Get Smart!-Vehicle Edition

 

Is it time to upgrade your vehicle, or simply purchase a different one? Sometimes the toughest part of buying a new or used car is figuring out what to do with your current one. 

As Donna Reichle, spokeswoman for the National Automobile Dealers Association, explained, "If you sell your car yourself you are basically making yourself available to the buyer. When you trade in your car to a dealer you absolve yourself of liability." Trading your car in is the easiest way to handle the hassle of getting rid of your car; but is it the best?

That answer depends, and to get the answer, you have to do a bit of homework! Advertise your vehicle long before you are to actually sell it to establish a buyer. Agree on a price then head to the dealer.

Find out if somehow it would be better to strike a bargain with the auto guys or if it'd be more beneficial to sell privately (9 out of 10 times my money is on the private party).

 

Here are some tips to get the most out of your vehicle:

1. Make sure it is clean, inside and out.
2. Make sure the maintenance on the engine is up to dealership standards (check your manual).
3. Make sure the rotors are not rusted onto the axle and the brakes and tires are on good shape. By investing in your vehicle you will have better potential to get the most bang for your buck. 

Article: Trade It or Sell It

Making a Vehicle Purchase

 

 

 

 

 

Assess your old vehicle.

 

Knowing the value of your old car and trading it for a newer one is worth the time. You can go to the kelly blue book and see what your car is worth there that way it will help you to determine what the trade in value would be, or just putting it on craigslist for sale. If you are doing a trade in value, go to many dealerships to see what they are willing to offer you.

 

 

Budgeting

 

Knowing how much you have on hand or how much you qualify for is a good start. Do not go around your budget and think you can afford something alot more then what you have present. You will lose your car and end up owing the loan back, making your credit drop drastically.

 

 

Shop

 

Shop for a fuel efficent car. whether you are close to your home,school, or work, it will save you a ton of money in this economy. There are many cars that are very reliable when it comes to fuel efficiency. Take your time and go to the dealerships and ask many questions.

 

 

 

 

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Budget your “wants” so you can afford your “needs”

 

Budget your “wants” so you can afford your “needs”

It can be frustrating to spend your pay check away month to month and wonder where it all went. I’m sure everyone has felt that once in their life, but the question is, do you really not know where your money goes?

A budget too many can be viewed as a waste of time or tedious work, but what you may not want to discover is that you have been spending that money on things that you weren’t necessarily in need of. When you create a budget you are more in control of how your pay check gets split up and are less willing to waste your money, leaving you with a little more extra change in your piggy bank.

Here are several tips you might find will help you succeed with a successful budget from the article How to Make a Budget:

1.       Make budgeting fun-

 Put all of those extra things you buy into your budget, but put limits on how much you can spend. Figure out about how much you are willing to put into each category each month and stick with it. By the time the end of the month comes you will have money in categories like vacation that will motivate you more. 

2.       Find a system that works for you-

You can buy software that will help you organize you budget, otherwise you can make a spread sheet on excel works as well. If you do not have any skills with computers you can always resort to the pen and paper style. Otherwise with technology growing you can download a free app onto your phone.

3.       Set limits and follow them-

When you know how much you want to spend and how much you want to save you will see that your spreadsheet and budget are being more efficient. It will be so much more rewarding in the end if you can save your money and treat yourself at the same time.

How to make a budget

Is this the right investment for you?

 

 

 

As a consumer, you may or may not know that purchasing or leasing a car is a very big investment. Before jumping into an investment like this, one should know all the different options available.

 Here are some tips:

1.    Try renting the car that you are interested in purchasing

 Most people cannot decide if the like a certain car after a 15 minute test drive. By renting it, they have more than enough time to decide if the vehicle is suitable for them.

2.      Is leasing or buying for you

If you are a person that wants the latest and greatest every 2 or 3 years lease.

However, if you like to drive a car till its dead, purchase a vehicle. When you are done making the payments, you actually have something to show for it, instead of having to return it to the dealer.

3.      Ask questions!

When it comes to buying a car, one can never ask to many questions. It’s better to know more rather than not enough.

Above are just some simple tips that will help you succeed in making your major purchase!

