GR8TR Today Magazine

Living a GR8TR Life Every Day

Staff Writer

Is Your Car Well Protected by Insurance?

Everyone in Ohio is required by law to have insurance coverage, but not everyone has, or if they have insurance they may not have enough.

If you have a pretty decent insurance company, you and your car are protected if you are ever in an automobile accident, regardless whose fault it is.

But do you know what you have? And do you know if you have sufficient coverage? Have you checked the insurance coverage policy lately?  Most people that have insurance coverage rarely look into it if they don’t have to. We shop around for the company to insure us and after that, rarely bother to check if that insurance company is still offering the best deal.

What are insurance companies offering us? It depends of course on your car coverage.  Do you have a brand new car or a car that is a few years old?

Car Insurance companies can give you many discounts depending on what car you drive, the age of drivers and whether you have children with good grades. Some of the discounts may even surprise you. Here is a list:

  1. Number of cars you are insuring with them
  2. Whether you belong to a partnership organization-There are many that you probably already belong to and can get you a discount when insuring your car
  3. Good student — a 3.0 student can give you a discount that if not substantial, it helps with the total ticket
  4. Driving Experience-It matters whether you have been driving for a year or a decade, so make sure you include that information
  5. Anti-Theft devices and Anti-lock brakes can give you a discount when insuring your car, plus they keep you and your car safe.

If you already have an insurance company, why not check to see if it still relevant? Have anything change in the last six months?  Checking offers and quotes from different companies is good for your wallet. There are many companies that do not include medical payments in your policy or even roadside assistant even when you think those are automatic items in your policy.

A few minutes of your time and doing a bit of due diligence can save you money and headaches down the road.

How To Help Your Kids With Math

Do you have children that are struggling with math at school?  Don’t worry, you are not alone. In a recent study done by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) which measures reading, science and math ability between 15-year-olds from 71 developed and developing countries, children in the United States ranked 38th in math and 24th in science.

Among its peers, the United States spends more in education than those at the top, and the results are clearly nothing to brag about. Our children are falling behind.

So, clearly, we need to do something about it.  Where to start though?  Most schools in this country are not doing a good job teaching science, math or technology- the results speak for themselves- as parents, we have left the teaching of these important subjects to the schools for too long without expecting accountability.  Our children are failing math and passing to the next grade without mastering the basic of algebra, trigonometry or calculus. By the time college looms near, math is a subject most teens in this country dread about. They are getting accepted into college and put into remedial math they should have learned during junior and high school.

If you google “math help” on your computer, you will get about 251,000,000 results in less than a second. Will that help? Doubtful.  You can spend days going through all the sites to see which ones offer math for free, which ones are worth paying for, or which ones will give you good math advice.

If your child goes to school, does he/she have a math book?  Do you understand where they are in the book, or what they are learning? Would you like to do some math with your child during breaks, or the weekend?

Is your school doing student surveys to see when they are struggling?

If your child is falling behind in math, and you want to help them, start small. You can start by spending 10 to 15 minutes a day explaining a topic and asking them to solve some problems.  If you don’t know where to start, test them to see where the starting point is for them. Here is a link that will provide you with a very simple assessment of where your child should start. The information is all there, you just need to print it.

Pupil in elementary geography class

Before I continue, I need to tell you I am not getting paid for promoting this site, nor am I required to promote it.  This is a personal preference. My family has used Saxon Math for many years, and although is a bit intense because of the amount of work we need to do, the results are worth it.

After you have administered this test, you will have the results and the option to start at that point.  For Saxon math, the beginning of the books are always very easy because they are reviewing the material from the previous grade, but as you progress, the difficulty becomes much more challenging.

Online math sites are good if you want to go that way.  But be choosy, remember that there are millions of sites with math help. Choose a site that will give your child extensive and numerous exercises till he or she masters the topic, and make sure that at the beginning of your journey, you choose a free site before committing yourself to a site that locks you into a long term commitment.  If you want to make sure he/she knows the topic, come back later on and test her again with some problems to see if you need to review that topic. You must remember that your child needs to master a topic, before continuing into another.  We are not at school.

Good luck and have fun with math!

8 Great Ways to Make Good Friends

Making friends is one of the most important skills one can ever learn. People who have friends tend to be happier, healthier, and live longer. They also seem to enjoy life in a more robust way. But what if you struggle to make friends? What if you don’t feel that your social skills are not up to the task of helping you to find good friends? No worries! We will give you eight practical ways that you can use right now to help you make friends instantly.

