Keyshia Cole recently announced that she has cut ties with her mother and sister.

When Keyshia was younger she moved in with her foster mother, but met up with her biological mother further down the line. Along Keyshia’s journey to r’n'b success, her biological family hopped on the gravy train and rode with her whether she liked it or not.

Now Keyshia is expecting a boy with her fiance this year, enough is enough. She has dropped the dead weight, her mother and sister, and moved on with her new family.

GOOD!

I wish Michael Jackson had done the same thing many decades ago! Funding his siblings ventures and bailing them out of trouble pushed him further into debt. It’s bad enough owing hundreds of millions to strangers, but when you have to support your family (his parents, siblings, and their children too), things have gone to far.

Don’t get me wrong. You should help others, especially family, but you must know when to drop the dead weight! When you help someone, you should step away over time, not baby them even more. NO ONE should use you and the dedication you’ve put into succeeding. No one, not even your family. If they really love you, they’ll understand.

You know how some women get with a man they know is bad news. He has kids with half the community, relies on benefits instead of getting a job, wants his girlfriends to cook, clean and wipe his backside because he says so, and has no aspirations in life besides watching TV and surfing the internet.

He still attracts women…Why? Because there is always a stupid woman willing to believe that she will be different from the rest. She will change him.

Now these ignorance is spreading beyond relationships and into music.

Last year, Amerie fans went into a panic. Their favourite singer had signed with Def Jam, a record label known for projecting Rihanna into stardom at the expense of other artists. Amerie said things were control. The music was being released under her sub-division of the label, they had chosen the singles already and videos were on the horizon. This was a definite step-up from a few years ago when her album Because I Love It was not released at all in America.

Then it went downhill. Her TV promotion was few and far between, her digital release was messed up, she ended up funding the rest of the videos herself, and the album sales have been poor. Meanwhile Rihanna’s schedule continued on without a hitch, and she got a ‘buzz single’ video just for the sake of it.

Now this horrible process may happen all over again with an up and coming starlet Tiffany Evans. The ‘problem’…her manager is Matthew Knowles.

Matthew is known for launching Destiny’s Child and Beyonce into superstardom, but what about his other major success stories? Zilch. Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Sunshine Anderson, and others have been left on the wayside whilst Beyonce builds her empire. Last year, Kelly left Knowles’ management and her solo career went further in 12 months than it had in 7 years with Matthew. With him she’d get a few performances, but in 2009 she cameoed in a video, her vocals featured on two international hits, Be Gentle and When Love Takes Over, did many fashion spreads, and worked with the top producers  and songwriters Matthew had never brought her.

Will Tiffany change him? What makes her think that Matthew will treat her like his  own daughters? After one flop, she can’t afford another one. For her career’s sake, I hope Matthew Knowles has changed.

Do you need extra money for the new year? If so, read below…

Ever heard of weekday renting?

If you want some extra money to top up your savings, but still want/need your privacy on the weekends, weekday renting is for you. Instead of having tenants seven days a week, they only stay from Monday to Friday. With your permission, they may leave their possessions in your house over the weekend. You take a deposit, and may supply bedding, meals, etc.

Why would someone require  a room for just a week?

It would be ideal if we all lived on our workplace’s doorstep, but many people spend hours travelling to and fro each day for their job. Instead of sitting in traffic, they could spend the extra time doing work at home or enjoying more free time without the stressful rush hour. On Friday evening, they can return home and family.

I want to rent my spare room. Why not go for a few months or year-long tenancy?

Another Weekday Renting perk is that the person only stays for a few weeks, if that. If you realise that you dislike the idea of renting, it would be easy to endure it for another week or two than an entire year. Also, if you want to lounge about in your pyjamas, underwear or absolutely naked on the weekends then you still can!

How much should I charge?

Only you can determine that. Go online and search for what tenants are paying for rooms in your neighbourhood. Factor in the quality of houses and what they provide with the rent e.g. water, internet, gardening, etc. When you have found somewhere similar to yours, deduct the eight days rent you lose on the weekends and divide it by four. There is the price you should aim to charge for each week.

How do I organise this?

You could advertise on internet listings if you are prepared to do the leg work, but if you want an easier life then go through tenancy/landlord websites. Click here to see one that specialises in weekday renting- please note that I am not getting paid or asked to refer you there. I have never used their service, so I cannot review them. If you do use them, please leave a comment about them below.

I want to do this…Where do I start?

Shop around for the best and/or cheapest place to advertise your room. Get as many reviews as you can BEFORE you hand over any money. Now you need to give your property a makeover. It does have to be expensive. Remember that people usually treat others’ property worse than they treat their own, so there is no point in buying expensive, designer goods that may be misused or broken. Do not blow your budget! If you need someone to review your room/property- in person if you live in England and through emails if you live elsewhere- then contact me at Affordable Renovation. I will give you a special HBQ discount for my Interior Decorator expertise if you mention this website sent you.

When you have prepared your property to the best standard you possibly can, and gotten unbiased reviews/opinions from honest people such as myself, now is the time to take pictures. There is no need to take professional photographs- your tenants are not buying the place, just staying for a week or so- but please do if you can afford it. Take pictures on sunny days with good lighting, and prepare tidy, staged (bedcovers, desk area, etc, just to show how the property should be used) rooms.

Upload the pictures to the internet/website you are finding tenants through, and SELL the place! Mention positives like local transportation, utilities included in the rent, peaceful street, nearest sights/landmarks, and everything else that is great about your town. Also inform them about important information like any pets you have, the noise level you prefer, and other details they may have a problem with. BE HONEST or there may be feuds later on…