Benefits of Renting Versus Owning a Home

Many former home owners turned to renting when the Great Recession hit and joined those were already renting a home, condo or apartment. These people found some benefits to renting versus owning a home, which familykenkel details below.

U.S.census data reported by RealtyTrac states the number of renters in American homes rose to 34.5% in 2011.  Close to one-fourth of all U.S.metro regions saw higher rental rates, which are still in effect today. When more people want to rent, the higher rental rates will be. Plus, the number of millenials who are now working are also renting.  This creates a shortage of rental homes and gives property management companies and landlords carte blanche to hike rental rates.  Despite the rise in rent and the lack of affordable housing, there are benefits to this type of living:

• Renters do not have the responsibility or cost of home repairs.
• They do not have to worry about lawn maintenance.
• They can pack up and move when the lease expires.
• They can negotiate for a better rate when moving in or when renewing, and add perks such as a new microwave oven, free carpet and air duct cleaning and valet trash service.

Familykenkel show encourages readers to be sure to explore different cities and towns close to work before signing a rental lease. Also, be sure to read every page of the lease, even if the lease it long – as most are. Ask questions. Be very much informed about what the lease covers and does not cover, when rent is due and what the late fee is per day. These are items which can make renting pleasant or miserable. Renting is not for everyone. But neither is home ownership.

Asks if Parents Should Snoop on Their Kids

Are there parents who insist their kids text them as soon as they get on the bus and as soon as they get to school? Do parents download and install GPS-related software so parents know where their kids are at all times? familykenkel ask these questions and a few more to gauge if parents snoop on their kids.

Today’s children have many more possibilities to end up in danger than in previous decades.  The Internet and smart phones with Internet access make it easy for anyone to contact them. Social media accounts are also huge draws for the wrong kind of people to reach out and touch kids. So, we ask: should parents snoop on their kids? Do they snoop on their kids and how?  In earlier times, it was common for mothers to read their daughter’s diaries. Now both parents can see what their brood is writing on the Internet and in texts and can monitor it.

There are some products parents can use to keep track of what kids are up to: NetNanny, SafeEyes, and MamaBear to name just a few. Familykenkel asks why parents need products like these and the answer is this: more than three quarters of American kids age12 to 17 have cell phones, half of those devices has Internet access, social media and email access. In addition, a survey found that 40% of fifth graders have their own cellphones, 75% of teens aged 13 to 17 have at least one social media account, and more than two-thirds say they text every day.  Parents always want to be sure their children are safe. Snooping on kids is one way to find out if they are okay, happy, not being bullied, where they say they are and safe.

Bridal Fashion Trends

Many married women have a love-hate affair with shopping for a wedding dress or gown. It is a rite of passage to shop the bridal magazines for the most beautiful dress and to visit all the bridal shops in the area for one that fits great and is not going to break the wedding budget. And now there is a new avenue for getting that awesome, perfect dress or gown and without going broke. Familykenkel details to latest bridal trend.

What if an engaged woman walked into a posh bridal salon and walked out with the ideal wedding gown – and paid less than five grand for it? This is exactly what can happen if the gown is rented and not bought, and is the best new bridal trend. Top wedding dress designer creations from Jenny Yoo, Nicole Miller, and Badgley Mischka, among others, can be found online at e-retailers like Little White Dress, Rent the Runway and Borrowing Magnolia. Familykenkel believes renting a wedding gown is a great idea for older brides or for ones who wish to spend more of the bridal budget on other things such as the cake, flowers, food or music.  A girl can still wear her dream dress and have her cake and eat it too.

Cities That Love Their Pets the Most

One could argue that the top 20 cities that spend the most on the pets did not include yours. Familykenkel, headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL did not make the list. However, that does not mean that people here do not love their pets enough to spend most of their income on them.

