Nothing I'm about to say will come as a shocker, but it needs to be said ;) And that's because I'm getting dangerously close to a few of these! I know human nature will always play its part, but without reminders every now and then we tend to keep going until caught. So today, we tackle the law. And how staying on the right side of it will keep more money in our pockets.

Don't park illegally. You'll be faced with fines from $25 to $250 an occurrence! Or even worse, you'll get towed. And that's definitely no fun to work out - for both you and your wallet (especially if you live in a city like NYC or DC, bleh.) The Mrs. learned this the hard way the other month and she didn't even have to go far. She parked in an emergency lane IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD and was promptly handed a $250 ticket. She was pissed off to no end (she had parked there late at night because she didn't want to walk far alone), but it sure did teach us a lesson!

Don't Speed. Not only will you get slapped with fees, but it's a one way ticket to higher insurance rates! That one speeding trip costs you years of extra premiums for nothing. I know we never *try* to get caught, but some of you test the limits a lot more than others and you know exactly who you are ;) The last speeding ticket I got (knock on wood) was 10 years ago and the only reason I remember it was because I never told my dad and yet he "somehow" found out! haha...Cops, insurance companies, parents - none of them like it.

Don't Cheat The Government: Guess what? If you don't pay our taxes you'll be slammed with even more once you're caught! And possibly jail time. You still locked up Mr. Snipes? Stay on top of it the best you can or hire someone to do it for you. It may cost a little more, but it'll save you a lot more down the road.

Don't Go To Jail: Not only does it suck, but you can't earn any money in there. Or at least anything decent (I've been told you can earn a dollar or two a day doing chores?). That means all your debt & bills out in the real world will keep piling up awaiting your beautiful return.

And Lastly, Pay Your Bills on Time! It's not illegal if you don't, but it's a surefire way to keep burning money for no good reason at all. Banks and credit cards LOVE people who pay late so they can legally jack up the fees & interest rates! And unfortunately the only person at fault here is you :( So please, don't let them bend you over like that - stick with the game and pay attention.

Labels: advice, bills, car stuff, saving, taxes

So I got an email from a friend of mine this weekend, and she's faced with an interesting quandary.

Usually I can come up with some sort of advice (especially when it comes to money) but this one's got me stumped, and I'm hoping you guys can chime in and offer her up some of your own words of wisdom :)

Here's what she wrote, followed by my own helpful-but-not-really thoughts on the matter myself:

Hey J,

It's Brandi from - Brandi's Healthy Journey.

I have a dilemma... kind of. If you haven't read up on the blog recently my car exploded on the highway. I've had tons of people helping me out by lending me a car, taking me to work etc etc. This includes a few people looking for car options for me. These people have been great in sending me links to cars. Taking what I know I can afford and listening to what I want.

However, without asking me, my grandfather just today went out and bought me a car. He BOUGHT me a CAR. And he won't tell me how much it was (prolly at LEAST 2000 more than I told him I would pay) and he will only let me pay him the original $2500 I was budgeting for.

Now this has graciousness and awesomeness written all over it. However, to me it doesn't feel like a gift. I feel as if I'm going to owe him. I can't afford to owe him more than the $2500 I budgeted for. I also can't live with myself knowing that I do owe him. I didn't WANT this. I was working through it on my own. I was proud of how well I was handling it and I was going to be really proud when I found myself a deal I could handle and do it without having to owe anyone money. Well at least serious money.

So I'm asking u for advice. I don't know what to do. I tried talking to him about WHY I didn't want to buy a more expensive car before he went and did this and he did it anyway. Am I just being proud? Am I being stupid and ungrateful? I just feel as if he's cut the legs out from under me. I told him what i was looking for and what I wanted and that I would pay for it. And now, I feel as if he disregarded everything I asked and just did what he thought was best because 'I didn't know any better'.

What should I do? What CAN I do?

Thanks Dude,
Brandi

Tough one, right? My instinct was to tell her to accept it now that it's already happened, but to make sure her grandfather truly knows how she feels about the whole thing (that she's thankful, but also very upset). Unfortunately though it wouldn't solve her problem with the budgeting aspect, nor the feelings on paying him back (or not).

I then wondered if there was a way she could just return the car? If that were a possibility, she could remain thankful but politely decline the car, show she's a strong person, and then find the car she really wants without any more "paying back" worries! She thinks the only way she could return it at this point, though, is if she were to sell it her herself and then pay him back with the proceeds. Plus, she still doesn't know how much her grandfather even paid for it, nor how insulted he would be.

So, my dear readers, what do YOU think? She's given me permission to post this up, and is really looking for some honest to goodness feedback here :) Thanks guys!

