I think it isn't a terrible baseline but there is so much variability. I just built $250k (roughly) Permits - 3% (included water tap-in) Septic - 7% Roofing - 3% Siding - 3% (vinyl) HVAC - 4% Drywall -2% Floor - 5% Windows - 4% (but relatively very high for this house) Plumbing - 3% Foundation - 5% (pilings) I've spent 10% on others. So I think that is a pretty low number but not bad for basic house. So the numbers aren't terrible. I don't know who separates out "rough labor". The roof cost $7500 and that was labor included. Ditto with the siding. I definitely think the drywall is a little high. I've built with appliances at 1.5% and 5% so there is a lot of variability there. Cabinets (and tops) can also be more like 7% on a nicer home. But 4% isn't bad for basic stuff. These numbers are for a basic house, generally, and things like well, septic, permits, excavation are very local.

I used self-hypnosis when I was much younger. Below is some info I posted on another board. Didn't feel like re-writing so I'll just cut and paste here. ===========cut and paste begins here===================== I used self-hynposis many years ago and need to revive my techniques because I am way overweight. I was successful at losing weight because I did a fair amount of research and was careful how I wrote the scripts. That $95 price tag is relatively cheap compared to how much time you really need to put into creating one of these tapes. Requires a lot of thought. Everyone is different even to the extent that some people do better with scripts that utilize "I will ...." or "I am..." instead of "You will ..." or "you are...". I learned the second type of phrasing was better for me. One easy and powerful script for me was to list names of people that I had a lot of respect for (for one reason or another), better if they are people who knew me when I was thin. Then in my script, I would say " imagine meeting Jane Doe again now after all these years. Imagine how she will smile at you and tell you how wonderful you look once you achieve your goal weight (don't' want to be negative...). There were numerous other type scripts, too many to mention here but my point is that I think they are only effective if they are very very personal and buying tapes off a shelf aren't going to be that. I also learned that your brain starts tuning out the message after a month or so and so you need to make a new tape and use new scripts. This is a lot of work which is why I haven't kept up with it but I did lose 30 pounds a long time ago. Thanks for posting this thread. I really need to sit down and do the work to start churning out these scripts again. It is also lots of fun. You must be an introspective type person I think, otherwise it will probably be too boring for you to make these scripts and then take the time to listen to them. FYI - the tapes have a beginning which puts you under (many many ways to do this) a middle with lots of repetition, lots of relaxing comments, slow speech and an end where you need to wake yourself up. Many ways to do this last part also. About 20 minutes for all the real suggestions/substgance in the middle part is pretty good. Just thought I'd describe this since others might be interested. One of the most fun things was when I was just learning and the first time I put myself under. I told myself all the standard relaxinging things and then told myself that my arm was very very light and getting lighter, that it was starting to float, floating, etc. etc. and to my absolute amazement, my arm raised up seemingiy totally on its own. This is one method, I learned later that is often used by professionals. When you see this, it causes you to be in a deeper trance. (they say and that was my experience.) Probably after one does this kind of work, just reading the scripts/suggestions/substance without trying to go into a trance would do a lot of good too. LOL. But after trance, I would feel so relaxed, like I had slept for hours. (This is how I got thru school, listening to tapes like this every afternoon before going to my parttime job.) I don't think I would get that relaxed feeling just reading the script. --Alice At this point, someone posted that they had fallen asleep instead of waking up when listening to a hypnosis tape, so below is my response to that. I'm not sure. Probably some info on the web about it but I would think that if you really go to sleep and don't wake up at the end of the script, that it may mean that you really needed the sleep but may not be getting the real value of the scripts when you do that, just a guess on my part. I did fall asleep on occasion. That was when I started working more on the end of the script, spending more time on the waking up part. But I DEFINITELY AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL or expert on this but there are lots and lots of books on it. That's what I mean when I say this is a lot of work. It does take a fair amount of tweaking and thinking about the various aspects. But if you are into this kind of thing and don't just want a quick fix, can be quite interesting and I believe successful in helping you achieve changes. --Alice

