Are you planning on buying a car and need an auto loan? There are three financial mistakes to avoid when you’re in the market for a new car, truck, pickup, or SUV that can make a big difference in your bottom line. Car Buying Mistake #1: Not Shopping Around For A Dealer Why is this a financial mistake? It’s not just that you want to compare prices. That truly is one of the most obvious financial benefits of shopping around for a car dealer. But … [Read more...]
Should You Get Rid of Your Car?
Lately on personal finance sites, I've seen a lot of advice recommending that people reduce their expenses by getting rid of their car. What should you consider before you get rid of your car? Where do you live? First and foremost, where do you live? I personally can't imagine giving up my car while living in my hometown. Rural midwestern community, zero public transportation, a single Uber driver (at last check), and very little in terms of … [Read more...]
What happens when you pay off your car loan?
After taking a hard look at my finances at the end of 2018, I decided that I would take money out of my savings account to finally pay off my car loan. If I continued with my accelerated payment schedule, I would have paid it off over the summer, but I decided I just wanted to be done with it. So I made the final payment the first week of January. I made the payment online, and confirmed over the next few days that my loan balance was now … [Read more...]
Buying a New Car
After just under 11 years with my faithful vehicle, I bit the bullet and bought a new car this weekend.Why did I buy a new car?A few reasons. I knew that my car was going to need some serious maintenance in the next few thousand miles. There's the standard maintenance and replacement that comes when your car hits certain odometer milestones. One of the window motors was also going, which is an expensive fix. Finally, the bumper and … [Read more...]
This Year’s Project
Every year, I take on a big project for my house. By big, I tend to mean an outlay of money. Whenever possible, I like these to be home improvement projects, because they only improve the value of my home. In the past, I've done things like having the fence replaced, the landscaping reworked, and the driveway and sidewalk installed. So now I'm wondering what I should do this year. I've saved up a chunk of money, and there are a lot of … [Read more...]