If you run a home based business, it can be confusing what deductions you can claim as business expenses. Thinking about an IRS audit can be scary. If you follow these guidelines, you can deduct legitimate expenses from your income.

1.  Your Home Office

This does not mean that you can count the family room if you write articles while watching television. What it means is that you must have a space that is designated as your home office, and used for no other purpose. It does not have to be an entire room; it can even be a section of the family room. The basic rule is that it should be obvious to anyone that it is your office.

If you measure the square footage of your office and divide it by the total square footage of your home, you will know the percentage that you can deduct from utilities and other home expenses.

2.  Auto Expenses

If you use your car for business travel, you can count mileage and parking costs. You will have to track and maintain a separate record of these expenses.

If you are like most people you have dozens of apps on your iPhone or Android phone. You may not use many or even realize that they exist. If one of your resolutions is to be more organized, you can start with your phone apps.

Figure Out What You Use

You have two options here. Either you can delete all your apps and start over, or sort through them and delete the ones you don’t use. If you have a lot of apps, it may be easier to start from scratch. Either way, make a list of the apps you need with your phone and install only those.

Don’t keep two apps for the same purpose. If you have more than one music player on your phone, decide which one you like best and use that one. The same goes for other apps; only keep the ones you use. If there is something you like about both apps, try to find another one that combines the features.

You may want to check with your insurance company to find out what changes are coming your way. Homeowners are seeing a 4 to 8 percent increase in their rates depending on their policy. Insurance companies have been seeking, and winning, rate increase approval in states around the nation. Even people who have never made a claim on their insurance are seeing an increase in their rates.

There are two main reasons why insurance rates continue to rise. Devastating weather events and insurance fraud (like roofing scams) have hit cash reserves hard and insurance companies are now looking to make up the difference. The weather you heard about in last year’s news may cause a problem this year, too. In 2011, there were more federal disaster declarations than there have ever been—99 cases to be exact. Disasters ranged from the February blizzards, the tornado in Joplin, Hurricane Irene, wildfires, flooding, and 646 tornadoes. Between January and September, the insured losses totaled $32.6 billion. The Insurance Information Institute reports that this is about double the average. This means that insurers have to pay out approximately $1.85 for every dollar they make.

Insurance frauds are another problem. Sometimes homeowners themselves make faulty claims that raise the rates for everybody. However, such claims are often not the fault of homeowners. States that do not require their contractors to be licensed are seeing an especially high number of fraudulent claims. A roofer, who became a roofer yesterday, may offer to inspect a roof after a storm, and then cause damage in order to make a claim and get money. When this happens, insurers have to pay out money, and then recoup their losses. This can be troublesome for everybody.

Creating a Super Bowl party that is easy and enjoyable will allow you to join in the fun and watch the game. You can plan the ultimate Super Bowl party with these tips.

Invite a Fun Group

Great parties have a nice group of excited football enthusiasts rooting for their favorite teams and players. You will want to decide how many people can comfortably fit in your house, and what kind of group you want to have. Including people from all areas of your life (friends, family, and co-workers) is a little like your own football team—a great group coming together with the purpose of cheering for your favorite team. Include all the vital information on an invitation or evite, and encourage guests to dress comfortably and wear team colors.

Use Multiple TVs

The best decorations at a Super Bowl party are TVs. If you have a couple of smaller TVs, station them strategically around the house, such as in the living room, family room, kitchen, the kid’s playroom, or even the bathroom. This will prevent those “What did I miss?” moments.