Are you afraid to call a Saskatoon contractor? Have you been calling and calling and can’t seem to get a response? Perhaps you have even booked a job and been less than thrilled with the experience…. Most likely, you just want to deal with an honest, reliable business that cares about doing a great job – period.

Well, you are in luck! The www.trustedsaskatoon.com team is proud to announce our newest partner in the Saskatoon Air Conditioning & Furnace Category – Razor Heating and A/C Ltd.

Razor Heating & A/C ,founded in 2007 by Jeff Rewerts and Dustin Shaw, specializes in residential new home construction, service and retro-fits. Everything your home could need - from a whole house renovation,the complex mechanical needs of your dream home, to simple preventative maintenance on your existing mechanical system…. Razor Heating can help.

Jeff, Dustin and the team at Razor came very highly recommended to www.TrustedSaskatoon.com ….lets hear what their clients have to say:

 “I had an issue at the house, and I had called a number of HVAC and plumbing companies…nobody was getting back to me at all. Razor was recommended to us, we called in, and they got us scheduled in right away. They were at our house on time (we are out on an acreage), and the best thing was that they had come fully prepared for the work to be done right there and then…the first time! They explained everything that they were going to need to do to fix the problem, and made sure we understood each step, then offered us a few recommendations that could help us in the future. The recommendations they made were honest bits of advice…without a push for a sale. My husband, who is a contractor himself, now does business with Razor on a regular basis. We know we can trust them.”

The most important bit of advice anyone can give to you when it comes to hiring an HVAC contractor is to check their referrals and recommendations. Rest assured that when you choose to contract with Razor Heating and Air Conditioning, you are choosing to deal with a quality business that cares about doing the job right for their customers. If you think it might be time for a furnace tune-up, or you have existing heating, cooling or plumbing issues in your home, give Razor a call…you will not be disappointed!

Razor Heating and AC are  Trusted Saskatoon Air Conditioniang and Furnace Experts

Fresh Living is a Saskatoon maid service that is incorporated, bonded and insured, as well, all employees have passed a criminal record check. They strive to create clean, positive, uplifting environments that you can enjoy and feel proud to live in. Stop wasting your most valuable possession – TIME – and contact Fresh Living today!

Fresh Living are your TRUSTED SASKATOON RESIDENTIAL CLEANING SERVICE 

Let’s face it. Nobody actually LIKES cleaning. It’s just something that needs to be done to keep our places from becoming dirty and looking like something on an episode of Hoarders.

So how do we make everyone’s least favorite chores a little more fun?

Well, I’ll tell you!

1) Get a friend to help you Cleaning can be quite time consuming and overwhelming if you’re doing it alone. As the old adage goes, the more the merrier…right? So maybe a friend won’t actually help, but a spouse, partner, roommate, or kids are great resources. Divide tasks evenly so everyone knows what to do and will avoid getting in each other’s way. When all hands are on deck, the job will get done quicker. Sure, there may be an IOU for their efforts, but do you really want to spend your Saturday cleaning house alone? I didn’t think so.

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2) Rock out with your broom out I’m a huge advocate for playing music to get just about anything done. Something about a catchy tune helps me get work done more efficiently. But when it comes to cleaning, I find it especially effective. There’s nothing like dancing around a room, blasting Madonna, and making your vacuum your newest dance partner. Not to mention singing along and working to a beat makes it a little more entertaining than working in complete silence.

3) Come on downnnn…to the Clean is Right! If you have someone willing to help you clean, make it fun. Challenge roommates or siblings to see who can clean their room faster. Use a garbage bin as a hoop to toss garbage into. Or you can play ‘What’s Missing’- clean an area and see if someone can guess what’s missing that was there before. Games can be effective to teach young kids how to clean while making it a fun experience, as opposed to a chore. Set a timer and challenge them to pick up as much as they can in a designated time. Be creative…the possibilities are endless! ________________________________________

4) Shape up while you clean up Why not take advantage of the opportunity to get 2 birds with 1 stone? For those of you who love to exercise, or for the ones that can’t get enough time in the day to do it, cleaning can help. Put on your favourite tunes, preferably something with a fast beat, to help you pick up your pace. Tighten your abs and stretch to reach extra-high areas. Making big movements, like doing big circles when cleaning a shower door, will help those arm muscles. Start lunging while vacuuming and it won’t just be your house that’s in tip top shape!