Hi Theresa! Welcome! I hope to reach my goal by December 2006 so I understand about longterm goals. I've been shedding about a pound every 10 days or so by adding a lot more activity. I retired in January and that has helped me a lot. I used to have a desk job and was a workaholic on top of that so more than 40 hours per week. Add a long commute and I didn't have much time left over to have much of a life except relax so I could go back to work again. I've lost 25 pounds since January 2, 2004. Your questions: - How much have you increased your activity? A whole bunch on most days but I don't track it with regularity. I now have the luxury of gardening. Also, cleaning house can really be a workout and I didn't really have time to do this before. If you work at an office job, I think you may need to face reality and try to plan some type of regular physical activiy. This was something that probably really caused me to gain the most weight. I should have realized that some form of "working out" if I wasn't moving much on the job was absolutely necessary. I didn't want to believe that. Now I do. - How do you handle breakfast on the run? My breakfast is 1/2 to 1 cup of yoghurt (brand White Mountain which I have learned to love but didn't initially. This stuff helps your digestion also. I don't use the fat-free or low-fat stuff. I try to avoid artificial food whenever I can.) I also add 1 to 2 ripe avocados (depending on how hungry I am) along with my cup of yoghurt, I eat these with a spoon right out of their shell. It makes breakfast very quick and easy and almost gourmet since I love both of these. This can be portable if you put the yoghurt in a containter with a lid and don't leave it in the heat. This helps me to hit the ground running and I haven't gotten tired of it yet. Been having this breakfast (most days) since I retired in January . - Do any of you use Leanne's meal planner from FlyLady? Does it help? I have thought about Leanne's meal planner but haven't subscribed. I did try some of her test recipes and liked them. My husband and I are vegetarian so though she has options, it wasn't quite a good fit. Also, part of my retirement is trying to learn to cook good food largely from scratch where I can. I know everyone doesn't have this luxury. Sometimes I wonder if cooking from scratch has helped me lose weight? I've heard that smells can be very satifying. I find that I don't really over eat at the meals that I prepare, only ones that I eat when I go out to dinner in a restaurant. Strange? some significance there, I think. - Please tell me what keeps you going. I need to keep going too! I do feel so much better. And it is wonderful to see my weight on the scale drop. I'm going to have to be more rigid about things probably before too long but not having easy access to a vending machine like I did at work has helped tremendously. I love Snickers and haven't had one since January. I have prayed as has already been mentioned. Never hurts to pray, whatever your religion or meditate if you're not religious. I plan to do some regular swimming since I love that even if it is healthy. Find something you really enjoy so it will feel like you are pampering yourself even if it helps you lose weight. - How do you "unlearn" bad portion sizing? This is my toughest problem. I finish everything on my plate when I go to a restaurant. Restaurant portions are getting bigger and bigger, if I don't succeed losing all that I want to lose, this will be the reason. But one funny thing I have learned is that nuts really help me lose my appetite quickly. I have bought all kinds, brazil, walnut, cashew pieces, pecans and almonds. Not the salted kind and not peanuts since I itch and think I'm allergic to them (and they aren't really nuts but are "legumes"). Anyway, if I find myself wanting to eat something after I should be full, if I have a couple of handfuls of nuts, it seems to really help the ole "hypothalmus gland(sp?)" shut down. Mine seems to tell me I need to eat all the time unless I really struggle to counteract these messages. Raw is best if you can get them. I like the raw walnuts the best but I vary them because diversity is usually good in most things. I buy them at "Whole Foods" grocery, a health food store not too far away. Walnuts are also supposed to help lower cholestoral. Even though their calorie count isn't that low, I highly recommend. I seem to lose weight on those days I eat the most nuts, strange... Another trick I've found is that a piece of fruit about 30 minutes or an hour before dinner will keep back the munchies really really well for just the right amount of time. Otherwise, I may eat too large of a "snack" and then eat dinner too which is just too many calories. Also, I try to keep from becoming famished because terrible things happen when I do. Bananas are a real treat and I've eaten two of them before to keep from eating unhealthy. I try to always have bananas around since they are such a treat, even though they are one of those fruits you are supposed to be careful of. Much healthier than ice cream and they don't seem to be as addictive to me as snickers :). Sounds like you don't have as much to lose as I do. All I can say is please, please take care of it now. It is so much worse if you let it continue. Have as your goal to quit gaining at least. Then worry about losing. Don't bury your head in the sand like I did. But also don't beat yourself up. It seems like the easier I take this, the better I feel and am not so negative about this losing weight thing. I'm also taking a bunch of vitamins. Not sure how they affect losing weight. One supplement I take that may be related, I think, is Chromium Picolinate. (not positive so I don't want to get into a serious discussion on which vitamins are best:) Everyone is different of course. Hope that some of my personal information can help you. Bottom line, take care of yourself, nurture yourself as best you can and I think it will help you hang in there for the long haul. --Alice

CatherineT -- You're soooooo right about carbs being soooooooo good! They are my downfall. I've considered trying a lo-carb plan for a while (South Beach) but I am reluctant because it became such a fad. I know some people who went from eating a steady stream of refined sugars (sweets, white bread, etc.) all day long to avoiding almost every carb including whole grain breads and fruits which contain fiber and minerals and vitamins. That's throwing out the baby with the bathwater! Sure, they lost a lot of weight fast without needing to exercise, but they could have accomplished the same goal by cutting out the refined sugars only which is a lot more sensible and healthy. Eliminating healthy foods just because it has any carbs at all is not healthy eating if the only goal is to lose weight. Anyway... didn't mean to get on my soapbox about that, I'm just explaining why I shy away from any lo-carb "diet". I'd rather eat lower carb, eliminating the sweet snacks and desserts while also getting daily exercise. But, they're soooooooooooo good! 8-)