Vehicles
The Road to Financial Freedom…
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
…is driven in a paid-for vehicle. While developing a set of detailed recommended spending plans for various size households at various incomes, it became clear to me that in order to live in financial freedom it’s essential to avoid financing vehicles. MSN recently pointed out that most of today’s vehicles should be able to make ... [Read more]
Car Loans Gone Crazy
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
America is a car-crazy culture. Consider these statistics from a recent Minyanville article. In 1970 there were 529 cars per 1,000 people in the U.S. Today there are 765 cars per 1,000 people. The number of cars per person in the U.S. is 40 percent higher than in Europe, 500 percent higher than in China, ... [Read more]
Thriving After the Recession
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
While a lot of people are still deeply impacted by the recession, a number of post-recession articles are starting to emerge, including one from US News & World Report that suggested 10 ways to “thrive” after the recession. It described the new “evolved consumer” who “shops with more discipline and focuses on buying products with ... [Read more]
All Worn Out
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
There was a good post on the Wisebread blog recently about the author’s preference for things that wear out rather than fall out of fashion, break, or become technologically obsolete. He noted that people’s primary reason for replacing something used to be that it wore out, whereas today the main reason is more likely due ... [Read more]
All Worn Out
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
There was a good post on the Wisebread blog recently about the author’s preference for things that wear out rather than fall out of fashion, break, or become technologically obsolete. He noted that people’s primary reason for replacing something used to be that it wore out, whereas today the main reason is more likely due ... [Read more]
Mending is Better Than Ending
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Lots of businesses are hurting right now, but not those involved in fixing and mending our stuff. According to an article in Time magazine, cobblers and tailors are thriving as people opt to repair old shoes and alter ill-fitting clothes rather than replace them. The same is true for shops that repair everything from cars ... [Read more]
How to Spot a Lemon
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
This sure seems like a good time to buy a car with all the incentives being offered by ailing carmakers. However, a deal isn’t a deal unless you were in the market for the item anyway. And I’m a strong believer in keeping vehicles as long as possible. But if you really _are_ in the ... [Read more]
When Smart Shopping Becomes Disturbing
Friday, October 24th, 2008
A new study of Wal-Mart shoppers (and that’s 9 out of 10 of us) shows that the economy is reshaping how we shop. As reported by USA TODAY, Wal-Mart has seen a double-digit decline in credit card use, a noticeable shift from the sale of discretionary products to necessary products, twice as many private label ... [Read more]
Building On a Solid Foundation
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
Much of the financial crisis gripping our country can be blamed on bad mortgages. Some say the mortgage mess is due to a lack of regulation or corporate oversight. Others say borrowers simply bit off more than they could chew. While the blame game intensifies, the Associated Press just reported on new Census Bureau data ... [Read more]
Economizing Now and Forever
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008
In the last issue of this eNewsletter, in an article about changes people are making in response to our tough economy, I asked what changes you’ve made that you believe will be permanent. Among those who wrote, Maria says she’s been taking a bus to work instead of driving. She’s saving money by doing so, ... [Read more]
Changing Our Money Ways
Monday, August 18th, 2008
With our tough economy leading people to eat out less often, switch from SUVs to gas sippers, and generally spend less, an MSN columnist recently wondered what would happen if we all suddenly got and stayed money-smart? That is, what if we paid our credit cards in full each month (46 percent of households carry ... [Read more]
The Right Way to Save on Gas
Thursday, April 24th, 2008
You’re doing all that you can to save on gas these days, right? You’ve made sure your tires are properly inflated; you’ve taken all the heavy stuff out of your trunk; you’ve even taken to turning off your engine while waiting for a train to pass by. Ah, but there’s one more step you can ... [Read more]
You Can Pay Me Now or…
Sunday, February 10th, 2008
Spending money on vehicle maintenance is like flossing our teeth. A little bit of unpleasantness on a regular basis can ward off a whole lot of unpleasantness down the road. According to a Bankrate.com article, $1,000 of vehicle maintenance can prevent $8,000 of repairs. The article highlighted the need for regular oil changes, tire rotations ... [Read more]
Getting Used to Saving Money
Sunday, February 10th, 2008
It’s car show season, the time of year when people pay to see the latest versions of one of the fastest-depreciating items known to man (can you tell I’m not a “car guy?”). A recent article by Yahoo Finance columnist Laura Rowley encouraged readers to save their oohs and ahs for the savings they’ll generate ... [Read more]
