I have the same car I had when I met my husband, an SUV that I bought used. We have been married for 12 years. The SUV is now almost 15 years old. While it isn’t our primary car, the birth of a third child necessitated a third car seat which would not fit the backseat of the SUV, it is still used quite a bit as a second car. Unfortunately, it is getting to the point when we may have to give it up. According to the magazine, Consumer Reports, you can save thousands of dollars when you keep … Continue reading →

I don’t want to sound like a television or Internet ad. I really don’t. But the fact is that most of us are paying too much for car insurance. Here are some ways that you can reduce that expense. Reduce the number of cars The quickest and most dramatic way to reduce your car insurance expenses is to reduce the number of cars that you drive. While this may seem obvious, consider it a way to start really examining whether or not you really need all of the cars that you currently have. Whether it is one car or five, … Continue reading →

Give me one good reason why we should keep this car. Actually, give me at least three. I’m ready to call it done. On Monday, my husband called from work to tell me that the brakes on one of our cars went out. Fortunately, this occurred when he was pulling into the parking lot, so the problem didn’t cause an accident. It is a scary thing of course, and I wonder why our regular maintenance checks didn’t catch a potential problem. We expected the repair bill to be reasonable, about $100 or so. So, we were floored when the shop … Continue reading →

Owning a home isn’t for everyone. Sometimes it just makes sense to rent instead. Still, since rent is often the biggest item on the budget, it is important to do what you can to save money while keeping a roof over your head. Negotiate Negotiating up front can save you the biggest chunk of cash. If you can negotiate to lower your monthly rent, you will continue to save as long as you are in the apartment or rental home. Your landlord may be more likely to negotiate if you are willing to take a longer lease, have an excellent … Continue reading →