 

 

eHow

Keep Your Car Running Longer

Keep Your Car Running Longer

When you think of a new car, you think of that clean car smell, the shiny untouched paint, and those looks from other drivers. But what goes into keeping your car fresh? This advice will be sure to help.

When it comes to gas in this economy, most people just see a gas station with a cheap price and think “BINGO!” Well…not exactly. Look at the surroundings.

• A reputable gas station could save your tank’s life. Making sure the gas is clean and from a good source is a must.
• If there is a tanker at the gas station you chose to drive up on, don’t fill up. The tanker is stirring up all the built up sediment from who knows how long ago and that could clog up your tank and cause problems in the future.
• Go ahead and ask a gas station if they change their filters regularly. If the answer is yes, then go ahead, fill up with no worries. If no…then I think you know what to do. (DRIVE AWAY).

Keep your keychain light

If you have 10 cute decorations hanging from your keychain, your car ignition switch is at risk. Having all that weight hanging from your ignition from day after day could lead to paying for a new ignition switch and a whole new key to start your car. It happened to me…take it from experience, you don’t want a key to unlock your doors and another key to start your car.

Rotate your tires and maintain tire inflation

Underinflated tires can cause damage to your wheels. If enough pressure is put onto the underinflated tires, they could completely give out and leave you with more than one flat tire. Rotating your tires, can help keep the tire wear stay evenly distributed.

74 Tips

Are Americans Ready to Retire?

How Much is in Your Savings?

Even though the recession isn't in full effect it's still effecting how Americans go about their finances. According to a survey of 1,000 people that was released Monday, over half of non-retired Americans feel that they aren't saving enough to retire comfortably.

The survey said that just 41% of Americans save outside of work programs, and only two thirds of people have enough money saved to cover emergencies or unexpected expenses.

A separate  survey was also released on Monday by Bankrate.com says that just 55% of Americans have more in savings than they owe to the credit card companies. Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America, says the best way to free up money to put into savings is to pay off your credit cards as soon as possible. No one can save when they're losing their money to interest charges.

The survey also says that 70% of people who make 75,000 plus had more savings than debt while 41% people making 30,000 had more savings. Less than half of those with low-to-moderate incomes even have a money market or savings account.

Three of the recommended ways to begin saving money is to open a savings account, set up automatic transfers, and to max out 401(k) contributions. The best thing you can do is start saving early and don't stop for anything.

Once you get your money into savings or your 401 (k), and you retire, the most common strategy to make your money last for 30 years is to withdraw 4% every year while adjusting for inflation. This strategy can increase your available spending money by 9%. That said this is your life in retirement so blindly following a rigid system isn't the best plan, always be flexible, and adjust as needed. This is your best chance at having a fun, happy, financially supported retirement.

CNNMoney Americans still aren't saving enough

CNNMoney Make your money last through retirement

Squeeze Everything Out of Your Auto Investment.

I think I speak for all of us that we want to keep our cars in mint condition. It’s an investment and it could mean big trouble if not maintained correctly, so here are some quick tips to make sure you squeeze every dollar worth out of your car. 

1.  Don’t warm up your car in the morning for too long.

On mildly cold days just turn on your car and let it sit for 60 seconds to let the fluids start moving and then you can take off. Although when the weather is below zero you can let your car sit for about 5 minutes and then you can take off.

With either method just make sure you stay under 3 RPMs until your engine warms up before dropping the lead foot to save some gas and save your engine.

2.  Keep track of an auto log.

Keep a notepad and pen in your glove box. Write down everything that you do to your car such as:

• Fueling up your car
• The date
• How much your putting in
• How many miles you drove since last re-fuel
• Oil changes
• Last time you filled your tires with air.

As soon as you see an irregularity in your log, report it to your mechanic as you may be able to solve the problem early meaning more savings in your pocket.

3.  Be smart at the gas pump

If you see the tanker, leave the gas station and find another one. When the tanker is filling the underground reservoir of gas it stirs up the sediments in the gas which can have adverse effects to your car, so be wary!.

One last thing is to only go to trusted gas stations. Some gas stations dilute the gas or they won’t keep their filters clean so it can do a lot of harm to your machine.

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