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Posted
Sep 25 2007, 03:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
If you really, really need to replace your vehicle, resist the temptation to buy a new model. A well-made, no-frills used car that's properly maintained can provide dependable transportation while saving you thousands. Do your research, insist on a low price and, if you can't pay cash, shop around for a low interest rate. When the loan is paid off, save your extra money for your next car.
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Posted
Nov 23 2007, 02:06 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This headline at Frugal for Life got our attention: " NFL punter saves 75% of paycheck ." Now, that's a positive role model, blogger Dawn C observes. She referred to an article in the Dayton Daily News dubbing Kyle Larson , a native son of Funk, Neb., "the cheapest Bengal" because he drives a 1994 Chevy S-10 pickup with faded paint and saves his money. "I try to think about the future," Larson told the newspaper. "Down the road, my wife (Lindsay) and I want to have kids some day. All that kind of stuff takes money, and it's best to put it in the bank." Some of his teammates think he's cheap, the newspaper article said, but others consider him wise to plan ahead. Some guys realize their high-paying NFL careers won't last forever. We hope he's investing wisely.
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Posted
Dec 03 2007, 08:27 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Beware the car salesman who acts as if he's on your side. In fact, beware all car salespeople. Million Dollar Journey alerts us to an article called "Confessions of a car salesman" at Edmunds.com, a Web site that's an excellent resource if you're thinking about buying a car. Million Dollar hits a few of the highlights, some of which made our skin crawl. Particularly creepy was the part about how the salesman can get you to come way down on the value of your trade-in.
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Posted
May 23 2008, 08:42 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Recently I used a coupon to get a $17.95 oil change and tire rotation at a local auto-repair chain. Along with the bill came -- surprise! -- a warning that more work was needed. They suggested a tune-up plus a flush of both the coolant and brake fluids because the former was "dirty" and the latter was "dark and dirty." Horrors.
This may have sounded like a scam -- come in for cheap work, pay for additional work -- but I believed them. It's been a long time since those chores were done. I'm not sure how long. According to an MSN Money article, I should have been keeping a service log instead of (usually) tossing receipts into a folder. Oops.
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Posted
May 26 2008, 11:59 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
As the price of gas goes up, many people's desire to own a big honking SUV heads south. And so may be the value of that SUV sitting in your driveway. A growing number of SUV owners are finding that they owe more on their vehicles than they're now worth. And those folks are going to have a heck of a time getting rid of them at a satisfactory price.
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Posted
Jun 04 2008, 03:52 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"Frugal Dad" has some great advice for buying your teen's first vehicle, and it starts with this: Don't buy your kid a new car. "Some out there hock their own financial futures to put their prince or princess in a brand new car, and pay for it long into their college years," Frugal Dad writes. "Not only is this harmful to the parents' financial plan, it sends a bad message to teenagers." Need we say more about encouraging a sense of entitlement?
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Posted
Sep 30 2008, 12:53 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"Frugal Babe" knows how to get the most from a car. Her 1991 Honda Civic has 214,000 miles and is still going strong. Her husband's 1990 Audi has 110,000 miles. If one of the vehicles dies, they'll become a one-car family. So when a reader complained that her parents are trying to force her a buy a brand new, "safer" car to replace a paid-off Subaru, Frugal Babe was ready with advice. Part of it came in the form of a question: How many people "on the interstate driving 80 mph, talking on the phone, 15 feet behind the car in front of them, bought their new car because of the safety features?" Or, allow us to paraphrase: Are you really making a frugal choice if you buy a huge vehicle for safety reasons and you figure that allows you to drive like a jerk?
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Posted
Dec 04 2008, 05:19 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Quartermain, Cathryn Sykes' trusty 1994 GMC Safari van, recently reached a big milestone -- 250,000 miles on the odometer, with the original engine and transmission, no less. She paid $9,000 in cash for him 11 years ago and has treated him with loving care. In return, he's dependably hauled hay, plywood and a miniature horse, plus occasionally pulled a horse trailer. What's not to love, she explains in an ode to her used van at Money to Spare. (Her dedication to her vehicle, "Quart" for short, reminds us of Miss Thrifty's regard for the fabulous Thriftymobile.)
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Posted
Dec 16 2008, 08:16 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from Mr. ToughMoneyLove at Tough Money Love. The holiday season is known for joyous celebrations with extended family members who may not see each other often. At least they are supposed to be joyous celebrations. Unfortunately, these holiday get-togethers are often catalysts for the emergence of dysfunctional behaviors that plague some families. There is something about the emotions and stresses associated with the Christmas season that can bring out both the best and worst of certain people in our lives. Money can be a hot-button issue in families at any time and particularly at Christmas gatherings, where the haves and have-nots perhaps can be identified by levels of gift giving. If your husband gives you dangly diamond earrings and your sister gets a new hair dryer, the green-eyed money envy monster can get unleashed in a hurry.
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Posted
Dec 19 2008, 05:59 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Filed under: spending, savings, The Simple Dollar, car models, gas prices, prices, cars, used cars, gas mileage, car loans, car shopping
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar. In just a few short months, the price of gas at the station I regularly use has dropped from $4.09 per gallon to $1.49 per gallon -- an absolutely amazing drop. Not long ago, I spent $82 filling up my truck (which has a 20-gallon tank). The other day, I filled the tank for under $30. From a strict personal-finance perspective (and ignoring the larger global economic concerns) this is fantastic news for most people. If you have to fill a typical car tank each week (12 gallons), the price change is saving you somewhere on the order of $30 a week. That's $120 a month, an amount that can really help with debt repayment, saving for a down payment, or preparing for retirement. This shift in gas prices comes at an interesting time for me and my family. My wife and I have been carefully studying potential automobile purchases, and our calculations had led us to focus on automobiles that are efficient with their fuel. Using our numbers, assuming a $4 to $5 gallon of gas going forward, fuel efficiency was so valuable that it often trumped a higher price at the dealership.
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