Labels: advice, car stuff, in the real world, reader mail

You already know how I feel about Cash For Clunkers, but if you're planning on hooking it up you better do so by Monday! Although you never know how many more times the Gov't may decide to extend it ;) Sneaky little devils....for more detailed info check out MSNBC or Cash Money Life.

Labels: car stuff, crazy economy

Seriously, would it really be that bad? I know it sounds crazy, but I really REALLY feel the need to drive a sex mobile right now (or anytime for that matter). Perhaps someone out there would like a fancy budget blog? Say, for around $100k? Anybody? Bueller? ;)

A friend introduced me to this car club forum here in the DC area, and one of its members is about to give up his heavily mod'd Porsche! Apparently he needs the money for a down payment on a house or something...pshhh. If that doesn't show how expensive this thing is, he's also put in a good $10-$20k at LEAST in newer parts and upgrades! Wha wha wooooooooey!

Now, I'm no expert in cars (nor am I really IN the market for a new car) but I thought I'd write up a list of the pros and cons just to make me feel better...

Reasons to splurge and buy the Porsche:

• It's a Porsche!
• I could drive fast(er).
• I'd feel about 100x sexier.
• I could become a member of this DC car club.
• I could pretend I'm a rock star!

Reasons so just say NO:

• I would get more speeding tickets.
• People would try to race me and I'd look like an old fogie turning them down.
• I'm pretty sure it would cost way more to maintain than my '93 Caddy.
• I don't *need* a new car.
• I don't need a new car payment!
• It would cost as much as a down payment on a house.

If you haven't guessed it already, it looks like I'll have to pass and keep the good ol' dream alive. As much as I WANT this freakin' thing, my excitement level just doesn't override the financial implications at this point....probably because I'm getting too practical in my old age :( So as long as I don't go on any test drives in the near future, my wallet (and my marriage) is likely to be safe. BOOOOOO...

Labels: car stuff, splurging

Word on the street is that the "Cash for Clunkers" program may already be over - less than a week since it started! I won't bore you with all the details here (mainly because I'm lazy and there's already so much circulating around the webs right now anyways), but I did think it was prudent to mention. After all, you might have been excited to go out this weekend and start saving money by spending money! ;)

Haha...okay, well that's just one take on the whole thing. It was perfect for all those already looking to buy a new car! I had considered picking up the $4,000ish rebate myself and trading in the '93 Caddy - but then I realized I was an idiot and punched myself in the face. I LOVE that car! Sure it gets 14 mpg, but it runs just fine and I have ZERO car payments! Definitely not looking to spend another $443 a month again anytime soon, regardless of the discount...

But getting back to the breaking news here, does this mean Cash for Clunkers worked? If the gov't set aside $XXX and we already went through $XXXX, then yes? Or should it have lasted the entire few months originally planned? I'm not the right person to answer that one, I'm just glad it gives us bloggers something new to talk about ;) Your thoughts?

UPDATE: Lawmakers pass $2 billion bill to keep program alive
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Some great articles on it so far:
MSNBC @ White House Reviewing 'Cash For Clunkers'
Cash Money Life @ Cash For Clunkers Suspended Already?
*And my favorite from Man vs. Debt @ Dear Uncle Sam: Please Stop Stimulating Me

Labels: car stuff, crazy economy, free money

That's how much a friend of mine pays every 6 months - $1600! (ouch). I guess it doesn't help having a couple DUI's and a fancy a$$ sports car ;)

With extremes like that aside though, what do you think the average person pays for car insurance?
I'm going to guess $1000/6 months, and now google it and see what i can find.


Well, I was *kinda* close! According to CompuQuotes, the average is around $800/year. oh wait...so i was WAY off actually, cuz "per year" would make my guess @ $2,000...haha, oops. I also checked out another site (rmiia.com) that had the national average @ $816/year, so that # looks to be pretty accurate. In fact, this site breaks it down even better by showing it by state, and over a 3 year time-span so that's pretty cool. It looks like Maryland, where i reside, is up at around $949/year. Some of this info is a cple years old, but you get the point.

You like how i base everything on 6 months intead of 1 year? It's how USAA does it, so I guess I'm more in line with that thinking ;) In fact, USAA is the only car insurance company I've ever used! Crazy, huh? I'm just too in love with them to stray really, although i did try a cple times (shhh, don't tell!) but even then Geico, Allstate, and State Farm were wayyy off.

The Mrs. and I Pay a total of $706.51 every 6 mo's for 2 cars:

1. '93 Cadillac Deville, 6 Month Premium @ $330.30 with a $200 deductible.
2. '05 Toyota Corolla, 6 Month Premium @ $376.21 with a $200 deductible.

