Everyone knows that vehicles are not only a luxury item, but also a huge expense. First there is the cost
of purchasing a car (even used can be pricy) and the interest that necessarily comes with a car loan,
then there are associated expenses like registration, insurance, maintenance, and gas, and finally there
are extra costs like parking, tickets, and accidents to consider (although these last few may or may not
apply). In short, your vehicle could end up being more of a liability than an asset (and of course, it only
stands to depreciate in value, unless you’re restoring a classic car or you’ve got a limited edition Ferrari
or something). But most of us require one of these money pits to function in modern society, so you’ll
be glad to hear that there are definitely ways to spend a little less when it comes to your car.

For starters, you can save on the price of purchase in several ways. If a new car is pretty much out of
the question, think about a certified pre-owned vehicle. Often they are a year or two old, they come
with a full warrantee, and the cost is significantly less than new. And whether you’re buying new
or used, you may have to secure some financing. Your best bet here is to save up for a good down
payment beforehand in order to cut your monthly payments and potentially allow you to pay down
the principal faster (to avoid some interest payments). You could even consider a lease; the monthly
payments will be lower and if you purchase it you’ll be buying at a lower rate (since you’ve already paid
a portion).

You can also save on the associated costs, as well, by purchasing an eco-friendly vehicle, for example.
These cars may be a bit more expensive than their gas-hogging counterparts, [Read more…]

The following is a guest post by Outside the Box Mom:

In the first week of this series, we discussed goals when using coupons. During the second week, we covered some common reasons why people don’t use coupons. In the third week, I told you how to overcome your #1 obstacle in using coupons. Last week, I overviewed the types of coupons available and where you can get them. Today’s post covers the ways you can organize your coupon stash.

The Binder Method

Supplies: baseball card sleeves, sturdy 3 ring notebook, tabbed divider sheets
Method: Each week you cut all coupons out of the inserts. Then, organize the coupons by item, grocery store aisle, expiration date or by product type.
Pros: have all coupons at your disposal, take advantage of unadvertised deals, can be expanded for more storage
Cons: heavy, time consuming to clip and file all coupons, time to remove all expired coupons, expensive supplies

The Insert Method

Supplies: hanging files, pen/marker, labels, container
Method: Sort by insert date into piles; within the hanging file, I try to group by SS/PG/RP/GM/etc.; write the date on the front in dark pen/marker so it’s easy to see
Pros: quickest, no clipping until you’re ready to use, use a coupon database to find coupons, easy to toss when they expire
Cons: won’t have an individual coupon clipped if you happen upon an unadvertised [Read more…]

Let’s link up…Everyone is welcome (family friendly of course), there are no real rules except you follow your hostesses Have Sippy Will Travel and Closer to Lucy and our guest spotlight.