5) Break Time To avoid feeling overwhelmed (especially if your house looks anything like mine), take breaks as you clean. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and rest for a minute or two, drink something or have a snack. Many people tend to get less and less motivated while cleaning so try eating a favorite food, dress up funky, or pretend to be someone else to keep yourself from getting bored or tired and stopping.

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6) Get someone else to do it The most fun way to clean is by not cleaning at all! If you’ve got way too much on the go or just don’t want to waste precious down time on cleaning, hire in the professionals. It will free up your social calendar so you can enjoy your free time but just be mindful that it will cost you. If money is an issue, look to do professional cleans on an occasional basis and mindfully manage your space in between.

You’ll notice it’s easier to clean in small doses on a daily basis than a big overhaul at the end of the week.

www.trustedsaskatoon.com is committed to giving back to the community and Trusted directories owner, the company S & E Trusted Online Directory has donated over $24,000 so far to local non profits since www.trustedSaskatoon.com launched May 31st 2012 ..the Trusted team believes it is the right thing to do and we are committed to continue to give generously always..and to  help the people of the cities we service- that why we are the only directories that work for you ..all of you !  

Our Trusted Partners across the province as a group seem to have the same idea and many have made many small, large and ongoing commitments to hundreds of small local non profits in Regina and Saskatoon aswell as some of the larger fundraising initiatives going on that get alot of media attention. We would like to draw attention to Hairstyle Inn a Trusted Saskatoon salon and their ongoing commitment to helping the kids of low income families in Saskatoon to have a better and more magical Christmas.  with their TLC @ Home program( Facebook page here)

Hairstyle Inn - TLC@Home 2012 - Looking for your HELP!

 "To touch the life of a child in such a way as to love, care for, inspire, motivate and to give hope of opportunities by which they can improve their life and those around them."

The HairStyle Inn Salons Team had a desire to contribute to the community in which they work and live. So in 2006, in keeping with the Christmas spirit, the inception of TLC@home was born. Their program Touching Lives of Children @ Home has been able to provide a shoebox gift to children at one of participating city schools in Saskatoon for the past 5 years. For the last years they were able to give a Christmas shoebox gift to all the children at Princess Alexander School.

This year, with the help of our community partners, Global TV & Cameco, they will reach 3-4 schools with gift boxes for approximately 600-800 kids, including Princess Alexandra Community School, the original school. They are excited with the growth of the program and are looking to take it to the next level whereby they can set up scholarships and funding that can provide opportunities for these children that they otherwise would not have. They would be delighted if you would like contribute to the T.L.C. @ Home program this year. All contributions, in their entirety, go the children of TLC@home.

They can be dropped off at any of the Canada Safeway locations.

The TLC Gift box is a Christmas gift box that goes out to the children at participating city schools.

Each box is packed full of treasures & love and has the child’s first name on the box. This is their gift.

The schools provide us with a list of students by grade.

Following are a list of items that we recommend for each box:

 Hat & mitts or gloves

 Socks

 Age appropriate craft items

 Age & gender appropriate toys

 Toiletry items such as soap, tooth paste & tooth brush, comb, washcloth, shampoo & conditioner (ziplock any liquids please)

 Healthy food choices are preferred to candy

 T-shirts, scarves

Following items are not recommended:

 Peanuts or anything including peanuts or traces

 Knives, toy guns or violence related toys

 Used items

 Videos/DVDs or CDs

 Battery operated toys

 Red clothing items

Please wrap the shoebox in Christmas paper so that it can be opened to add sponsor items.

Place a post it note on the lid with gender & age of the child you have packed the gift for. ..we really NEED shoe boxes for older teenagers!!

We need all donations for this year to be in by Nov 30th

Thank you for your kindness & generosity!

Bateman Jewellers are Saskatoon Jewellery Experts...did you know that they are the oldest independent jewellery store in Saskatoon! Bateman Jewellers maintain that the relationship with their clients is very important to them, and Trusted is sure you have heard Cam say in his well known radio ads " Your jewellery is a lifetime investment; Buy it from a lifetime friend. " ..Trusted can attest to the fact that they really DO mean it, and we are proud to have them on board as our Trusted Saskatoon Jeweller!