So for ME, USAA is the best, but it could be anyone's guess as to which is the best for YOU. There are sooooo many variables that get thrown into the company's calculations that make ya crazy - driving records, deductibles, coverage, the car you drive, the state you live in, the body parts you have - they all play a part in this silly game. I always recommend comparing quotes from at least 3 places for sure.

A co-worker also told me that some companies will knock off a few dollars if you pay the entire price up front too! Never came across that myself, but I know sometimes you can get a discount for having the amounts automatically deducted every month. I'm a big fan of breaking them into monthly payments than paying a huge chunk anyways.

So yeah, car insurance sure can differ out there. I'm hoping you all pay around the average yourselves, but if not let us know why! I could use some drama today ;)

Labels: car stuff, insurance

I've noticed it hasn't gone UP at all, but i feel like i just transported back into 2001! It's amazing. The last time i blogged about gas it was around $4-something and i filled my Toyota Highlander for $60.56!

Know how much i spent yesterday? $27.89!!! for the same almost-16 gallon tank full, only this time @ $1.96 - and that's for Premium! Dannnnng son, gotta love that. Now, my cadillac will def. use up more than the SUV, but it sure makes my decision to switch cars much better :)

I know there's a whole butt-load behind the reasoning for all this - supply and demand, oil reserves, blah blah blah - but i have my own theory here, and it's probably not original in the least:

I simply think gas gets more expensive when it's warmer out, and much lower when it's colder out. plain and simple.

The hotter it gets - the higher it goes! And the colder it gets, the lower it goes. whatcha think about that? i'm only basing it on this past year, of course, but it makes sense to me :) I don't need no stinkin' variables and high-tech gadgets to figure out this one! haha...

From this day forward, GAS is back on the friend list. And this makes me happy - i hate having enemies! And know what else makes me happy? It's FRIIIIIIIIDAYYYYYYYYYYYYY bitches! Now get out there and make poppa proud!

Labels: car stuff, gas

FiveCentNickel had an excellent post this morning on improving your gas mileage by slowing down.

It's one of those "theories" out there that people are always trying to prove themselves, and Nickel did it!

To be honest, I really dont' have the patience to track it myself, BUT his post DID remind me of my newest challenge.

It's kind of dumb really, but it's one of those things that i feel good about *if* I accompish it ;) it doesn't take much to get me excited - I'm one of those kids that would do anything if it meant getting a lollipop or slurpee afterwards. haha...

But back to my little driving challenge. For whatever reason, the Mrs. one day tried to drive from the entrance of our townhouse complex, all the way to our townhouse without touching the gas pedal once. She accomplished it on her first try, and it intrigued me. So i started doing it too! But after a cple weeks the challenge bored me, so i kept extending the length in road, leading me to my biggest challenge:

Going the last 1 and a 1/2 miles to our place without hitting the gas pedal once!

Now, i've got to tell you that it's quite a feat to accomplish. The first is trying to figure out how fast you'll need to be going at the start to get to the end. I've won this race only ONCE so far, and i started out at 29 mph. I KNOW i could make it more, but there are a ton of other obstacles in the way:

1. There are 2 up hills! Luckily, at the end of the 2nd one there's a nice down hill which shoots you right into the complex, so as long as you make it up that 2nd hump, you're smooth sailing!
2. There can't be any cars around you. That last hill REALLY kills your momentum, and i can tell you from experience that people do NOT enjoy watching your car litterally inching up it! I mean, i'd be pretty pissed about it too. This leads us to the 3rd major obstacle...
3. At times you will look like a P.I.M.P. creeping along @ night. Since there are always cars around you, the only time that really works here is going at night. And usually later in the night too. So, depending on what car you drive, you have to pass houses going 3-5 miles an hour until you read the top of the hill! And in my Caddy? Shoooooooot, i'd be pulled over in a sec. So far so good though! (watch me get pulled over tonight...)

I'm guessing it might be easier for others to try this depending on where you live, but i have to warn you that it does get addicting :) You'll find yourself trying to make even more challenges and crazy rules wherever you drive! Sometimes i catch myself trying to go a certain length with only 1 brake touch - it's bad. Whatever you do, just remember to be safe.

As Nickel said, driving slowly and more efficiently will def. save you some money. But make a challenge out of it and do it for the sake of entertainment too! It's a helluva fun way to spice up the drive home, that's for sure. Try it, you'll crack yourself up! ;)

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You can check out my other challenges here.

Labels: car stuff, challenges, money hacks, saving

$18,900 less in debt, and feelin' good! It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it sure was fun reaching the finish line.

I put the Toyota Highlander on the market about a month ago, and this was the first hit i got! And to be honest, I almost just deleted it from the inbox because it sounded pretty "scammy".