1. People are like mirrors.

What is meant by the statement, “People are like mirrors”? People respond to you the way you respond to them, just like the person in the mirror. If you smile, they smile. If you frown, they frown. In fact, however you act, you elicit a mirror response of the person or people with whom you are interacting. So, it is up to you to create a positive impact. Act toward everyone the way you would want them to act toward you. If you like when people smile, then smile first. If you like when people compliment you, compliment them before they compliment you. In this way, you set the tone for a positive relationship.

2. Remember names

A person’s name is the most important word in their language or any other language. That’s why personalized mugs and shirts with people’s names on them are such a great hit. Always make a serious effort to learn the names of the people you meet. Go through the trouble and don’t think you are wasting their time or annoying them. People love when you spend time learning about anything related to them, especially something as personal as their name.

3. Smile

Remember what we stated earlier, about people responding to you the same way you do to them? Well, smiling is the simplest way to make a memorable impression because it says, more than almost anything you can do, that you like the person. A smile is even more powerful sometimes than saying, “I like you.” A smile radiates warmth, even through a phone. That’s why salespersons are told to use “smile power” when they are speaking, even though the person on the other end cannot see them smiling. A smile forces the person smiling to act in a “smiling” way. And when you smile at people, they reflect back to you, what you are giving them.

4. Speak to people from their perspectives.

People like to talk about themselves, their families and their hobbies.  Finding common topics of conversation should not be difficult for a person willing to listen. Participating and listening attentively to a person’s conversation can send the message that what’s important to them it’s important to you as well, and they are 10 times more likely to listen to you and cooperate.

5. Stay active and energetic.

Make sure you keep your energy level up. You don’t have to fake it, but try to spend at least some time every day with different people in a variety of activities. Volunteer at the local animal shelter. Spearhead a drive to raise funds at your church or school. Lead in donating to worthy causes. This attracts people to you of a positive nature.

6. Minimize criticisms and complaints.

People are attracted to what makes them feel good. When you criticize or complain, they usually feel the opposite of good. We all know people who are a drag to be around because they dampen the spirit or bring dark clouds that make people want to flee, simply because they are never happy unless they are complaining or reciting a tale of woe. Do not be that person. Keep your criticisms to a minimum and when you must find fault, always focus only on the actions, behavior, or the incident. Do not indict a person’s character, even if they deserve it. They may become your friend because you refused to criticize or complain about them.

7. Don’t be afraid to admit you are wrong.

It takes a big person to admit guilt. It is just anathema to human nature to be wrong. We don’t like the stigma associated with being wrong. If we were punished severely as kids, that makes it even harder to accept culpability for anything. Yet, people love it when a person can say those words, “I was wrong.” It’s refreshing. It denotes humility. And since people are like mirrors, they may respond in kind. If you say it was your fault, they may fall all over themselves to prove to you that it was more their fault than yours.

8. Take on new challenges

We love underdogs because they are not afraid to lose. They put it all on the line and they give it everything they have. We love the underdog because they are us. They are our heroes because they represent who we are when we overcome our most overwhelming fears. When we are around people who don’t run from a fight or a challenge, it makes us want to stand up and cheer them, especially when they are fighting nobly for what is right–their family, their home, or their cause.

Find the boldness to go after what you want, and even if you lose, fight like the devil to let them know you were there. Even your worst enemies can respect you when they know you put it all on the floor. It’s like when Thanos fought Tony Stark, the Iron Man. Stark didn’t have a real shot at beating the titan, but he gave it all he had and even got the world conqueror to bleed, something that even the Hulk had failed to do. Thanos said to Tony Stark, ” You have my respect, Stark. When I’m done half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you.”

When you use these 8 practical ways of making friends, rest assured you will have the respect of countless friends who remember you long after you are gone.

Eight Tips to Consider Before Getting a Dog.

Do you have a dog? Are you thinking about getting a dog? Is he a puppy? Do you want to train him well?

In 2020, many shelters around the country ran out of dogs for people to adopt. Many families and single people with more time in their hands wanted a companion to help them alleviate their boredom or perhaps find the perfect companion they have always wanted. 

The many benefits of pet ownership for children and adults are abundant, and studies have shown a pet companion can reduce stress and anxiety in many people while allowing them to live a healthier mental life.

An article published on the University of Michigan Extension website talks about the many benefits pet ownership has on children.  Among those benefits is the capacity of children to feel compassion towards others by owning a pet. They learn responsibility when caring for a dog or cat,  and they develop social skills when walking the dog and striking a conversation with another dog owner. Having a pet can teach children empathy, respect, and the inevitability of death.

