Category: Cars

Save money when you buy, drive, maintain, and sell your car, truck or SUV

Cars, Insurance

How to Save on Car Insurance

There are certain things that almost everyone is forced to deal with that will cost you money and auto insurance is one of the big ones. It’s always good to save money when you can, but even better when you save on the big expenses in your budget. Today I’m going to talk about how to save on car insurance so you can keep more money in your wallet while still protecting yourself.

Car insurance is critical to have, but can cost a fortune. Here's how to save on car insurance while still keeping yourself protected.

I haven’t talked about it much over the past five years, but every year I am forced to deal with my own auto insurance by doing my homework to try to save as much as possible on it. I simply hate making the payment for it, but we don’t have much of a choice as to whether to buy it or not since it is required by law in 48 of the 50 states. Only the states of New Hampshire and Virginia are exceptions, but even they have some requirements.* But if skipping on auto insurance sounds like a bargain, it isn’t. It’s time now to revisit car insurance and take a good hard look at the ways to save!

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Cars, Food, Health

10 Must Buy Generics (And 5 Branded Items Worth the Price)

There is a challenge I go through every time I shop and it’s one that I am betting you think about, too. It’s the brand names versus the generics thing that is kind of the “Ali versus Frazier” matchup that we all go through regularly!

When it comes to saving, generics are a great way to reduce spending. Here are 10 generics you should buy, plus 5 branded items I believe are worth it.

There is often some fear in people when it comes to shopping and buying an item they may never have heard about or seen before, and that’s even truer when it comes to generics. Those are the items that are not national brands, but swear that they can still do the job to satisfy your needs and wants!

Loyalty usually is a great quality, but it can be costly when you shop. Sticking to just one brand rarely makes sense when the only meaningful difference between a national brand product and its generic version is the price.

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Cars, Home

Freon and the Exploding Cost of Your Air Conditioning Units

Ever since 1970, we have been celebrating Earth Day and we just did that again this past week. You probably saw something on the news about it and maybe even participated to help celebrate it and defend the honor of our planet, too. Even if you didn’t actually celebrate it, you at least, hopefully, did some recycling of your own garbage that helped. And soon, like it or not, you’ll have to trade in your freon air conditioning for something more ecologically-friendly.

Freon air conditioning is a danger to our planet and is about to become significantly more expensive. Find out why and what you can do about it.

Let’s face it, Mother Earth has been fighting a huge battle against pollution now for what seems like forever and she hasn’t exactly been winning the war, has she? Climate change that has been aided by humans is a real issue and there are some ways you can actually help in the fight.

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Cars

Re-Cycle Your Transportation Costs with These Car Alternatives

You probably own a car. In fact, you may even own more than one car, even if your name isn’t Jay Leno. Owning a car in the U.S. is not only the favorite form of transportation, but it’s a huge and important industry for us. There are about 300 million vehicles currently here in the U.S.A. and that number has been increasing steadily every year since 1960. Only China has a bigger car market than the U.S. and that is simply because there are so many millions and millions more people living there. The penetration of cars per population here though is much, much greater!

Transportation costs can eat up your budget, so if you're spending money on a car (or more than one!), try one of these car alternatives to save money.

Here is something to think about. The cost of a new car today is on average $35,263, according to Kelley Blue Book. That doesn’t include gas, oil, insurance, and maintenance money you spend. Compared to a dependable alternative like a bicycle (about $250 for a pretty good one) or a motorcycle (at about $3,000-$5,000) and you can see the huge differences. Going for a scooter or moped brings you down to an even lower and even better bargain! So, have you ever considered these car alternatives?

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Cars, Insurance

12 Fake Myths People Believe About Car Insurance

There’s no shortage of wrong information out there about car insurance. Unfortunately, making decisions based on car insurance myths can and will complicate your life and cost you money. “Millions of Americans really could use a refresher on what insurance does and does not cover,” says senior analyst Laura Adams of InsuranceQuotes.com. And there aren’t just one or two fake facts out there circulating about car insurance either. There are many and that list seems to grow longer all the time, adding onto itself year after year. So much so, that you may actually fear insuring your auto and make a wrong or stupid decision when you do!

There are lots of car insurance myths that people mistakenly believe, and it could be costing you money. Here are 12 myths and the truth behind them.

Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, or just someplace right in the middle, you probably believe some of these ridiculous fake facts. You might have passed on bad info to someone else, like your kids or your friends. So here are 12 fake facts to rethink and get clear on to save yourself some grief and some money on car insurance next time you purchase it!Continue reading“12 Fake Myths People Believe About Car Insurance”

Cars, Debt, Food, Home, Personal Finance

Concentrate on the Big Three Expenses of Your Budget

Have you ever gotten through the month and breathed a sigh of relief because there was still a little bit of money left in your bank account? It’s a great feeling but sometimes it almost feels like a mystery. How did I do that? Why was this month such a good one compared to most others? Most of us are used to feeling stressed out because most of the time our money is tight.

When you're trying to get free from debt, little things matter, but concentrating on the big three expenses of your budget is the way to go. Here are the steps to take to eliminate debt from your life.

As ridiculous as this might sound, when I look at my monthly scorecard of what I spend and what my income was compared to my budget, I think about it like it is my NFL season record. You know, when I come in under my expense budget I feel like that’s a win and when I don’t it’s like a loss. I’d really love to have a 12-0 season, but frankly that hasn’t happened…yet.Continue reading“Concentrate on the Big Three Expenses of Your Budget”

Cars

Take Another Look at How to Save Money on Gas

Sometimes I sit and think that finding new ways to save some money is really easy. Easy in that if you actually take some time and think about it, then it can really pay off. In my own situation, I have to think about such things since I’m in the retirement phase of my life and no longer in my prime earning years. That’s a good reason all by itself but in fact it is something you should be thinking regardless of what phase of your life you are currently in.

There are many ways to save money on gas, beyond what you've heard before. Here are 11 money-saving tips that will help you spend less on driving and save more for your goals.

Money you save when you are age 20 or 50 or whatever age is money you can use for way more important things in your life like your education or your retirement savings or necessities like medical costs or paying off credit card debt. So I spent today thinking about something that most people in America do every day and how they can save money doing it, even beyond what they already do to save money. And that is how to save money on gas and driving.Continue reading“Take Another Look at How to Save Money on Gas”

Cars, Insurance, More

Should You Get an Attorney for Traffic Tickets?

I recently spent the day with my good friend who went to court on a traffic ticket here in my hometown…hey, I’m retired so I have a lot of free time on my hands. I was there as moral support armed with a little bit of knowledge that I have from some of the memorable and yet unpleasant experiences I have had over the years trying to fight a ticket in court.

Well, there’s some good news and some bad news here to report. The good news is, of course, you get your day in court before the judge. The bad news is that nothing I have ever experienced has really changed. You probably can appear in court until you are blue in the face, you’re more than likely to be ruled guilty as charged and you’ll have to pay a fine or worse. It may be even much worse than you think. So today I’d like to write about whether you need an attorney for traffic tickets.

Getting an attorney for traffic tickets may be the smart thing to do. Check out my experiences with traffic court and decide for yourself.

The System is Really “Big League”

If you have ever gotten a traffic ticket, like a speeding ticket, a drunken driving ticket, or a ticket related to an accident, then you probably have received from one to a dozen solicitations from lawyers who make a living representing people like you and me in traffic court. These guys practice this kind of law exclusively and sometimes handle dozens of these cases a week.Continue reading“Should You Get an Attorney for Traffic Tickets?”