Many artists do not see the importance in giving sales receipts to a customer when they purchase an artwork. The reasons for this vary, but three of the more common reasons are:

1. Its time consuming — Many artists are pushed for time due to other work commitments, family responsibilities or simply procrastination.

2. Paperwork is boring — Come-on, lets face it, many artists prefer to paint, draw or sculpt rather than complete paperwork. Unless payment is being withheld in exchange for a sales receipt, many artists would prefer to do something else.

3. Its not important — Many artists are only concerned about the creative side to their art and don’t appreciate the business side. However, purchase receipts are an important part of the selling process for both the seller and the buyer.

Those are three common reasons why many artists choose not to provide a sales receipt when selling artwork. So what are three reasons why they should give them to their customers?

1. It records the sale — Most artists sell artwork with the intention of making a profit. If this is the case you are liable to declare your income to the tax department. During an audit they will want to see evidence of your income which is easily done by showing your receipt book.

2. It records the customers purchase — A receipt will provide proof of ownership for the customer, give them details of the transaction, and confirm the value of the artwork at the time of purchase. It is often used for archival and/or insurance purposes.

3. It shows professionalism — This concept is very simple. If you conduct your art sales in a business like manner by providing adequate paperwork to support the sale, the customer will see you as a professional. There is no down-side to this. The more professional you are, the more integrity you will have as a successful artist.

We have covered three reasons why many artists don’t like to give sales receipts, and three reasons why they should. Here are three ways how to provide a sales receipt, along with some pros and cons for each method:

1. Use an accounting software package — If you have multiple sales and expenses you may want to consider purchasing some accounting software such as MYOB etc. Pros: It will calculate the tax and totals automatically. It will provide you with an accurate, easy way of tracking your income with unique receipt numbers and multiple reporting options. It looks professional and clean. Cons: It can be costly to set up. It takes initial training and some basic accounting knowledge to use the software adequately. It can be time consuming. Change any PC into a cash register with store manager point-of-sale for Windows and purchase an Epson receipt printer.

2. Print out a receipt on your computer — It is relatively easy to create a basic receipt in a word processing programme. Pros: They look clean and professional. You can save each receipt individually onto your hard-drive or onto disc. You can custom-make your receipt to suit your needs. Cons: You will need to give each receipt a unique number each time. If you want paper copies you need to print duplicate receipts and file them away. It takes longer to complete printed receipts than hand-written receipts.

3. Buy a receipt book — You can either buy a regular receipt book or one specially designed for artists. Pros: Each invoice is uniquely numbered. You will automatically get a duplicate copy which is retained inside the receipt book. They are pre-bounding making filing easy. They are extremely quick to complete. Buyers of original art value handwritten documents from the artists. Cons: Handwritten receipts cannot be stored electronically unless individually scanned into a computer. To complete accounting reports you need to manually key in the sales figures.

We have briefly discussed three reasons why artists choose not to provide sales receipts, provided three reasons why they should, and then gave three alternative ways of producing a receipt. As you can see, completing paperwork is an important part of the artistic process and with some careful choices you can make this relatively pain free. This allows you to get on with more exciting things - like creating artwork!

Every spring school children across America bring home notices about the upcoming Dove Family Film festivals. For approximately six weeks, selected movies are shown for free to children 12 and under and for only $2 for adults. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see some age appropriate family movies without denting the family budget.

However the Dove Foundation, who sponsors the film festivals, does so much more than offer free movies. The Foundation is a non-profit organization established to promote and support the creation, production and distribution of wholesome family entertainment. The Foundation, which doesn’t operate under commercial pressures, awards a blue and white Dove Seal to any movie or video that is rated “family-friendly” by its film review board. The review board is made up of parents who have been trained to evaluate each film or video based upon Judeo-Christian ethics. To date they have approved over 3,000 videos and movies.

That amount of R-rated movies that have been released since 1968 is staggering. Of all films released since then, 60% have been rated-R. Parents are fervently seeking high quality, wholesome entertainment options for their families. They don’t want their children exposed to all the unnecessary sex, violence and anti-family values that runs rampant at the movie theaters and on their own entertainment centers. Now, because of the Dove Foundation, there is a reliable indicator to identify movies that are safe for family viewing. The Dove Seal makes it easy for customers to recognize titles that are safe for family viewing.

