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• Sometimes a hybrid is cheaper

  Posted Jul 10 2009, 05:26 PM by Karen Datko
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  Filed under: savings, Karen Datko, car models, cars, hybrid, car repairs
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  When an ever-vigilant MSN Money editor alerted us to a story about how hybrid cars can save you money, our immediate thought was, Say what?

  In fact, we had a post here this week from our friend Jim Wang of Bargaineering, who called the decision to buy a Prius an "emotional" one. Jim compared the purchase price of Toyota's popular hybrid with the Smart Fortwo. The Prius gets slightly better gas mileage but costs $22,000 or more. The price of the tiny Fortwo is $10,000 less.

  However, the Prius wins the frugality race hands down depending on what cars you compare it with and what car expenses you consider, says a story at MarketWatch called "Study shows significant savings in alt-fuel cars." This is worth reading, and so is the study (.pdf file).   Read More...

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• Buying a Prius is an emotional decision

  Posted Jul 07 2009, 05:52 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: savings, Bargaineering, cars, hybrid, gas mileage, car shopping
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.

  Did you see all the Toyota Prius commercials recently? The ones with the people dressed up as foliage and climbing on top of one another? It was to highlight how "green" the vehicles are and announce that Prius was launching another generation of the hugely popular hybrid-electric.

  At first, my wife didn't even realize they were people, and I to this day think it's just a little bit creepy. 

  However, despite the creepiness of the ads and the whole slew of new hybrid-electric cars, I would still love to have a Prius (or a Tesla). The only problem I have is that it's not a financially sound decision. It's an emotional one (which is fine, too).   Read More...

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• Need to reduce 2007 taxes? Act now

  Posted Dec 29 2007, 12:17 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: taxes, savings, giving, mortgage, hybrid, Jeff Schnepper
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Kay Bell of Don't Mess With Taxes, an exceptional source of tax-related information, reminds us that there's little time left to make several possible end-of-year moves to reduce your tax liability for 2007. Luckily, Dec. 31 falls on a Monday, giving procrastinators one more business day as the year winds to a close. Bell also gives us the good news that the IRS will start processing most tax returns on time, despite problems caused by Congress' last-minute vote on the alternative minimum tax. (About 13.5 million taxpayers will have to wait until February to file.) So, what can you do to reduce your 2007 tax burden?   Read More...

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