Category: Money and Finance

Karie Herring shares some of her money and finance tips and great consumer items. Her years in consumer finance and lending have afforded her the opportunity to be exposed to many environments.

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Breathe Easy Purolator Car Filter

Copyright of The Five Fish & CKH Enterprises

Automobile owners generally think of basic maintenance to the vehicle to consist of lube, oil, and filter replacement. By filter I mean the air filter that feeds air into the engine for better performance. What most car owners do not think of for basic maintenance is the intake filter in the cabin of the vehicle. Much like a homes intake filter for the central air unit, a vehicle has a cabin air filter to keep the air clean and fresh.

The Purolator Breathe Easy Car Filter is just the ticket for your vehicle’s cabin intake air system.

I received my Purolator Breathe Easy Car Filter and immediately began to read the instructions. The packaging indicated that the install would be rather simplistic. However upon reading the instructions I began to doubt the “ease” of this installation.

Copyright of The Five Fish & CKH Enterprises

Enlisting my husband who has been working on cars as long as he can drive he immediately began to dive in and reading the instructions thought to start disassembling my dash to reach the cabin air filter. Being a mom I had a gut feeling something was not right and that breaking any factory seals would be a strict “No-No” for this job. Furthermore, the product would not boast the ease of use installation as a selling point for this product.

So I did what any woman, girl, and or female would do and I snatched the Owner’s Manual from teh glvoe compartment and sought out in the index “cabin air filter.” VOILA, there was the entry and the picture page to help walk through what to do.

Copyright of The Five Fish & CKH Enterprises

The instructions indicated to start unlocking screws and clips in the instrument panel in order to access the air filter. Whereas the manual stated to push in two tabs in the GLOVE COMPARTMENT of my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan in order to access the air filter. Wouldn’t you know it, the installation took all of three minutes where the included instructions stated 28 minutes total installation time. As a busy mom, I don’t have that kind of time.

Copyright of The Five Fish & CKH Enterprises

Sadly I also saw how neglected my poor people mover has been treated due to my lack of knowledge about cabin air filters. Look at all the gray and black nastiness that is caught in this air filter. Clearly I have not touched this filter since the day my car was bought at the dealership. More so I am saddened that vehicle maintenance shops INCLUDING dealerships do not mention this awesome and inexpensive fix for better cabin quality while riding in the car. Imagine all the particulates and agitates in the air that wreak havoc on your allergies and overall breathing in the cabin. Especially if you are one who uses the re-circulate option on the air in the vehicle, just breathing in all the extra dirt that was NOT caught by the filter. I know that the product stands by it’s name with breathing easy now in my car and knowing my kids will breathe easier as well. Do not take my word for it, take out your owners manual and take a look at your filter yourself to see the difference and then replace to feel the breathing difference. You can find Purolator retailers on their site where the filters are offered at a variety of auto centers and general merchandise stores.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A SPONSORED POST ON BEHALF OF Purolator Air Filters,  I WAS COMPENSATED FOR MY TIME BY POSTING THIS INFORMATION AND IN NO WAY WERE MY PERSONAL VIEWS COMPROMISED OR ALTERED.
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Clorox2 The Stain Fighter

Recently I ran a post about monster stains in laundry. Having three kids I can attest to LOTS of monster stains. Two toddlers, boy and girl, and an eight year old boy are royalty of mess making. Clothing is made to be an extension of a napkin by all means; swipes of the mouth end up on sleeves, hands are stroked against pant legs or right across the chest of a great shirt, usually their hands are a carrier of some “sauce”. Needless to say stains are not uncommon in our laundry chores.

Shortly after my Monster of a Stain post, my demonic, beautiful and adorable daughter was treated to an organic fruit pop of sorts for dessert. It was strawberry or berry of some sort or it was just a mess of melted fruit pop because it was bright red and pink on her cute zebra print dress. The stain was striking against the black and white print. Her brand new dress I was worried would be stained permanently. Or so I thought.

I read the back of the Clorox2 bottle to see how to pretreat the stain so that I could have some chance to salvage her new dress that her grandmother had recently bought for her. Quite frankly it was adorable too so I was going to be as devastated as she if we could not eliminate the staining beast from the dress.

If you look at the dress it truly seemed as if there was no possible way any pretreatment, soaking, or bleaching could save this cute little dress from the rag bin. But I had faith and hoped for the best with her dress since she absolutely loves her fashion.