In addition to the film festivals and the review board, the Foundation also has a Children’s Hospital Dove Movie Channel. The goal of this channel is to provide Dove-approved movies to hospitalized children. Day-time television is loaded with soap-operas and talk shows which are not geared toward the younger audiences. This Hospital Movie Channel is free to hospitals and provides a welcomed break for kids who have nothing to do all day long between treatments, therapies and surgeries.

Steve Allen, comedian, author, composer and former “Tonight Show” host says it best, “There is no doubt that our entire culture is experiencing a moral breakdown. People can get more family-friendly movies on film and television by supporting the Dove Foundation.”

Don’t forget to look for the blue and white Dove Seal of approval while browsing the video stores! Also, if you’re interested in reviewing the Dove evaluations for a particular movie, visit http://www.dove.org.

Mention the word “moving” and you’ll most likely receive a barrage of negative comments and opinions: “It’s a nightmare.” “My moving company held my items hostage and ripped me off.” “My friends all avoid me when it comes time to move.” “I hate moving!”

With careful planning and a little bit of advanced research, your move does not have to be a struggle. Follow these 7 steps to a smooth move.

STEP ONE - DO YOUR HOMEWORK

NEVER choose a moving company at random from the phone book. Instead, ask your family and friends for referrals. Which local moving companies have they used recently? Were they pleased with the service? Was the pricing fair?

Once you have a list of recommended movers, check to see if they are all registered with your state’s Department of Transportation. All reputable moving companies are registered with the DOT, and will have a current certificate of registration — you may also call your DOT to verify the registration.

Check with your local chapter of the Better Business Bureau to see if any of the movers on your list have complaints against them. If they do, read through the complaints to determine if there is a consistent pattern, or if the complaint was a one-time problem.

Armed with this information, trim your list down to the top three candidates and call each moving quotes. Make sure they give you a “binding” quote that cannot be adjusted up dramatically after the move is completed. Get these quotes in writing to protect yourself, and then make your choice based on the total price as well as your comfort level with each moving company’s customer service level.

STEP TWO - PACK CAREFULLY

If you pack in a careless manner - just tossing your things into boxes and then taping them shut - you can expect to find a lot of broken items at your destination. Take the time to wrap fragile items individually, pack them tightly together to avoid shifting during travel, and use quality boxes. Those used banana boxes from the supermarket aren’t going to protect your items as well as brand new shipping boxes purchased specifically for your move. Go ahead and spend the extra hundred dollars to pick up a nice collection of moving boxes from your local warehouse superstore — your belongings will thank you.

STEP THREE - LABEL EVERYTHING

Label each box with the room the items came from as well as the name of each major item inside. When you get to your new home you will be faced with a sea of boxes, and detailed labeling will save you hours of searching. Proper labeling will also help the moving company place your items in the proper room of your new home so you have less work to do after they leave.

STEP FOUR - EVERYTHING IMPORTANT STAYS WITH YOU

Do NOT pack medications, contact lenses, jewelry, laptop computers, passports, mortgage papers, or anything else that would cause you great distress if they were lost, stolen, or damaged. Keep all of these items together in a box or two that always travels with you in your vehicle - NOT on the moving truck. Include some bottled water, snacks, cell phones, and any other items you may need within arms reach. Your move will go much smoother with some careful forethought.

STEP FIVE - TRIM DOWN, SAVE MONEY

Moving is an excellent opportunity to trim down your belongings. As you pack, set aside the items you no longer use on a daily or weekly basis, including clothes that are worn or no longer fit. Sell everything you can at a garage sale and then donate the rest to charity. Do not just pack everything and tell yourself that you’ll sort through it at the new house - you’re paying for every box moved, so why move junk? You may find that the proceeds from your garage sale will cover the entire cost of the move!

STEP SIX - ACTIVATE UTILITIES IN ADVANCE

So your belongings are stacked neatly in your new home and you’re ready for a nice meal. You go to turn on the stove, but nothing happens! You forgot to get the utilities turned on! You make some calls with your trusty cell phone, but find out that it will take a couple of days to get everything turned up.

With proper planning, this will never happen to you. Call the phone company, the electric company, the cable company, etc. TWO WEEKS prior to your move-in date and get the process started. By the time you move in, everything will be in working order and your life will be a lot less hectic.

