able to afford the full rent on your own, consider moving in with a roommate to help you subsidize the cost of living. By sharing the financial responsibility with another person, you stand to cut your expenses in half, which can be a huge relief when it comes to living comfortably.  Interview potential roommates beforehand to determine whether or not you think the arrangement would work. Make sure your roommate(s) is also financially secure and has the proper documentation to move forward on a lease right away. Most people tend to move in the summer. As a result, this is when list prices will be highest. Waiting until the slow season when demand drops off is surefire way to score a more attractive offer. If you can hold out until the winter months, your patience will be rewarded with lower rates.  Start browsing new accommodations as early as May or June to get ahead of the game. One downside of waiting until winter to search for an apartment is that turnover is typically lower, which means fewer properties will be available.

SUMMARY: Try haggling for a discount. Be willing to settle on the list price. Find a roommate. Schedule your search for the end of the year.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: In addition to general cleaning, you can keep your epoxy floors in good shape by doing a deep cleaning about once every few months. In order to accomplish this, you may need to move some vehicles, tools, or other items out of your way. You have two good options to choose from: the first is a non-toxic, biodegradable cleanser (like Simple Green), and the second is ammonia. When prepared with the right amount of water, both of these cleansers are safe and effective for epoxy floors.  Mix 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) of Simple Green with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water. If you make an over-concentrated solution, it can leave a film on your floor. Mix 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) of ammonia with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of hot water. ard foam mop. Create a bucket of cleaning solution, as well as a bucket of plain hot water. Submerge your hard foam mop into your cleaning solution, ring it out, and then move it over your floor. Fill a bucket with clean warm water. Using your hard foam mop, go back over the floor with water in order to rinse off any detergent. When you're finished, dry the floor with a soft towel.

SUMMARY: Perform a deep cleaning every three months. Choose a cleaning solution.  with a hard foam mop. Rinse the floor.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: This includes the amount of money you will be investing or saving, the length of the term and the proposed interest rates. You may have several sets of variables if your intention is to compare alternatives. You will need to prepare a calculation for each alternative in order to complete your comparison. You will be entering the data from Step 1 into specific cells on the spreadsheet and then setting up formulas. Once the formulas are calculated you can easily evaluate many different alternatives.  Popular spreadsheet programs include Microsoft Excel and iWork Numbers. You can also find free spreadsheet applications online such as Google Docs or Zoho Sheet. You can expand the cell by clicking on the right line of the column number, A, B, or C, etc. (Arrows will then show that you can manipulate.) These labels are for your reference only. Convert the percent interest to a decimal by dividing it by 100. Leave cell B4 (Daily Interest) blank for now.  The interest rate is usually shown as an annual figure; it will need to be divided by 365 in order to reach the daily interest rate. For example, if your principal to invest is $10,000, and your savings account is offering .5 percent interest, you will enter "10000" in cell B1 and "=.005/365" in cell B2. The number of periods determines how long your investment will remain in the account untouched, except for the compounding interest that is added. You can use a sample term of one year, which will be entered in cell B3 as "365." Functions are special formulas offered by the spreadsheet designers to make your calculations easier. Do this by clicking first on cell B4 to select it and then by clicking inside the formula bar.  Type "=IPMT(B2,1,1,-B1)" in the formula bar. Press the Enter key. The daily interest earned on this account, for the first month, is $.1370 per day.

SUMMARY:
Gather the information needed to calculate interest. Launch a computer spreadsheet application to help you calculate interest. Assign labels in column A, rows 1-4, for the Principal, Interest Rate, Periods and Daily Interest. Enter the details for your specific transaction in column B, rows 1-3, to coincide with the labels. Create a function in cell B4 to calculate the annual interest as a daily amount.