So I treated the stain and tossed it in for a wash with like colors. Tossed it in the dryer without inspecting whether the stain had come clean or not, again trying everything not to jinx myself.

The end result is pretty impressive and in no way what I expected by any stretch of the imagination. I pictured a dress with a stain outlined or faded lightly that was now maybe a light shade of orange splashed along the front. Instead I was presented with a dress that was free from color fading which can be experienced in pretreatment and a dress that has no resemblance of it’s former stained glory. No faded outlines of a stain, no remnants at all of a stain, I was ecstatic. My daughter was excited, to see her dress stain free and I was the laundry hero. If only she knew, without the help of Clorox2 and cold water I would have never been able to save the dress from her supping a fruit pop. What are your laundry products for fighting monster stains? Do you trust products like Clorox2? Do you use natural remedies like lemon juice or seltzer?

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A SPONSORED POST ON BEHALF OF CLOROX2,  I WAS COMPENSATED FOR MY TIME BY POSTING THIS INFORMATION AND IN NO WAY WERE MY PERSONAL VIEWS COMPROMISED OR ALTERED.

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Clorox 2 – How I fought & beat a monster of a stain

Laundry in my household is the bane of my existence. The. Bane. I loathe nothing more than to labor tirelessly in front of a washer and dryer, laundering clothes. But you can make the best of your laundry triumphs and struggles with Clorox2. Currently Clorox2 is holding a contest where you can share your best story that you and your family have shared. Anything from the worst grass stain from soccer, a dirty mud stain, a finicky blueberry stain for those fruit snackers in your family, or even an asphalt stain like we had in our household.

My son treats his clothing like a giant napkin. We have tried to “train” him to use napkins, but somehow everything ends up on his shoulder sleeves or his pants in the thigh area. Coupled with the fact that on this day we had to go to the store and I noticed his shoes were untied. Rather than bending down to tie them, he sat his duff right on the asphalt in the parking lot of the store, resulting in a nasty black stain.

I knew this stain could not be handled with just my regular laundry detergent and so I applied some Clorox2 to his khaki’s to get those stains out and have his pants back to their standard glory to wear once again without shame. Clorox2 has a family line of different products to meet all your laundry and stain fighting needs. Not just the liquid, but spray stain fighters, gel packs and more.

Which Clorox2 product did you use with your family? What was your monster of a stain?

Be sure to share your monster of a stain story and experience for a chance to enter to win play equipment for your backyard, athletic equipment for your child’s school, plus a one year supply of Clorox2 stain-fighting products so you can continue to fight the good fight against those monstrous stains! Contest ends April 20th, 2012, so head there now.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A SPONSORED POST ON BEHALF OF CLOROX2,  I WAS COMPENSATED FOR MY TIME BY POSTING THIS INFORMATION AND IN NO WAY WERE MY PERSONAL VIEWS COMPROMISED OR ALTERED.
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Bright Future International Empowering Young Women

My philanthropic heart is pulled in many directions for my many loves; cancer, family, alcoholism treatment and counseling, animals, children, and of course women. I am about supporting domestically and abroad especially when the support and interaction with an organization will have a global effect. Bright Future International does just this, impact on a global scale to instill vital human qualities. A not for profit that promotes humanity and supports children? Sign me up.

The vital human qualities: compassion, a feeling of self worth, humility, a desire to help others and social skills. These are the qualities that are not taught in conventional schools and are deficient in many societies. BFI finances a number of projects geared towards children’s after school education, bringing a solution for developing high moral and spiritual qualities in children. This is accomplished through selection of teachers and coordinators that possess such qualities themselves. (BFI, 2012)

The initiatives are tremendous and the Kenya enterprise resonated with me because of the young women they are empowering and helping to rebuild their lives. All I could think of with this initiative is the John Mayer song “Daughters,” where he mentions that daughters become mothers, so the tools they have in life will be passed on to their children. I am all about the support of stopping the cycle of abuse and empowering women and showing them the strongest gift of true, unconditional love, and self-esteem to share with their daughters and children. These virtues cannot be given in their current situation and Bright Future International gives them a support network and removes the cycle from their life.

I found all of this wonderful information just from Bright Future International’s Facebook page! You can read more and find more on their website, but visit Facebook to read about their three largest programs they are currently involved in and how just by clicking “Like” on their Facebook page BFI will donate $1 for each new like. That is the easiest donation to a not for profit EVER! What are some non-profits you support and why? Which are near and dear to your heart?