Regardless of the reason for wanting a pet, we believe that adopting a dog or cat is serious and should be considered as such. Having a dog is a lot of work.  And if he happens to be a puppy, the work is more intense and serious if you want a well-behaved dog for the rest of his/her life. The question to ask is whether we can manage their training on our own, or whether we can live peacefully having a dog with no training whatsoever.

Eight tips to consider before choosing a dog

  1. Breed-Before getting your sights on a breed or a particular dog you like, we recommend you research everything you need to know about them.  If you have small children, you have to consider their well-being as well.  Is the dog you like good with children? Is that particular breed temperamental? What are the common illnesses to that particular breed, etc.?
  2. The American Kennel Club website offers information about dog breeds and everything you need to know about the dog you are hoping to obtain. Check out their website if you have any questions about a particular dog breed, nutrition, training, or breeder program.
  3. Is your family on board? Wanting a dog and caring for a dog is not the same thing.  Children that want a dog will eventually forget caring for them if not prompted by the parent. It will be the responsibility of the parent to care for the dog after the child’s initial pleasure fades.
  4. Is dog training worth it? Yes, it is worth it. Especially when you have a puppy with no prior bad behavior. A young dog that is eager to learn commands and doesn’t have to “unlearned” other types of “bad” behavior should in theory be easy to teach and to train. Professional dog training places vary and so are the prices.
  5. Check the dog training professional, their place of business, their referrals if they have any, and their prices.  A more expensive training place is not always the best.  
  6. The owner must continue with the training after they leave the training session. An hour-a-week training session for your dog is not enough. The commands learned will “stick” better if they are reinforced at home.  
  7. The whole family has to adhere to the training of their new dog if they want to succeed with it. Even children can “help” train their new dog with the help of a parent or older sibling.
  8. You must remember a new dog is part of your family.  You have to care for them and trained them well for their safety and that of the entire family.

Consider your lifestyle before choosing a pet, and remember pets need as much care as any member of your family.

The Best Flooring Options for a Finished Basement

Most basements in the Northeast have a concrete finished basement floor that is flat, durable, and can stay like that for many families finishing the basement on a shoestring budget. Depending on the project you are trying to accomplish, finishing a basement does not have to be an expensive project.  But, if you have an old house and are ready to finish the basement of your home, there are 6 important items you need to do before thinking about the ceiling, flooring, and walls.

  1. Waterproofing the basement of the home
  2. Fixing water leaks or replacing old pipes that can cause trouble when you have a finished basement
  3. Getting rid of mold or mildew that have accumulated on the walls and ceiling 
  4. Decluttering the basement of the home and getting rid of unwanted items you don’t need
  5. Checking the electric layout and fixing and adding fixtures that match the new basement
  6. Check to make sure the sump pump is in working order

After making sure everything is done properly and there is a drainage system in place, you are ready to start choosing the way you want the basement to look. 

Walls: Choose warm colors that will brighten the room. Keep it uniform. If you have a section or a room for children to play, decorate that section or room with pictures but keep the walls the same color as the rest of the basement.  There is less light coming through the windows in the basement, so the bright walls can help add some brightness to it.

Flooring

The flooring of the basement floor is very important for many reasons. It needs to have waterproof qualities, ease of use, and it needs to look good for many years. Many homes have a concrete floor already in place. If the floor is in good condition, there is only cleaning to be done before you lay the sub-flooring.  If the concrete floor has cracks, holes, or is coming undone where the wall meets the floor, you need to fix those issues before continuing.

Choosing the best flooring for your basement depends on the usability of the room. Here are some options for you:

Tile-If you are finishing the basement and want to lay tile on the floor, you can apply the tile right over the concrete flooring you have if it’s in good condition.  The choices for tile flooring are numerous.  It really depends on your preferences.

Carpet-Many homeowners like to have carpet on the basement floor. It is warmer than other flooring and makes sense to install carpet if you have small children and a playroom for them.  Air circulation plays an important role and needs to be monitored when the basement has carpet on it though. Mustiness and odors tend to stay longer and over the years, that mustiness seems to cling to the basement and of course the carpet as well. If you waterproof the basement well before finishing it, the dampness and any leaks you had are hopefully a thing of the past. And, if you are still set on having some sort of carpet installed, having area rugs that can be aired out in the summer are a great alternative for carpet.

Vinyl-Another option for basement flooring that is affordable and easy to care for is vinyl.  A homeowner can buy vinyl in a sheet, individual squares, or vinyl plank flooring to lay easily on the basement floor.  The look of vinyl plank flooring with attached underlayment can save a lot of work for the homeowner while providing the look and feel of real hardwood flooring.  And while we recommend a sub-flooring for the basement floor because vinyl flooring can be very cold in the winter months, the attached underlayment of some of these options save you the extra work of putting a subfloor. There are many designs and good quality vinyl options that the homeowner can choose from that are easy to care for and will look great for many years.