The guy had emailed me 3 different times overnight, and from 2 different emails, requesting different times to come and see the car! If that wasn't enough to sound the fraud alerts, what he wrote in one of them was "...if I like the car I'm ready to make the payment on Monday or Tuesday wire transfer or cashier check." I was like hollllllllllllld up...

I've heard plenty of stories of people getting scammed over Craigslist, and i sure as hell wasn't going to be one of them. I also thought it was pretty interesting that CL had added to the top of these emails a warning stating explicitly "** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping".

So needless to say i wasn't putting much thought into meeting the buy Saturday morning, and to make it worse i was hella sick with the flu :( But to make a long story short(er), i met w/ the guy and his "business partner" and we did the whole checking/test-driving/questioning routine - esp me, because i wanted to see if they were legit and if they were serious enough to drop cash (which i was adamant on in this case).

One of the guys started bartering w/ me right away - a sign that they wanted it - but wanted to offer between what KBB (Kelly Blue Book) considered a "trade in" and a "private party" value. Were they on crack? Yes my car wasn't in the excellent condition as KBB was showing at $19,900 (my advertised price), but it was a good starting point to bargain down. The trade in value was set around $15,000 ish....pshhhhh, did they know who they were dealing with ;)

We went back and forth, back and forth, and they ultimately wanted an answer from me right there on the spot. But i needed time to think about it, and for once in my life i said exactly that - I needed a few hours to think it over w/ my wife (wierd!) and I'll get back to them....it took saying it 3 or 4 times for it to sink in, but they finally agreed to it. Having read The Millionaire Next Door really helped me during this process!

To make the rest of the story short(er), we went back and forth on negotiations over 3 days, and came to a settlement. By this point, it was pretty evident they were serious buyers, and were pretty wealthy in there "side business", which i don't even WANT to know about! haha, and we agreed to the selling price of $18,900. It was $1k lower than i would have liked in a perfect world, but the tires needed to be replaced, it needed a new alignment, and there def. wasn't a line forming to check it out, so it worked.

The Financials
We met up on Tuesday morning, him with his $19k in cold hard cash (yikes)! And me w/ another Credit Card check to pay off the remainder of the $4,300 left on the loan. As I did w/ my Cadillac, I locked in a rate at 3.4% by calling USAA first, and it will last for 1 year until setting back to my normal rate of 5% (prime).

You might think it's pretty stupid to sell the car at a loss, which you'd be partly right, but for me it works. My ultimate goal is to have $0 car payments by driving an older car, and saving/investing the $450 i would normally be shelling out for the Highlander. So now, instead of paying $5,400 a year ($450x12), I could SAVE $5,400 a year! Of course, this first year will be used to pay off BOTH c/c xfers, but once complete i'll be smooth sailing :) Plus, I will get back a little over $1,000 when I cancel my extended warranty and the tire/wheel package, which always helps.

It was either this, or wait another few months till winter and put it on the market again, but it would still drop in value around the same, if not more, than what i pay off it each month. At least that's what i tell myself :)

So the long, and sickening (literally), weekend of bartering paid off. I am now back to having one car, a clearer mind, and a full on gameplan! I start paying off the $7,400 I now have in credit card debt next week - when my car payment used to be due - and Operation No Car Payment is in effect!

----------------
Here's how I got to this point:
- It's up for sale and everyone's hatin'
- I bought the Cady and slapped it on my credit card!
- I might by a new car!! I'm sexcited ;)
- Thinking about selling my SUV - should i do it?

Labels: awesomely awesome, car stuff, credit cards

Man, this time last year it would have been sold instantly! Leather, heated seats, 3rd row, 6-cd changer, all luxury man - it's a great buy.

But here we are, one year later and it's already got a bad rap. The second you call it an SUV (*ghasp!) it gets discriminated against :( Sure it sucks down more gas than the pretty boy Prius, but it doesn't mean you should hate on it - it's just looking for a new home.

I've been doing alot to get it marketed, as well as cleaned up. I bought a good $25 worth of sponges, towels, leather cleaner, chrome cleaner, brushes, wax, you name it! Then I spent 4 hours cleaning out the whooooooooooole thing, vacuuming and all. It may not sell anytime soon, but I'll tell you one thing, that bad boy is blingin' ;)

I've also listed it online going on 2 weeks now, but not even a nibble. Can you believe that? Not ONE email, call, question, nada. This is very strange for me as i usually have no problems at all selling things online. I never sold an entire, working, nice car on it before, but I know the concept's the same.

The problem i'm having, besides the obvious Gas Dilemna, is that there's just a freakin' ton of cars out there on the market. It's like the housing crisis, especially since I'm stuck on my asking price too. I can try lowering it until it's sold, but then I risk being upside down (even more) on the car....and that just plain sucks.