Here Cam shares his latest Trusted Tip:

How to Choose an Engagement Ring : Part 3- Know your diamonds

Diamonds tend to be the traditional engagement ring choice, because they are enduring, and match everything. Only deviate from a diamond if you know that your girlfriend loves another stone much, much more, or has voiced her intense dislike of diamonds.

When choosing a diamond, be aware of the "Four C's", as follows:

Carat: This refers to the unit measurement of the diamond, and refers to weight (not size). Every carat has 100 points. Engagement rings are often 1 carat but the ring you choose will obviously depend on your budget. A 1 carat ring on a limited budget may not rate very highly in other areas, taking away from its overall beauty.

Color: The color of diamonds varies considerably and most people prefer a very white colored diamond for an engagement ring. Colors are graded from D (colorless and rare) and most good quality diamonds will be around F and H and grades D to I are acceptable to buy as they are almost identical when mounted.

Clarity: Being natural, there will be imperfections in the diamond. The less imperfections, the greater the clarity and the more light is reflected from the diamond, causing it to "sparkle". Naturally, more clarity increases its value. Perfectly flawless diamonds with no internal flaws or surface blemishes are very hard to find as they are extremely rare. Fewer flaws in a diamond result in greater brilliance as more light is reflected. The scale used to grade clarity goes from F1 for a flawless diamond, to VVS1 and VVS2 for very slight inclusions, to VS1 and VS2 for very slight inclusions, SI1 and SI2 for slight inclusions and I1, I2 and I3 for imperfect diamonds. Diamonds are magnified by 10 times to judge their clarity so very slight imperfections are difficult to see with the naked eye. This means that there is a range of diamonds available even for more modest budgets. If you can see a mark without magnification, however, think carefully before you buy. The location and darkness of an imperfection of any given grade (though probably not any "VVS" inclusion, which is simply too small, and rarely a VS inclusion) can affect its visibility so it is safest to see the imperfection magnified or in a magnified photograph before buying.

Cut: There are different ways to cut a diamond, and the type of cut impacts the sparkle of the diamond. The cut that produces the most sparkle is the round (or brilliant) cut, while radiant and princess cuts are good at hiding flaws. Other cuts including square, emerald, pear, marquise, cushion, ssscher, and heart-shaped. The oval shape looks best with larger stones, and looks bigger than the round cut. A high-quality cut (not necessarily above "Ideal") is more important than weight or an extremely high clarity or color grade: a diamond, like a road reflector, shines light back out the direction it came in and breaks it up a bit in the process. If the sides are ground at the wrong angles (sometimes through less-than-perfect workmanship, sometimes to increase weight with extra width or depth) quite a bit of light will not shine back out the right way--much more than would be lost to a very faint yellowish or brown tint or a speck visible under a loupe.

It is also important to base your selection of diamonds based on objective data such as ASET or Idealscope images that you can acquire from your jeweller.This is particularly important if you are buying a diamond engagement ring online.

Find Bateman Jewellers on 2nd Ave South or online at http://www.batemanjewellers.com they are your Trusted SASKATOON JEWELLERS

 Read all of Batemans Saskatoon Jewellry tips here

Here they answer Trustedsaskatoon.com Faceboook fans questions othat were asked for the November TrustedSaskatoon.com show about personal finances

Part 1 :

1. Rachelle Nieman :How can I estimate/calculate best when determining how much extra life insurance to get on top of what is given by my employer?

A:In order to determine the amount of life insurance required by any individual a needs analysis should be done. This entails looking at things such as all of your debt, final expenses, estate administration costs, saving for children’s education and income replacement. What assets you have should also be considered. However if you are single, a quick rule of thumb would be to add up all your debt, add additional insurance for final expenses and estate costs then subtract your assets. If you have dependants, add up all your debt, funeral expenses and estate administration costs and also add 10 times your income.

2. Erin Leigh Cumming: Every time I see a commercial for Gerber life insurance, I have to ask: Why does a baby need life insurance? I get that it would pay for funeral costs, but beyond that... who really needs life insurance, and who can go without?