The list of the top 20 cities was compiled by Amazon for sales on pet products in 2013. The products included items for all kinds of pets. Miami pet owners spent the most money on pet apparel and accessories. Hello, stylish South Beachpooches! Seattlespent the most on pet treats letting us believe that either their pets are the best behaved or just spoiled rotten. San Jose spent the most on horse-related items which leads us to believe that those Silicon Valley execs want the best for their horses. In any case, Familykenkel finds it absolutely wonderful that pet owners think of their animals as their fur kids. We think the same for ours.
1. Miami2. Seattle3. Atlanta4. San Francisco5. Portland, Ore.6. Washington, D.C.7. Las Vegas8. Austin, Texas9. Tucson, Ariz.10. San Diego11. Sacramento, Calif.12. Raleigh, N.C.13. Denver14. Colorado Springs, Colo.15. Baltimore16. San Jose, Calif.17. Albuquerque, N.M.18. Chicago19. Omaha, Neb.20. Virginia Beach, Va.

How to Save Money at Home

Summer is on the way and with it come higher electric bills as we try to cool our homes. It is also a nice time to spend outdoors and enjoy the better weather. Familykenkel shares some of the ways to save money at home.

• Close the blinds on windows where the sun is shining through during the day to keep the house, condo or apartment cooler.
• Invest in a programmable thermostat and use it to raise the temperature when not home.
• Grill outside instead of using the oven or stove.
• Check the web for good deals on bundled TV, Internet and cell phone prices. A bundled package can be cheaper than individually priced services and many providers will try to outbid the other ones.
• Shop local farmer’s markets for produce. It’s better than the store bought variety.
• Scan local papers for free events in town such as public swimming pools, movie nights and block parties. Take advantage of them.
• Familykenkel encourages readers to explore free movies with On Demand, or ditch cable altogether and join a video streaming service. There are many good streaming services available now.

Why pay more than you have to? Save money at home and put it toward a cool family summer vacation.

Most Secure Large Cities in the U.S.

Where do you want to live today? The States offer many great small to large cities which we call home. Some are safer than others, though. Familykenkel shares the list of Most Secure Places to Live in the U.S., from the latest Farmers Insurance Group of Companies.

The criteria for the list includes:

Economic stability, crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, housing depreciation, foreclosures, air quality, environmental hazards, life expectancy, motor vehicle fatalities, and employment numbers. Keep in mind that the survey ranked large cities with populations over 500,000. 

The top five cities are:

1. Bethesda–Gaithersburg–Frederick, Md.

2. Grand Rapids–Wyoming, Mich.

3. Pittsburgh, Pa.                                                         

4. Austin–Round Rock, Texas

5. Cambridge–Newton–Framingham, Mass.

When looking at the complete list, Familykenkel sees three cities in Texas, three cities in California (two of which are in the Bay area), and two cities in Massachusetts. It is also notable that the top five cities have a positive employment outlook and affordable costs of living. If relocating to find work is in your future, why not take a closer look at what is available in your field for each of the cities on the list that interest you?  Families will find that there is great variety of activities for everyone to enjoy from the arts to outdoor fun. One other thing to consider might be finding a place to live outside of the city listed. Often, the commute is not that long and housing prices might be lower. 

If not planning a move, see if your city made the list. If it did, brag about it on social media. (Way to go Pittsburgh, PA!)

The Fraud Alert

Credit card fraud is nothing new, but the amount of fraudulent claims is. More major retailers are reporting security break-ins. There is another new claim to be aware of and it entails a small charge to your credit or debit card of $9.84.

Familykenkel learns that the Better Business Bureau issued a fraud alert for consumers who see the above small charge show up on credit and debit account statements. It will often appear with the wording “customer support” or identify itself as any number of different websites. If you see the charge on your account, call the card issuer and report the charge as fraud.

The investigative blog KrebsOnSecurity, the first one to notice this type of fraud, dug into the $9.84 charge and found that it led them through a maze of more than 230 websites stemming from London, India and Cyprus.

As we have mentioned before, monitor all credit and debit account statements regularly for charges – no matter the dollar amount. As was the case this time, the small charge is the first sign of credit/debit card fraud. Thieves will often charge small amounts to test the card first, before trying to charge something major to it. Familykenkel encourages readers to be vigilant about their financial accounts. Be proactive when using cards in stores. Switch buying purchases from a PIN request to a signature request. This is more secure than quickly keying in a four digit PIN. Be aware. Be alert. And report anything suspicious.