Painting the floor in a workroom or a home gym can be a cheap viable option for you, especially if you are finishing the basement on a shoestring budget. The good news is that you can always finish these rooms with tile, carpet, or other types of flooring the year after with little trouble.  If you want to keep the painted basement floor as is, applying a new coat should be relatively easy and cheap while maintaining a brand-new look.

The wrong kind of flooring can make a room seem dreary, or even ugly.  Thankfully, the variety and quality of flooring choices in the market are vast. You need to pick the right kind of flooring for you and your family and enjoy a finished basement for many years.

Spring Cleaning in February

Looking out the window during these cold, snow-covered days, for many northeast Ohio owners, spring might seem like a distant season that won’t come soon enough.  But, like every year, spring comes perhaps too quickly for some of us, and the chores that accompany the warmer weather come along with it.

This year has been unprecedented, to say the least. For many people, the financial strain has been difficult to weather, and the health concerns for many of us are too serious to shrug off carelessly.

Fortunately for some, the daily chores are still present, and we can fight our boredom with chores we can do at home daily if we want.

Spring is almost here-believe it or not- and the yard work and flower planting are going to keep us occupied for many weeks.

 So, what chores can you do now to have a nice summer without having to do them during those beautiful summer days? Begin the chores that can be done inside right now, and save the outside chores for the spring.

  1. Spring cleaning can be done now without waiting for spring to come.  We are inside the home; we do not need to have nice weather to start spring cleaning.
  2. Declutter the basement and get rid of unwanted items that have been saved for years. If you have items that are serviceable, you can donate them. You can call a donation center to find out if they can pick them up. They ask those items to be 5 years old or newer. 
  3. Kitchen items that you haven’t used in years can be donated as well.  You will be happy with the extra space you will have after doing a kitchen declutter.
  4. Choose a room and critically assess whether it can be improved with a new coat of paint.
  5. Redecorate a room to improve it.  Plants, candles, and even different light fixtures can give your room a new look. Redecorating a room should not be an expensive chore, but it can give it a different feel for the family.
  6. Mats, rugs, or paintings can transform a room. They do not have to be expensive for you to have a warm room you can enjoy.
  7. If you don’t want to paint the room, even a good scrubbing can make a difference.  The walls of the house do get a thin layer of dust particles during the winter months.  Scrubbing them can be done easily and quickly.
  8. Changing the curtains or dry cleaning them can add brightness to any room. Do you need to add new ones to a room? Try making them yourself.  They can be easy to accomplish. Roman curtains for the kitchen or a bedroom are easy and pretty to make. You can even use tape and an iron to make them. No sewing needed.

There are many enjoyable pass times anyone can do that do not include cleaning, sewing, or painting.  But, as homeowners, we have chores we must do every year to keep a decent home for our families and those chores are unavoidable.  Keeping a decluttered home is enjoyable for everyone, and can give you the extra space you might need right now.   We can begin doing a chore for fifteen minutes every day to create the habit and continue till that chore is done.  Eventually, we can have a cleaned, decluttered home we can all enjoy.

Saving Tips For The American Family

Many companies try to entice the consumer into buying their particular brands over those of the competition regardless of the value or the quality of their products.  A pretty product that is packaged well and looks pretty may perform worse than the simple packaged one.  As a consumer, you may fall for the marketing and buy the pretty package over the better one, but hopefully, you will make the mistake only once.

Many Americans are struggling with mortgage payments, car payments, insurance payments etc, to worry about other things like comparing prices, weight or performance of the products they are buying, but being savvy about the products they are using should save a buck or two, and in the long run, make us better consumers.

What are some of the items we use daily that can save us some money?

Gas and Electricity: Comparing prices for gas and electricity can save hundreds of dollars every year for the average American family.  There are many companies one can choose for gas and electricity, and even if entering into a contract with a particular company, it will save you money.  Be choosy when signing a contract, and make sure the penalty for canceling it early is not too much.

Car Insurance: If you want to save in car insurance, you need to shop around.  If you have a good history of no accidents or other claims within your company and you do not get any discounts with them, you need to shop around with other companies.

Dishwashing Soaps: According to a Consumer Report test, all dishwashing soaps perform equally well and according to them you should really buy what’s on sale because all dishwashing soaps perform equally well.

