The current recession is really causing a number people to take a hard look at their cars and how long they intend to keep them. Americans are holding on their old autos longer instead of buying new models. In 2008, the new auto market experienced a 16-year low. Used vehicles being traded in at dealerships averaged 6.3 years of age after the Wall Street meltdown in late 2008, about 6 months older than before the crisis, according to forecaster J.D. Power & Associates.
One of the things I enjoy doing every so often is doing a little research on the types of phrases and topics people are searching for on the internet. Fortunately, Google provides a really slick tool to do this called Google Trends. I’m sure it will come as no surprise to most of you, but one of the hot topics over the past few months is saving money.
I signed up for Netflix online movie rental a few weeks ago. So far we love it and are very happy with our decision and their service. We did wonder about Blockbuster vs. Netflix though for a while. I thought I’d share some details about Netflix with you and offer it up as a great way to potentially save money. We’re looking at it as one of the options for getting rid of our monthly satellite TV service.
I’ve been working from home full-time now for about 5 months and I’ve very quickly come to realize that not only is it far more enjoyable, but it’s saving me money. Here’s how it’s reduced my expenses:
When I was driving back and forth to work each day, I was spending roughly $200 a month in gas alone, not to mention the more difficult to calculate wear and tear on my vehicle. Now, I spend about $80 for work related travel as I do go into the office once a month. Net savings: $120.00.
When we first moved into our new home here in the mountains, one of the first things we did was order satellite TV. We didn’t go with a large package, just a basic one with local channels and a few kids channels. Expensive enough though. We have Dish Network, and the cost (even with bundle savings) is $64.77 per month or $777.24 per year.
Now that we live up in the mountains and things aren’t just a short 5 minute drive down the road, we’ve been using mail-order services far more than we ever have in the past. One of the services we’re tried recently is Omaha Steaks. We’ve been talking about trying them for years and just never did. Given that our the local grocery store that sells good quality meat is a about a 40 minute drive round-trip, we decided to finally give Omaha Steaks a shot.
Last week I invited readers and bloggers alike to share (or blog) your favorite money saving tips. I also threw in the added bonus that the most creative idea would receive a $25 Amazon.com gift card. 37 of you chimed in and shared more than 60 tips! I really enjoyed reading everyone’s ideas and below you’ll find a recap of everyone’s ideas.
Want to know who won? I’ll tell you after I share all the tips!
Jovan Jones shared: When making a purchase; stop and consider all the hours you worked hard to trade away dollars for that item you want
In April of last year, I invited readers to share their favorite money savings tips and in turn I received 41 money savings tips. Almost one year later, I would like to do the same and see how many tips you can come up with this go around. I love reading yours tips as do my other readers.
If you have a blog, blog about your money saving tip and email me a link. If you don’t have a blog, add your money saving tip by adding a comment below. Next Monday, I’ll pull all of your tips together into one big money saving reader tips article. Have more than one idea? No problem, share away, the more tips you share the more we all benefit!
About 2 months ago I got feed up with my Bank of America credit card’s incredibly high interest rate (29.9%) and started looking for credit card options with a lower interest that I could transfer my remaining balance to. I was paying Bank of America more than $100 per month in interest alone and was tired of it.
While the number of options are declining, there are still a number of great credit cards out there offering zero percent balance transfers.
The card I ended up going with was the Discover More card, and specifically the Discover More Sealife Collection Card. The Discover More card offers the following benefits:
I’ve been reading Does Your Bag Have Holes?, by Cameron C. Taylor. I’ll have to say, it is probably one of the best Christian based personal finance books I have ever read. In one section, Cameron shares some financial wisdom from a friend:
“After nearly thirty years in the financial business and having associated with thousands of wealthy individuals, I have developed a firm philosophy about people and money. If an individual does not clearly establish personal values and goals before making financial goals, then wealth and the accumulation thereof will begin to take on a life of its own.”