A: Whether or not to insure babies or children is a common debate in the life insurance industry. Some advisors agree that it is important and some do not. I definitely do. The most important reason to insure a child isn’t to make sure there is cash for funeral expenses, although that is important, but to guarantee insurability. Many people have the misconception that money buys life insurance when in fact it is HEALTH that buys life insurance, money only pays the premiums. No one knows what the future holds. Insuring a child as young as possible before any health concerns exist is a wise idea. It secures coverage for them so that if they are diagnosed with a health condition during their childhood years that makes them uninsurable, they will have coverage as adults when they may have a spouse or family to support. For children you can also add something called a guaranteed insurability option. This allows a person to buy additional insurance numerous times during their lifetime without providing any medical evidence. There are many things that can affect our ability to qualify for life insurance. Purchasing a plan for your child or grandchild is one of the best gifts you could ever give them.

3. Mike Maille: Do I need special insurance when I am traveling out of Country and how important is it if so?

A:Absolutely. You should never leave Canada without travel insurance that covers you for emergency hospital and medical expenses. Even a quick weekend trip across the border to shop should include a travel insurance policy. There is no free healthcare when you are travelling. A doctor’s visit alone can cost hundreds of dollars and hospitalization involving tests or surgery can run into the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands depending on the severity. The few dollars spent for a travel insurance policy is well worth it. There are actually some countries that require visitors to show proof of travel health insurance before allowing you to enter. We see this in Cuba, a common vacation destination for many Canadians.

4. Brandon Lesperance : What type of life insurance policies should I look at getting I'm just 21 and most people my age don't think about this ?

A: Which type of life insurance to purchase at age 21 depends on a few factors. The first question you should ask is why am I buying the insurance, what am I protecting? Another important question is what can I afford? Everyone’s situation is different. This is something that you should discuss with a financial advisor knowledgeable about life insurance and the various types available. I am a true believer in applying for life insurance while you are young and healthy. Permanent insurance plans are a good idea at a young age if you can afford them. You are able to lock in the premium at a low cost and perhaps have the policy paid up in 10 or 20 years. An advisor can help you determine how much of this type you need. There are many reasons to also purchase term insurance which allows you buy a much larger amount of insurance at very reasonable rates. Again this should be discussed and decided upon with the help of an advisor.

5. Stephanie Nicholson: How much life insurance should a couple have? If you have a child and want more and a house?

A: That is a very open question. Every couple is different and situations vary. A proper needs analysis done by a financial advisor will help determine the right amount. But a quick rule of thumb would be to add up all debt, including the mortgage, and at least 10 times your income.

6. Irma Kidd Johnson: when you have a premium return rider, just how much do you get back when it terminates ? everything that has been paid in premiums, or a percentage ?

A: In order to determine how much you would get back you would have to check with your policy wording. There are different policies that include return of premium riders. We usually see this with either disability or critical illness insurance policies. Some policies will return the premium you paid to cover the cost of the insurance but not return the premiums paid for the rider. Others will return all premiums paid. It should be outlined in the policy.

7. Jennifer Sparks: I have a daughter with epilepsy. What do I need to know about insurance for her when she is no longer covered as a dependent. Also, how much life insurance should a single parent have with 2 children who just entered their teens?

A:  That is a good question. As with many health conditions the severity of the illness needs to be determined. Many people with epilepsy CAN get insurance. The underwriters want to know the age of diagnosis or how long she has had it as well as the severity or how well controlled it is. If the epilepsy is well-controlled and your daughter has had no seizures in at least 2 years she should have no trouble qualifying for life insurance. Depending again on the control there could be a slight rating or additional cost added to the premium. If the epilepsy is poorly controlled with frequent seizures she most likely will be unable to qualify. Now that is for life insurance. Health benefits may be something else you are concerned with. While your daughter is a dependant she is most likely covered by your health benefit plan if you have one. Once she is no longer a student and independent her epilepsy could affect her ability to qualify for her own plan. If she works as an employee with a group benefits plan she won’t have any problem joining the plan. If she needs to get her own personal plan she may have difficulty finding a plan that will cover her pre-existing condition and any medications she is taking OR find that it is very expensive to have the pre-existing medications covered. Regarding life insurance, again a needs analysis should be done. There are many variables. Who would the teens live with in the event of your death? Could that person afford to support the kids? You need to consider eliminating any debt that may be present when you die and of course providing enough income to support the kids until they are old enough to be on their own. Add your debt and at least 75 to 80% of your income x 10 years.