Many credit cards offer a low APR for 12-18 months if you transfer a balance onto them. Generally, you need good credit to qualify—often a credit score over 700. When you transfer, you might pay only a small transfer fee, around 4% of the amount transferred.  You can find offers for balance transfer cards online. Visit websites such as NerdWallet or Credit.com to compare offers. You might already have a balance transfer card. Check your statements. You’ll only come out ahead if you can pay off your debts before the 0% APR period ends. If you can’t, then the interest rate will zoom up, often over 15%, which will cost you a lot of money. The interest rate on a personal loan will be lower than 15%, so avoid using a balance transfer unless you can pay everything off early. Transferring is easy. You simply tell the credit card company the account you want transferred and the amount. The amount should show up on your next statement. The 0% APR is only good if you make monthly payments in full and on time. If you don’t, then you’ll lose the introductory rate and probably pay penalties and fees on top of it. Set payment reminders, if necessary. For example, many credit card companies will send a text or an email reminder. You’ll have an easier time paying your bills if you create a budget and stop spending. Some people see that their monthly payments are low, so they spend even more. Avoid this.
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One-sentence summary -- Check if you qualify for a balance transfer card. Avoid transferring large amounts. Complete the balance transfer. Pay your bills on time.


The most important thing is that you keep drawing. Try to avoid falling into the trap of getting really into the activity for a few weeks and then tailing off. Make it a part of your daily routine. Maybe it’s in the morning right after you get up. You can try to draw scenes from your dreams, and it’s a really relaxing way to start the morning. Maybe you prefer drawing in the evening before you go to bed. Whatever works, but choosing a time will help make establishing a routine easier. It’s important to spend a decent amount of time drawing. Keep looking for new exercises and things to draw so you avoid getting bored. The more time you commit the better you’ll be in the end.
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One-sentence summary -- Stay consistent. Choose a time every day when you draw. Draw for 20 or 30 minutes each session.


Kitchen countertops especially can have years of buildup on them, especially if they’re near the stove. Use kitchen cleaner to scrub the countertop free of all dirt, grime, oil, and grease. After you clean it, allow the countertop to completely dry before beginning the painting process.  You can use a kitchen cleaner, or a combination of dish detergent and water, to clean your countertop. However, don’t use an ammonia-based cleaning solution if your countertop is made of granite or laminate. If you want to take extra care in making your countertop ready to paint, you can also sand it with medium-grit sandpaper before you clean it. Your countertop probably won’t need more than an hour to completely dry. Place the painter’s tape on any trim, walls, or cabinets around your countertops that might have paint dripped on them or be accidentally brushed by your paint roller. Expending the effort on this preparation will save you a lot of time and aggravation on touch-ups and cleanups after you refinish the countertops. If you’re painting kitchen countertops, you will especially want to tape off the kitchen sink and the backsplash. As with any painting job, painting your countertops carries the risk of accidentally dripping or spilling paint on the floor, so laying down drop cloths is very important. Be sure to tape down the drop cloths with painter’s tape to avoid displacing them when you walk on them. If you have any old bedsheets that you don’t want anymore, consider repurposing them as convenient (and free) drop cloths! Open any and all windows in the room and turn on some fans to ensure you have proper ventilation. This will be especially important when you prime the countertop, since most primers (and many paints) have a very strong odor that could linger in your house for days.  If you have a box fan, place it in a window pointing outside to suck the fumes out of the room as you paint. For maximum safety, consider wearing a respirator as well.
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One-sentence summary -- Use a cleaning solution to clean your countertop, then let it dry. Cover any areas that you don’t want painted with painter’s tape. Lay down drop cloths to protect your floors. Make sure the room you’re working in is well ventilated.


Physically unplug the phone and the cord from the wall. Go to one of your other phones and check that it has a dial tone. If none of the phones in your house have a dial tone, see the next section. Remove the working phone and it's cord from the jack. Plug the phone that wasn't working into the same jack that the working phone was using. Use the same cord that the non-working phone used. If the phone has a dial tone after being plugged in, then the original wall jack is the culprit. If the phone still doesn't have a dial tone, then the phone itself is likely broken, or the cord isn't working. Before writing off the phone, try the working cord from the phone that did have a dial tone. If this gets your original phone working, then the problem was a faulty cord, which can easily be replaced. If this doesn't work, then you'll need a new phone. If the phone works on the other jack, then the original phone jack is likely faulty. Most carriers will not pay to repair this, which means you'll need to either fix it yourself or pay for a technician to come and check the wiring. See Install a Residential Telephone Jack for a comprehensive guide on replacing and rewiring a phone jack.
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One-sentence summary --
Unplug the phone that doesn't work. Find a phone in the house that works. Unplug the working phone and cord. Plug in the phone that wasn't working. Check for a dial tone. Try a different phone cord. Consider repairing the wall jack.