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central and Bright Future International. A small donation to Bright Future International was made in my name from Mom Central as a thank-you for participating.”

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E-Readers

Comparing e-book readers is much like comparing Ford to Chevy, apples to pears, cake and pie. While they are of the same family one simply is not better than the other. Each will provide features unique and individual to the other which may be more appealing based on the level of marketing generated to that market sect.

Personally I had no concept of the total number of e-book readers available on the market. Furthermore I was not aware that the iPad was even considered in this category due to it’s high functionality, minus the Flash issues that I will not digress into. But currently on the market over half dozen e-book readers are available including the new Kindle and each has their own options and or up-sell for the consumer. As a consumer I may not always be looking for the up-sell so I am looking for a product that will be functional, sturdy, and has a level of quality.

Not all e-readers are made the same and requires a bit of investigation. For example battery life. My hard or paperback book has an unlimited battery life, so if I am to invest in an e-reader that will take the place of my bounded pleasure of textual enjoyment, please be sure not to die on me in the climax of the book. Another key product consideration is the back light, if any, and the screen coloration. If an e-reader carries a screen like a computer this may not be so conducive for nighttime reading and may be harsh for my eyes, additionally I would not want an e-reader that is so dim I can only read during the day light hours. Functionality, will the functioning of the e-reader be more of a tablet much like the iPad or will it operate in a way that I no longer have to dog ear the page I was once at when I dozed off.

Whatever the case may be considering the most reliable and or functional e-reader is one that requires weighing the pros and cons before running off to purchase based on brand name and or familiarity. Consider and determine the pros and cons of each product along with price, maybe reach out to friends and or family for feedback, then purchase based on your educated information rather than the marketable influence.

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Mr Fish Speaks: Apple to the Rescue

Hello there bloggy world!

Karie has wanted me to write a post or two for some time now but, until now, I have not had the right inspiration. This is a follow up to this week’s Wordless Wednesday picture of my destroyed iPad. First let me explain what happened to the little guy. I was casually browsing iTunes for some old Pink Floyd I had just discovered was missing from my music library when I was hit with the motivation to rip the 100+ CDs Karie and I have collected over the last several years. Now these CDs are all in one box and really have not been touched due our extensive digital content, and due to this I had no idea how heavy the box was. So, realizing I would need both hands, I placed my iPad in the box and gave the box a clean and jerk motion to pick it up. As I was so graceful, my iPad was thrown from the box in a fluttery, flippy kind of way and impacted our hardwood floor from a peak height of about 6’. Needless to say, when it made contact with the floor it made a sound that could not be mistaken for anything else. In fact, it almost sounded like it yelled, “Nice going dumbass!” That of course could have been my own thoughts in my head.
So I told you all of that to tell you this…

Karie and I Googled what it would cost to repair the glass and found some people had posted on the Apple support forums talking about how their local Apple store had replaced and or repaired their iPads for free due to the same type of moronic carelessness. So, with hope in my heart and fully ready to admit my wrong doing, Karie and I set out to the Apple store in the Chandler Fashion Mall.

Once we arrived, the first thing I noticed was the literal sea of blue shirted employees. Most of who were 20 something tattooed, pierced, Generation X’ers but all looking very happy with their work environment. I was approached by what I can only call a maitre-de who exhibited genuine sorrow when I showed him the damage to my iPad. He then made me a tech appointment for 15 minutes later for their Genius bar to have my iPad diagnosed. Karie and I quietly waited our turn browsing the Mac’s and techy stuff we would love to max out my credit cards on. Our name was called and we meet with a tech named Eric who was very nice and seemed extremely knowledgeable regarding Apple products. I explained to him what happened and that I was hoping there was a ‘dumbass’ clause in their warranty he laughed and said that unfortunately there was not such a clause. Well, he started typing away at his computer and came back to me about five minutes later with,

“I have good new and some bad news. The good news is your iPad is still under warranty, the bad news is this isn’t covered under the standard warranty.”
I replied, “Well doesn’t that bad news kind of negate the good news?”
He laughed again and said, “Yes I guess it does, but there is more good news. I am going to cover it anyway as a onetime deal.”