I'm still happy w/ the Caddy I just picked up, but as it stands I technically just put myself in even more debt - something that's probably not the best idea w/ the Mrs. going into Grad School next month. I just figured I would get at least a COUPLE inquiries, ya know? I gotta keep hanging tight though, and hope that the $100 I shelled out for marketing and cleaning it up pays off soon. If i'm really serious about letting it go, I need to keep giving it my all ...and believe me, the idea of keeping all 3 cars is DEF. sexciting to think about!

1 gas-happy car, 1 SUV for hauling stuff & winter, and 1 bad boy classic to roam the streets on the weekends! MM mmmmmm that's tasty. But, I can't think like that - The Mrs. needs the money for higher education. Just gotta keep telling myself that :)

Labels: car stuff, rant

Betcha didn't see that one coming, eh? Haha...Yes, after 5 days of test driving, researching, and thinking about it all, I decided to buy the Cadillac :)

And to be honest, I'm not even sure it was the 100% best thing to do financially at this point, but I made a decision and I took the chance. That's really the best way to learn anyways, right?

So how much did it cost? What are the deets?

The Price:
It was only $3,100! It was originally priced at $5k a month ago, then dropped to $4k, and then to $3,400 when I saw it. Guess the crazy high gas prices scared everyone away? Well I took advantage, and as much as i felt bad for the guy, I had to offer lower - $2,800 in fact. After some more bargaining, we finally settled on the $3,100.

The Car:
1993 Cadillac DeVille! Shiny maroon-red with tan leather interior, carriage top, and impeccably clean for a car it's age. Seriously, the thing is a beast. The owner was a mechanic, and car fiend, so he tweaked all the parts and made sure it was in top shape. He even loaded it with a new exhaust system to get that nice gargling sound ;) Pimp, much? OH, and he also added an alarm system, along with key-less remote (which didn't come standard) AND the best yet - A remote engine starter! haha... so i can start it from inside my house on a cold wintery day! MMmmmmmm.

The Financing:
Once I realized I was falling in love with it, it was time to figure out the financing. I checked w/ our local credit union, where my current car's financed with, and they just laughed i my face saying the car was too old. I then checked out USAA, of course, and the best they could do was 6.75% - not bad, but not all that great.

Then i had one of those "Ah-Hah!" moments and got to thinking about my credit card! The interest is variable, but $hit, it's only 5% right now! And plus, I only plan on having the "loan" until I can sell and payoff the SUV. Soooooo, I called back USAA and asked if there were any specials running and they were! If i used one of those checks they send out with the statements, I could put the entire $3,100 on it for a measly 3.4%! And it's locked in for an entire year - now THAT's more like it ;)

So now what?
Yes I found the perfect car, for a perfect price, and with perfect financing (for me, that is - i don't recommend going the c/c route if you don't work well with them), but now I have TWO cars. And that's on top of Mrs. Budgetsaresexy's car too!

Well, I now have to sell my SUV. And I have a feeling it's gonna be a tough one these days. Anything with "SUV" and "higher gas prices" involved is sure to get tricky. And worst case? I'll pay a little interest on the card, pay a little extra insurance, and drop the price a bit. I can't imagine having the car for months on end (knock on wood), but it is something to consider...just not as yet ;)

So while a plan like this isn't for everyone, i really feel like i'm on the right track and that I picked up a great opportunity. And not only for the car itself (which is totally rad), but for our financial future as well.

The day of zero car payments isn't too far away!

All I have to do now is sit and pray for some good offers to come in. Can you imagine the relief of losing $443 monthly car payments? My goodness that's sexciting :) I might have done things the other way around here, but damnit if i don't feel alive right now. That's life baby!

Labels: car stuff, credit cards

I just came across a killer Cadillac on Craigslist, test drove it, and now i want it! I really shouldn't have gone over to look at it, but I couldn't help myself. The best part, besides the price ($3,400!), is that it's owned by a mechanic! And one who enjoys supping it up a bit too ;)

I'm doing the research on it now, and will give my self a cple days to take it all in, but i'm 75% thinking of getting it. If i can figure out a way to pay it off quickly, that would mean ZERO car payments! Yes, gas would be crazy obnoxious, but at least i wouldn't have that $24k car note, right?

Ahhhhhhhhh Kelly Clarkson...

Labels: awesomely awesome, car stuff

I came across these twice in the past few days - once on a pf site which i can't remember for the life of me, and the other in this month's Money Magazine - so I'm taking it as a sign to share :) Some of these i've fell for, and others are brand spankin' new (and interesting) to me.

