Find an empty two litre plastic bottle from your recyclables. You can also buy a two litre bottle of soda from your local supermarket or corner store and empty it out. Make sure that it is completely empty and dry of its contents before using. Cut a consistent diameter by carefully positioning masking tape a quarter of the way down around the bottle to create a horizontal line. Use sharp scissors to cut the bottle at the masking tape. You want the diameter to be consistent. Remove the top of the bottle and invert it to fit upside down over the bottom of the bottle like a funnel. Use paperclips to hold the two halves snugly together. If there is a heavy downpour, you will need to make sure your rain gauge does not come apart. Find an adequate location to collect rain. You don’t want to place the gauge close to a high traffic area where it could get knocked over. Avoid placing it near buildings or trees where a change in wind direction could prevent any rain from falling into the gauge. Keep it upright by placing it in a bucket or container. You may also dig a hole for the gauge to stand about halfway in. Remove the gauge from its location at the prescribed time every day and take your measurement. Pour the collected rain into a measuring cylinder. Be careful not to spill any water.  For example, your measuring cylinder may be measuring in cm so if you have collected rain for one week and the water you pour in from your rain gauge reaches the 10 cm mark on your measuring cylinder, you can ascertain that roughly 10 cm of rain has fallen during the week. Compare your daily measurements. Using a pen and paper, record your findings every day at the exact same time of day to give you an accurate comparison. Most soda bottles are uneven at the bottom. Before you measure any rain, use a ruler to measure how much liquid fills the uneven bottom. Subtract this small amount from your final findings. Compare the amount of rain you gather to the length of time it takes to reach this amount. For example, how many days will it take to rain 15 cm. You can also compare the rainfall from month to month, week to week, or day to day. You may even graph your results to see the changes as the season progresses into the next. You may also compare your findings with the wind speed, wind direction, or air pressure. Be sure to always replace your gauge at the same location.
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One-sentence summary -- Get a plastic bottle. Cut off the top. Invert the top of the bottle. Place your rain gauge. Measure your findings. Account for an uneven bottle. Analyze your results.


If you do not already have both a checking and a savings account, open one of each at a local bank or credit union. To choose a bank or credit union:  Compare the interest rates and fees of all financial institutions between your residence and place of employment, or if you are unemployed, within 10–15 miles (24.1 km) of your home. Consider the various services each bank provides and the likelihood you will want or need each of them. A bank with many different services you will never use may not be the best choice for you. Talk to friends and family members about their banking institution. Find out if they are happy with the interest rate, minimum deposit requirements, fees, and service they receive, and if they would recommend that you use the same institution. Unlike a debit card that directly draws money from your bank account, a credit card allows you to borrow money and pay it over time. This is the easiest way to start rebuilding credit. A secured credit card involves giving the bank money (say $500), and then the bank gives you credit in that amount. Secured credit cards are typically offered through banks, although some credit card companies like Discover also offer secured credit cards.   Start with around $500. As your credit improves, ask the bank if you can slowly start raising the limit. Be wary of anyone that asks you for outrageous start-up fees (some places try to charge up to $200) or for you to call a 1-900 number that will charge you money. Some lenders specifically seek out recently filed bankruptcies since they cannot seek court protection again for seven years. Don't open more than one or two accounts. Be sure to ask if your transactions will be reported to all three major credit bureaus. You want them to see that you're paying off your debts so your score can begin to improve. Know that some banks might force you to wait for a year after you've filed bankruptcy to get a secured card. If that's the case, focus on building up your savings in the meantime. Get a secured card at a bank you want to continue to use for awhile. You'll eventually want to ask if you can switch to an unsecured card with the same bank, so choose wisely. When you're back on track with a secured card, you can try applying for a retail or gas credit card. This is important to improving credit, because one aspect of your credit score is "types of credit in use." By using different types of credit, you improve your credit score. Keep these points in mind when you're looking into it:  Make sure your transactions will be reported to all three credit bureaus. Remember, the point of all this is for them to see you being responsible with your money. Avoid huge start-up fees. Try to get a card at a store where you won't be tempted to go on a shopping spree. Gas cards are a good idea because gas is a necessary expense you won't be tempted to splurge on. Try to avoid department stores that might tempt you with expensive items that are out of your price range. Along with retail and gas cards (which are typically accessible to people with poor credit), eventually adding other types of credit can go a long way to improve your credit rating. These other types of credit include installment loans (like a line of credit, or car loan) or mortgages. If you do not already have loans in these categories, it is very wise to wait at least two years after bankruptcy to consider a car loan, mortgage, or line of credit. You might have heard that carrying a balance is great for your credit score, but that's not necessarily true. Especially if you have bad credit, the credit bureaus want to see that you're capable of paying off the balance as often as necessary. Keep in mind that 35 percent of your credit score is payment history, so paying bills on-time and in-full will quickly build your credit. As mentioned earlier, 35 percent of your credit score is payment history. Another 30 percent is amounts owed. This is calculated by looking at how much you owe relative to how much credit you have available. When you close accounts, your total credit limit decreases, which lowers your credit score. If you feel you can't control the urge to spend on a particular account, destroy your card. Remember, finance companies exist to make a profit. Instead of being swayed by debt consolidation offers, focus on maintaining your budget, putting money into savings, and slowly building up the limit on your secured card or retail card. If you've successfully managed a secured card for more than 12 months, consider asking your bank if you can switch over to an unsecured card. Most banks will agree to letting you have a low-limit unsecured card after 12 to 24 months. Keep the same mentality you had with the secured card. Avoid spending money you don't have on the unsecured card so that you can keep yourself from sliding into bankruptcy again.
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One-sentence summary --
Open a new checking and savings account. Get a secured credit card. Get a retail or gas credit card. Pay off your balance every month. Avoid closing accounts. Avoid finance companies. Ask when you can upgrade to an unsecured card.