I was FLOORED. I didn’t have to fight, argue, lie, or do anything sexual. They just covered it! He then explained that not only was he going to cover it, they were not going to fix it; they were going to replace it with a brand new unit. No mailing off my iPad and waiting 6-8 weeks to get it back repaired. It was as easy as just swapping it out. Of course, since it was an iPad 1 not a 2 he had to order it for me but 2 days later I have my brand new replacement.

So to close, I say, Great job Apple! Customer service like this doesn’t happen anymore and I for one will be voting for Apple with my dollars in the coming months and years.

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Broken Crayons Recycled

What to do with broken crayons? Our family is a waste not, want not type. More so the waste not because why throw out something that can be repaired or recycled. In our case we have about a gazillion broken crayons due to toddlers and children’s hands and who knows the reason why crayons break, but it happens. Unfortunately though these broken crayons became intertwined with those that are whole creating a crayon nightmare for my OCD. My project became how to reuse or what to do with broken crayons.

So one day I decided to embark on the great crayon rescue and clean up project. My kids have the Crayola crayon maker and to be honest I think it sucks, we used it and I was not impressed. I am glad I did not spend a great deal on it for Christmas one year, so that will be a yard sale item, and I suggest you do the same by not investing in this purchase. I digress. Any how, we sifted and sorted through the thousands of colors and crayons we have, removed the paper wrapping, and tossed into a bowl to break into smaller chunks.

When I saw that the Crayola contraption was lacking in effectiveness I resorted to creativity and ease. Here is how you can make your own cool shaped crayons at home here is all your need:

Non-stick or silicone muffin tin

I have these great silicone muffin tins from Wilton’s that I used for this project and created some really rad looking crayons for my three and a half year old twins and eight year old son that are great for them to grab onto with their little paws, are sturdy, and they are funky shaped and fun.

So I tossed in similar color family colors of crayons into each deposit spot and placed in the oven at about 250 degrees for roughly 20 minutes and watched them melt into the molds. I checked on them to ensure the wax did not bubble or boil as not to break down the way and mix the colors into an oblivion or brown and pure ugliness. Here is the end result and the kids love their new crayons and they are some fun, funky, sturdy crayons that are wonders for their imaginative coloring creations.broken crayons, recycled crayons, make new crayons

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The Alternative to Purchasing Textbooks

textbooks, text books, college books, college educationAs a much indebted college graduate I can share my woes of financial burden and hardship of my college years were spent wasting away in the words and higher learning’s of textbooks. The ever dreaded and might I add bank breaking textbook. Nowadays there are lots of options and alternatives to purchasing textbooks for money savings and recycling.

Much of my textbooks ran in the hundreds of dollars range or they ran into that range due to the fact that I had to have multiple books for the class. Luckily I took a similar class  line as my husband so we were able to share books, albeit some were a bit outdated yet the material was the same. I would shop feverishly to find low priced books or a way to NOT have to buy the books because now I have bookcases stuffed with college text I will probably not refer to again unless I am playing Trivial Pursuit with a gaggle of friends and we are adding alcoholic beverages to the playing lineup. Oh I digress.

However I was introduced to a fabulous website Campus Book Rentals and life saver for college students. Rent your textbooks, purchase at a reduced price and not only do you receive a smoking good deal but the organization supports one of my favorite not for profit organizations Operation Smile.  Campus Book Rentals has partnered with Operation Smile by donating over 1000 life saving cleft lip surgeries this year to children in need. So for every book that is rented a portion of the proceeds help fund Operation Smile.operation smile, cleft pallete repair, Talk about two for one with saving money on college textbooks, but your funds are further being used to support a great cause. Don’t just take my word for it, take a gander and try out Campus Book Rentals for more information on saving money while in college.

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Family Recession

The news has sensationalized and down played the truth and reality that is the economic recession. Her effects, downfalls, triumphs, gripes, and how the recession has affected this family amongst the many that struggle each day to survive, maintain their home and not live on the streets, in their cars, or worse.

Our family became afflicted by the recession when DH was laid off shortly after the twins were born. Luckily he had another job lined up before the layoff, however, this was a large reduction in pay. While a job, the position was a struggle and a struggle for our family as we had to learn to scale back when our family was expanding as were our expenses.

But as we began to get traction again, we had yet another blow and The Chad was impacted yet again, and after a few months of struggling we began to find some solid ground. Yet, as with any restless waters, we began to feel our ship sink again when another blow came to us just a few short months ago.