While i usually don't know what to believe out there, I'm sure these "experts" know what they're talking about. That's actually a pretty cool job if you think about it - going around proving myths aren't true! I wonder how much you get paid for that? They probably just go around asking experts in certain fields for their opinion....that makes more sense, but it's not as fun to think about ;)

Anyways, it's always good to separate a little fact from fiction, so here are the truths behind some of those gas-saving myths:

1. Gas up in the morning
I'll have to admit i've never heard this one before, but it has something to do with fluids being more dense in colder temperatures. So if you fill 'er up early on, you'll get more "gas molecules" for your money. Apparently the temperature of the gasoline straight out of the nozzel doesn't fluctuate much though, so it really doesn't matter. Oh well, it was a good try!

2. Change your air filter
Now THIS one i hear alllll the time! In fact, i heard it 2 weeks ago when changing out my oil at one of those Lube Centers (which i LOVE btw, you're in and out in 15 mins if you can beat the lines, and they check everything!) While changing your filter is good to do every now and then, the myth-busters say it doesn't help on gas. "Modern engines have sensors that adjust the fuel-air mixture as an increasingly clogged filter chokes off the oxygen supply". Huh. Interesting...unless you have an older car eh?

3. Use premium fuel
Same goes with this bad boy, your engine sensors can detect the lower-octane fuel and adjust accordingly. This only applies if the manual says premium gas is "recommended". If it says it's required - then you should DEFINITELY stick to that.

4. Put in an additive
A definite nope on this one unfortunately...and I'll be the first to admit i've tried a number of them out there! The idea of it is just so quick and easy, ya know? Oh well, guess we'll have to kiss those secret sauces away for now...at least it'll save a few bucks not putting it in anymore ;)

5. Avoid the AC
If you're driving in town, then it works! (hooray). BUT, if you're speeding along the highway, you might as well forget it. Keeping the windows down affects your mileage just as much because it causes aerodynamic drag...so you might as well choose your fav. option at that point - either way it just sucks. It also sucks that one of my boys told me this a few years ago and i just laughed it off....oops.

And there you have it, 5 myths all cleared up for ya! While it's no fair there aren't any secrets out there, at least you can concentrate on other ways to save on gas now - driving smoother, no heavy stop and go action, carpooling, riding public transportation, etc.

And who knows, I bet someone's devising a little somethin' somethin' as we speak to help alleviate our gas crisis!

Labels: car stuff, gas, myths

Money Hack #13456i89 - Start Spraying Away!
It's seriously one of the easiest ways NOT to spend money - just like when you make your own card instead of buying it at Hallmark.

While it may not be the quickest way to save or earn a buck (wash out that dirty mind of yours), it def. does the trick! Will Smith does it so why not you?

Here are my TOP 10 reasons to wash your own car:

1. Save Money! $7.00 to $15.00 depending on where you do it, and what you want done.
2. Get cooled down - A great way to deal with this massive heat wave.
3. Feel productive - when was the last time you did something yourself, instead of paying to have it done?
4. Feel like a kid all over again - Unless you're already a kid...but then you actually get PAID to do it ;)
5. Show off your sexy bod - Throw on your bathing suit and flip flops, and spray away!
6. Impress your other half! Hook up their car too and score mad points :)
7. Impress your neighbor! Hook up a neighbor's car while you're on a roll - i swear you'll be rewarded for this one.
8. Kill 2 birds w/ 1 stone - Water the flowers, plants, bushes, lawn, etc too. Or how about washing away those cobwebs on the outside lamp post?
9. Do it on your own time - Don't have to worry about store hours, or long a$$ lines.
   
10. Drive away looking hot and sexy! My personal favorite part - rolling down the windows, and pumping out Kanye West with the shiny paint, and rims blingin'!

So whatcha waiting for? Unless you're at work reading this (as am i), it's time to get outside and enjoy the summer. Come on, peer pressure!

Labels: car stuff, money hacks, one of my lists

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Guest Post: Carrie from Fantastic Sarcastic. One of my all-time favorite non-pf bloggers EVER. Seriously, i love her blog. Clever, funny, and just so freakin' refreshing! She also happens to be another of my writing twins ;) Take it away girl...
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While Mr. & Mrs. Budgets Are Sexy are, um…I presume getting sexy on their honeymoon, I have been invited to guest post. I’m Carrie from Fantastic Sarcastic – although not a Personal Finance Blogger, I am a fan of the PF Blog world and Mr. J. Savings in particular. I mean, how can you NOT like a blog named Budgets Are Sexy?

In these times of $4/gallon gas, rising food prices, and that scary word recession floating around, I've been thinking a lot about the value of PATIENCE.