STEP SEVEN - SUPERVISE EVERYTHING

Always be on hand during the moving process - both during loading and unloading. Never assume that your instructions will be followed. Watch and direct your moving company on both ends of the process, and always make yourself available for any questions or problems that may arise. If you’re off doing other things, you may be in for a big surprise when you get back.

Also, make sure to tip your movers for a job well done. Tip each mover individually to insure that each of them is rewarded in direct proportion to the job they have performed. You should make it well know up front that you will be tipping based on speed, careful handling of your items, and careful treatment of the walls, paint, and floors of your new home.

If your moving company did a good job, keep a few of their business cards available for your friends to begin their own moving process.

Enjoy your new home!

It has become a sort of dilemma for most weight watchers to try different types of lose weight programs only to find themselves unsuccessful at every try. This has brought others to try more drastic measures to tackle their weight issues. Many individuals each year elect to have weight loss surgery. These types of surgery have given new life to those who previously found themselves trying all the different diet fads in the market and the best weight loss supplements.

Despite the success of weight loss surgery there are disadvantages to take into consideration. It pays to make informed decisions before jumping into extraordinary weight loss measures.

The most common procedure today involves making the individual’s stomach capacity smaller. When it takes someone much faster to feel the fullness of their stomach then their food intake is drastically lessened. The result is loss of weight due to smaller food intake and the effects are quick.

The benefits can be enormous. Troubles with high blood pressure and sugar levels are reduced. Exhaustion due to high body mass is also lessened. The main benefit would be a more secure sense of well being which could result to greater opportunities for social interaction.

Despite the benefits an individual still has to take into account that because of lower food intake one has to make sure that daily nutritional intake remains balanced. Like any other surgery, sufficient time is also needed for the body to recuperate and to adjust itself to it’s new condition. Other symptoms could include nausea and vomiting.

Medical tests are required to ascertain if surgery is possible for an individual. Surgery could have serious consequences if sufficient analysis has not been performed.

Individual lifestyle is also taken into account. If a person has not reacted favorably to weight loss programs the underlying reasons has to be analyzed. The mental health of the individual also needs to be tested. Does the patient have the mental agility and strength to meet worst outcomes?

It pays to attend seminars and to talk to other people who have undergone a similar surgery. Other weight loss centers actually ask patients to be involved in a weight loss program prior to be eligible for surgery. These are meant to allow you to be more at ease with what is to come.

While surgery provides a quick fix it is best to find out if such is the best option. A lengthy and open discussion with your doctor is always the best road to take when considering weight loss surgery.

Joining a fitness center is a big decision, mainly because of the cost involved. If you are like most people, you want to get the best value for your money. A lot of fitness centers will want you to sign contracts. These contracts may be very hard to get out of, so it is important that you are happy with the fitness center that you choose. This information will give you a few tips on how to choose the best fitness center for you.

The first thing to consider is what kind of workouts you want. Do you want to swim, do aerobics, weight train or have access to classes like Karate or Pilates? Once you decide on the type of workouts that you want, the next step is to look around. Do some research. Compare the fitness centers in your area to see what is available to you. The following is a list of things to consider when choosing a fitness center.

+ Check the overall cleanliness of the fitness equipment and the exercise areas. Ask the staff what measures are taken to disinfect equipment between uses. Diseases and fungal infection can be spread very easily on poorly disinfected surfaces.

+ How far is the fitness center from your home and your workplace? If it is clear across town, what are the odds that you will go often?

+ Take a tour of the facility during the times that you are likely to use it yourself. This will give you a good idea of the crowd that will be there.

+ Most places will give you a free pass to try out the facility. Take advantage of this and talk with the other members to get their feedback.

+ Check with your employer to see if you can receive a discount to a fitness center. Occasionally, health insurance companies will provide a discount also.

+ Another important point; know exactly what is in your contract before you sign it. Read it carefully and if you do not understand something, have someone on staff explain it to you.

What are the benefits of joining a fitness center compared to just working out at home? A fitness center will give you access to many different types of exercise equipment and should have professionals on hand to help you use it. There are also a variety of exercise programs you can join for a more structured weight loss plan. A very important point is that if you are paying for something, you are more likely to use it. Joining with a friend can even be a greater motivator. It is always more fun to workout with someone else, than by yourself.

The decision to join a fitness center is totally up to you. But if you are serious about wanting to get in shape and lose weight, it can be a good decision.