The recession has been a learning experience and has been a tried and true gauge of my testament of love and marriage. Stress levels seek all new highs and lows during a financial crisis. Emotional levels are taxed to their very limits. Evil lurks in the depths of one’s mind and they begin to question their own faith in love and marriage, they doubt their partner and their position in the union, and eventually you feel like checking out. But the truth that has withstood the seams coming apart at their ends is love, truth, family. Without those I know our family would have not been able to weather this storm, on a couple of occasions.

I find solace in knowing I am not alone, but the evil comes in and I feel shame. Shameful for reasons I am not sure about. Maybe because I feel I cannot provide for my children the way I want to. Maybe because I feel I need to be more accomplished for my family. Maybe for the lack of adult time The Chad and I get to share with one another. So I wonder where will life go from here. I wonder how many share in my stress, my concern, who have been impacted, who have survived, and with my wonder I find solace once more. I am at peace to know I am not alone, but also fear no confirmation of having others share in my experience.

Pity too I have become a story I read when I underwrite a file at work, I share in these strangers stories of loss, heartache, stress, and fear. I can sympathize and empathize all at once and I cannot help but to ponder how many of my blog brethren share in my situation. How we hide something so common, but yet we feel so shameful and I think of how many have experienced the recession and lost something even greater than just a job and income. How has life changed for you if at all? What losses have you experienced?

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Staycation – Retreat on a Budget

Admittedly the Southwest Airlines commercials speak to me. You know the slogan right? “Wanna get away?”

My rhetorical question in return is “Does the sun rise in the East?”

staycation, hotels, hotels.comAs a mother, adult, and former traveler extraordinaire, I love to get away. But who says you have to reach the far ends of the Earth, comb the beaches of the Caribbean or peruse the boutiques of Europe to consider being on a retreat or to enjoy a vacation. Let’s revisit the first word of this paragraph which will segue into my explanation for a retreat. Mother. Yes, I have child or children in my case, which can often cause a serious reduction in travel. Why? You ask. Well my main reason for a reduction in travel is due to the birth of my twins. You see traveling with two infants and the entourage of gear required for their care could be equivalent to a domestic safari of sorts. However, now that they have evolved into walking, talking, and may I add talking again, little people travel has become less cumbersome. Nonetheless difficult though when you are now the minority and children are the majority.

Additionally, taking trips sans kids can also be difficult. Finding adequate care takers and or family willing to assume your children for a day, week, or even a few hours can be a rather disheartening to the couple wishing to have adult relations outside of the home where they can once again enjoy the company of their date. I know the hubs and I daydream of what life was like without children when we traveled and literally those memories are now daydreams for us.

But we are not letting the days of whine and runny noses get us down! In fact, my mother was so kind to gift us for Christmas gift cards for a weekend or night away from home. When we opened the gift and read the note, the feeling was much like letting the crazies out of the asylum to run the streets for the night. We could taste sweet freedom once again. In fact we got so caught up in getting away we couldn’t decide where the hell to go!

Have no fear though, the hubs is a resourceful geek of sorts. Bless him for having a Hotels.com account where he has been booking almost all of his travels for business, since he travels every other week he has become a domestic expert of travel accommodations. When the time came for us to book our retreat away from the kids, we looked at all the local resorts and spas within the Phoenix metro and downtown area. Finally we found a resort, spa, and casino close to home and even better, the price was right! So the hubs booked us a night at the Radisson Ft. McDowell Resort and Casino.

I was leery to say the least since the resort’s casino was known for being less than favorable. However, after reviewing the beauty shots of the resort on Hotels.com I was put more at ease and looking forward to our night and almost half day away from the kids to reconnect. I was put at even more ease when I saw the total cost of our sans kids retreat. $89 a night! With a sleep number bed, hot meal where I wasn’t required to cut anyone’s food but my own, no fighting kids for my own bed and pillows, and no worries of who would drive home due to the fact we both had some juicy alcoholic beverages. We just walked from the resort’s restaurant to the elevator and then to our room, a most pleasant evening, to which we retreated to enjoy additional quiet time as adults, reconnecting. Furthermore, we got up early enough the next morning to drive home but detoured for some breakfast at a local cafe.

Needless to say I was stoked we were able to get away and even better, Hotels.com helped us to stay on and within our budget, but were able to stay in a five star resort all  the more. Have you ever thought about a stay-cation when you cannot always get away for an extended vacation? Do you have the same struggles of child care when wanting to go on a date night?