I consider myself a fairly patient person, yet I constantly have to remind myself to slow down, wait it out, etc. Our culture is so programmed for immediate gratification that practicing patience can be difficult at times.

For example: I keep reading that once your car passes 60 miles an hour, your fuel efficiency decreases. Although the speed limit on the freeway in Seattle is 60, of course that means I usually drive 65-70 miles an hour. But when I think about it, do I really NEED to go that fast? Will shaving a couple minutes off my morning commute make that much of a difference? Not really.

So lately I’ve been telling myself that it’s okay to stay in the slow lane for a few miles. There’s no need to curse at the old dude in front of me, to huff and puff at the minivan taking its time on the onramp, or especially to scream “Oh my God! Speed up, already!” at the semi truck in the fast lane.

Instead I keep telling myself to have some patience, chill out, and reap the benefits of fuel efficiency and more money in my pocket.

The same can be said in a multitude of other financial situations. Instead of “I NEED to go see Indiana Jones in the theater NOW!” you can wait until it’s released on DVD.* Instead of buying a hot new electronic gadget immediately when it comes out, wait a few months – or longer – until the price goes down.

The waiting game and nurturing our patient sides isn’t always very fun (or sexy!), but in the long run, it’s usually worth it.

*Full disclosure: The Indy example was completely hypocritical. I just saw it in the theater and it was AWESOME. But you get my point.

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Yours truly is honeymooning in the Caribbean and wishes you a very sexy day.

Labels: car stuff, guest post

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Guest Post: Mike from CleverDude.com. I've been a fan of his blog for months, and was pretty excited to meet him face to face during one of our DC area happy hours (holler if you'd like to come out one day). Mike has written one of the most helpful posts I've seen, and I recommend it each and every time a blogger asks for advice: 50 Tips for New Personal Finance Bloggers. Enjoy today's post!
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Prior to starting CleverDude.com, I thought nothing of just letting the car idle when I was waiting outside of a store, parked in my driveway, or waiting to pick up my wife from work. But now that I'm focused on finance daily, either writing articles or working with our own money and budget, I look for ways to save money in the most common and uncommon ways.

Well, this is one of those common, and common sense, ways to save money.

When I walk through the parking lot now, and see a car just sitting there idling (i.e. the engine is running for no reason), I just want to walk up, knock on the window and ask the driver (or passenger) why they're doing it. I've refrained from doing so thus far only out of fear of getting mistaken as a carjacker and shot. So instead, I'm spreading the word here in hopes that at least one person turns off the car when idling. Not only will you save money and gas, but depending on how long you're idling, you'll save a bit of wear on your engine. And don't chime in about the wear-and-tear on your starter; it'll survive just fine.

You don't need to limit the times you shut off the engine to just when you're outside the store or your home. Now, at traffic signals with which I'm familiar, I stick my truck in neutral and shut off the engine. The only reason I don't throw it into park is because all my doors automatically unlock and I'd rather keep them locked for my protection.

At the traffic light near my home, if I get the red light, I know I have at least 45 seconds of idling so shutting off the engine for that time is definitely worth it. I know when to start up the truck again by watching the pedestrian crossing signals and when they start flashing red. Some signals even give you a countdown which helps your timing even more.

The Safety Factor

There's only one main argument against shutting off your vehicle while on the roadway: getting out of the way of emergency vehicles (or just getting out of the way). But here's the thing; you have more than enough time from hearing the sirens to turning on your engine and moving. Personally, I've never been caught in this situation, but I have forgotten the truck was off once or twice and it was only a split second to start up and get moving.

Getting Your Stuff Done BEFORE Starting Up

Lastly, how many times do you start up the car, then buckle up, then situate your cup of coffee, then adjust the mirrors, then plug in your phone to the charger, then blah blah blah. How about you take care of everything else BEFORE starting the car? All those seconds add up and keep in mind that it's not just about saving money, it's also about not wasting.

So overall, if you aren't comfortable with turning off your car while in traffic, I hope at least you'll shut it off when you're just idling in the parking lot or driveway.

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Yours truly is honeymooning in the Caribbean and wishes you a very sexy day.

Labels: car stuff, guest post

I know there's been a 345,456,77.15 articles out there on this whole gas fiasco, but it wasn't until last night's fill up that it actually hit me...

These gas prices are ridiculous! I could have bought a used computer instead! (okay, so that's a little exaggeration...but great googly moogly just the same.)

Care to take a guess how much it cost me to fill up my SUV? And keep in mind, I have a Toyota Highlander which is quite respectable in it's class for consumption: $60.56 - for less than 16 gallons!