I can personally tell you that I do not agree with their results.  I can tell you for example that for me Palmolive, does not perform better or equally well than Dawn.  And some generic brands that you find on the shelves at the grocery stores, pharmacies or Wal-Marts require almost double the amount that you would need for Dawn.

Very recently, I tried a brand called “simply done” a registered trademark of Topco Associates LLC.  By simply looking at the bottle, it reminds you of the generic brands you see at the store.  I expected the same results as well.  The truth is that you do not see a difference between “simply done” and Dawn.  Is there a difference?  There may be a difference between the dishwashing soaps, but the price does not warrant buying the most expensive brand.

Restaurants: Despite having issues with money, Americans are spending over $3,000 eating out according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The convenience of having food readily available without having to cook it is very enticing, but the convenience of having no dirty dishes or cooking chores come with a steep price. Eating out should not be abandoned by families but should be treated as a treat instead of a necessity.

Saving is very smart, try to practice the habit.

Flooring For Every Room In Your House

Many people make New  Year resolutions to begin the year with a bang.  Many of us do not stick to them, and some of us make resolutions that are bound to fail from day one. If you made a resolution this year to spruce your home and declutter, that’s a resolution that makes sense and that you might be able to accomplish.  If you are replacing the flooring of a room in your house and don’t know where to begin, read ahead.

Depending on the room in your home, flooring can be an easy decision to make but also it can present itself with questions about what it’s best for your family.   

Kitchen and bathrooms: These wet areas require flooring that is sturdy, and won’t be damaged by water spills.  Some flooring can become slippery when wet and can be very dangerous for your family.  The best flooring for these type of rooms are:

  1. Vinyl
  2. Laminate
  3. Tile

Keep in mind that there is some specific laminate flooring you can use in these rooms.  Normal laminate flooring can become very slippery and warps rather easily with small amounts of water on it.  You need to find the laminate flooring that can withstand water or other types of liquid spills without damaging it.

Living Room, Dining Room, and First Floor Rooms: These high traffic area rooms need a more sturdy, high-quality flooring that will not only be durable for your home but can make your home look beautiful as well. These are some of the types of flooring that are most commonly used for these rooms in your home:

  1. Hardwood
  2. Bamboo
  3. Laminate
  4. Vinyl
  5. Carpet

For many environmentally conscious homeowners, hardwood does not seem like a very likable option.  Many of these homeowners have chosen to opt for the more environmentally friendly bamboo flooring. If you are thinking about vinyl flooring for some of these rooms – especially for dining rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and the main entrance of the home- vinyl has come a long way from the one sheet vinyl flooring our parents and grandparents grew up with.  The look of vinyl is not what it used to be, so choosing it over other types of flooring is not outdated.

Carpet for the bedrooms of the home has been the main choice for many homeowners though out the years, but if you have children with allergies or other respiratory problems, laminate or bamboo flooring can be a very nice second option for you.

There are many pros and cons you have to consider with every choice of flooring there is. Price, durability, ease of installation, look.  But, remember, buy what you love for your home.

Basement Waterproofing Your Akron Home

The basement of our homes has become another extension of livable space for our families for many years now.  It has become a very functional entertaining space for children and adults alike.  It is no longer relegated to store unwanted furniture and boxes full of toys that are no longer needed, but instead, it has become a very enjoyable space for the entire family.

If you want to finish the basement of your home, waterproofing it before you start can be a very wise decision on your part.  Water seepage or leaking pipes can become a big problem if you leave them unattended and can eventually jeopardize the structure of your home.

For many families, waterproofing the basement of their home is a very expensive home maintenance upkeep to make, but can be devastating if you ignore the problems that can arise if you have an older home and ignore obvious water sign problems.

What are some of the easy signs that you can spot that can mean you need to waterproof your basement?

Water seepage can occur through the walls, the seams and up through the floor.  Digging around the foundation may not fix your problem if the water is seeping up the floor, the build up you are seen may be groundwater and digging outside the foundation won’t solve your problems. If this happening, you need to call a professional to come evaluate the problem and offer a solution for you.

  • Smelly musty odor
  • Water pooling on the floor – The humidity in the basement of your home may give it the musty odor you are experiencing and it may be caused by water seeping through the walls.
  • Mold or mildew –Condensation and the dust or other debris mixed can be the beginning of mildew in the basement.
  • Dampness –The dampness in the basement is a clear sign water is seeping into your home
  • Paint bubbling, walls bowing in, and cracked walls are all concerning signs that you have water problems in the basement and should be addressed quickly.

Choosing a basement waterproofing company to work in your home is too important to leave it to chance.  Research the companies in Northeast Ohio with a long history in the community and that time and again offer great workmanship along with great customer service.