Q: Inflation is an increase in the prices of goods and services, so it has an effect on your cost of living.  High inflation, for instance, often means an increase in food, utility, and gas prices. People tend to buy less during periods of high inflation because these periods mean higher prices. A wide range of factors determine the inflation of currency. In the U.S., the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics releases a monthly report following and calculating inflation. You can find a month-by-month breakdown of U.S. inflation rates for the past fifteen years here. To determine the effect inflation has on your increased salary, simply subtract the rate of inflation from the increase percentage you calculated in Part 1. For example, the average inflation rate in 2014 was 1.6%. Using the 11.1% increase rate calculated in Part 1, you would determine the effect of inflation on the raise like so: 11.1% - 1.6% = 9.5%. This means that once you take into account the inflated prices of standard goods and services, the increase is only worth an extra 9.5% because the money is worth 1.6% less than the previous year. In other words, it took on average 1.6% more money in 2014 to buy the same items as in 2013. Purchasing power refers to the comparative costs of goods and services over time. For instance, say you have the salary of $50,000 per year from Part 1. Now say that inflation stays at a flat 0% the year you get the raise, but rises 1.6% the following year without you receiving another raise. This means it will take you an additional 1.6% to purchase the same basic goods and services. 1.6% of $50,000 is equal to 0.016 x 50,000 = $800. Your overall purchasing power based on inflation actually decreased by $800 over the previous year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has an easy-to-use calculator for comparing purchasing power between years. You can find it at: http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
A: Understand inflation. Look up inflation. Subtract the inflation rate from your increase percentage. Relate the effect of inflation to purchasing power.

Q: When your sugar mixture turns cloudy, it needs to be replaced. Yeasts eat sugar, causing fermentation that could potentially harm a hummingbird.  A warm, sugary mixture is also a great place for mold and bacteria to grow. If possible, check your feeder every other day. Keeping an eye on your feeder will keep any harm from coming to the hummingbirds. If you find mold, mix ¼ cup of bleach in a gallon of water. Soak the feeder for an hour in this bleach mixture. Scrub any mold off and then rinse the feeder thoroughly before refilling it. Flush the feeder with hot tap water. Do not use soap--hummingbirds do not like the taste that soap leaves behind and will avoid your feeder if it has soap residue. Be aware that the amount of time you can leave hummingbird food outside depends on the temperature in which the feeder is hung in.  If temperatures are 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 26 C), change the food every 5 to 6 days. When temperatures are 81 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 30 C), change the food every 2 to 4 days. If the thermometer tops 91 degrees Fahrenheit (32 C), change the food daily.
A: Know that your food can cause harm if left to ferment or mold. Check your feeder for black mold as often as you can. Clean your feeder before your refill it. Change the food in the feeders regularly.

Q: In the material settings, select what kind of material you are using. This will dictate the settings of the laser. For, example if you are cutting wood, the pressure will be stronger than if you were cutting foam. Click on the print menu.  A preferences menu will pop up and ask you to choose the cutting method: raster or vector. If you are cutting your image press “vector print” and if you are engraving press “raster print”. Press print and watch your image come to life. Don’t move your material while it’s being cut, otherwise, the image components won’t line up. If you want to print multiple copies of the same item, replace the cut object with a new piece of material and press print again.
A: Select the material you are using. Select what type of cuts you are making. Press print.

Q: You can create an alternative outdoor litter box for cats by using a new or old sandbox that is at least as big as a large litter box. Fill it with soft, fine-grained sand (this can be bought by the bag at hardware and home supply stores), which cats find especially attractive. With luck, cats will be drawn to the sandbox instead of your garden and use it much as they would a litterbox.  Make sure to scoop the sandbox regularly; if it gets too full, cats may return to using your yard. Keep children away from the cat sandbox, and make sure they understand not to play in it. If you want to keep cats out of your garden, but don’t mind them being in other areas of your yard, then try making a cat-friendly area. Cats will be attracted to areas covered by certain plants, and hopefully leave the rest of your yard alone. Create a small plot and grow one or more of the following non-toxic plants in it:  Catnip (Nepeta cataria) Catmint (Nepeta mussinii) Cat thyme (Teucrium marum) Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) Spider-plant (Chlorophytum comosum) If you have a bird feeder near your garden, move it to another area of your yard that is further away. Ideally, you should hang the bird feeder in an area that is too high for a cat to jump to. Otherwise, a bird that visits for a meal might be in more danger than your garden ever was.
A:
Make a cat sandbox. Attract cats to a cat garden. Move your bird feeder.