I know it's not the end of the world, some people are spending over $4.50/gallon. But it's just that i kinda blocked the whole gas thing out, and was doing SO good at not letting it get to me :( Needless to say, selling the car will be back on the consideration list again.

Wanna know the saddest part about this? The other day when i was going through my old planner (from back in the college days) i found a "receipts" pouch and took a stroll back memory lane. I nearly fell over at what i saw: Gas per gallon back then - $1.02.

W-O-W.

Labels: car stuff, gas

Labels: car stuff, sweepstakes

Not too shabby. I was hoping a few of my 401k deposits (7 to be exact) would hit my account, but still no luck in that department. it's all good though, it should be cleared up by the end of April.

All the other categories are moving along pretty nicely, w/ the exception of my stupid car situation :(

Value down almost $1,000?? COME ON. i hate cars. seriously, every month it's gone down like $1k, and i'm only paying off $300+ of the principal per month. i keep saying i may sell the car, but now i actually LOVE IT! ha ha... whatever, i'm too much in a good mood to get into this right now. we'll deal later.

Here's it all played out last month (Mar):

Cash Savings: Definitely a nice little jump. i'm putting my savings bonds in this category for now (prob. will create it's own section later), so $200 of this increase is related to finding out how much they're now worth. Yay! the additional $272 were from savings of going under budget :)

Roth IRA: Haven't added any additional funds in months, so i'll take an increase in earnings any day! Keep doing your thing mutual funds ;)

401k: Not impressive at all. Granted, it could def. be a billion times worse w/ the way the market is these days, BUT still. I mean, i'm contributing 19% of my paycheck twice a month. At least i have something to look forward too - once all is back to normal, i should see $4k increases each month (not including ups and downs in the market)! Y-U-M.

Condo Investment: Still creeping along nicely. I like helping family out.

Home Equity: This will remain the same over the next few months. We basically paid a large chunk of the mortgage off cple months ago (not on purpose), and since we have interest-only financing, we're taking a break until after the wedding to get more situated.

Auto Worth (kbb): ARRGHHHHH. that's about it.

Credit Cards: We're knocking them away month after month! I was paying off both cards evenly ($100 a piece), but now i've decided to pay more off the card where the 0% financing is ending first, while paying minimal payments on the other. As it stands right now, both cards are at 0%.

Auto Loan: Measly $300ish principal payment out of the $440 i'm sending in each month. Arghhhh again.

ps: i also updated my side bars to reflect the new & hip scenario.

Labels: car stuff, net worth

I'm one of those people who have buyer's remorse pretty frequently, esp. when it comes to something w/ a lot of options.

Usually i can't tell if i want a red widget, or a blue widget and usually come to the conclusion that i wanted the opposite of the one i brought home.

Normally this doesn't present a problem as i can just return said widget to the store and get the one i think i really want. When it happens with big ticket items, however, i can get myself into trouble.

This brings us to today's dilemma.
To keep my 2005 SUV, or to sell my 2005 SUV? I purchased it last summer as my favorite car in the entire world conked out on me; a '93 DeVille in pristine condition...well, except for the conkin out part ;). When it comes to cars, it seems my A.D.H.D. kicks into overdrive (no pun intended) and I will usually go 1 of 2 extremes. An older "classicy" kinda car w/ no car payments, or a newer more reliable kinda car with heavy payments. In this case, i chose the latter.

The PRO's on this are abundant: newer, cleaner, reliable, shiny, more fuel efficient, etc.
The CON's are too: WAY more $, and paranoia of someone scratching, dinging, or just plain ol' wrecking it. Not to mention losing value each month I own it - and more so than the actual amount being paid off each month :(

These PRO'S originally sold me on it, however, buyer's remorse (if you can still call it that one year later) has since played its part. I'm pretty ready to give up my high payments for a decent old beater. I'm guessing this is due to my new found frugality, because i really find my car physically attractive (in a very non-sexual way of course). Limited Edition, v6 all wheel drive, leather interior, 6 cd changer, chrome rims, sunroof, and heated seats! I got a great deal on it too, but still it's $23+k that is still tugging at me asking if i really *need* it, ya know?

As it stands today, i am 65% thinking of listing it and seeing what happens. I figure if i DO get takers, then maybe it's meant to be and i should let her go. I could then share my fiancée's car, split the payments, gas, etc with her and save a good $500/month easy. Maybe do that for a month or two while looking for an older car?

I dunno really. The weather can also get pretty horrible w/ icings and snow all over, and in those times i turn into the SUV promoter! haha... I guess what i really need to just do is weigh the goods and bads thoroughly one more time, and then make a decision once and for all. All this wishy washy drive me absolutely C-R-A-Z-Y.

We shall see what happens ... you know i'll keep ya posted :)

Labels: car stuff