Browsing Tag

car repairs

Debt

Using Your Car To Fix The Central Air Unit Of Your Home

With the summer months upon you, the lack of proper air conditioning can make you miserable. This mental state could affect everything from how you interact with the family to the choices you make in your career. Those that are unable to get a night’s rest can become irritable and irrational. This can all happen thanks to your central air conditioning unit being inoperable.

Many people are on strict budgets and are barely able to get by. Without the money to put into repairs, the home can become sweltering hot. Sure, you may install fans in the windows or an oscillating unit in the bedroom. However, there is a good chance that you’ll wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and unable to get comfortable. Without the upfront cash to pay the repairman, how are you able to get your life back on track?

June 9, 2014

Money Saving Tips

5 Ways To Save Money On Unexpected Car Repairs

If there’s one sound that none of us want to hear, it’s the sound of our car not starting. Although sometimes it could be due to something simple like leaving our lights on overnight or not having enough gas in our tank, oftentimes it’s due to something that is far more complex; something that requires spending money in order to get our car repaired. And aside from the fact that putting our car in the shop can be somewhat of an inconvenience, based on what the problem is, it can also result in having to pay quite a bit of money.

If you’d like some tips on how you can save money on unexpected car repairs, this is just the article for you. We’re going to share with you five ways that you can do just that so that you can be out on the road while still keeping money in your pocket below:

January 23, 2014

Money Saving Tips

Get A Second Opinion For Car Repairs

When you shop around for big -ticket items like laptops and appliances, you would likely be prone to shop around, right? Well, it’s a wise idea to do the same when your car is in need of a major repair. Why? Because you might be able to save a lot of money on your repairs by getting a second opinion. Not to mention the fact that you might also find out that some of the repairs that the first shop recommended may not be required.

We recently had to do some major repairs on our car. The first shop my husband took our car to estimated the cost to be about $100 more than the second shop. We generally just go to the shop nearest to us since it is so close and convenient, however, my husband thought it would be a good idea to try another shop since the repairs were so costly. I’m glad he did. For the extra bit of time it took him to get the second opinion, we saved some hard-earned cash that could be used towards other savings goals.

October 24, 2010

General

When Should You Stop Fixing Your Old Beater Car?

It is hard to know when to stop putting money into repairing an old beater car. Beaters can seem like bottomless pits, always draining your cash flow as year after year another component of the car gets worn out. There comes a time when it is best to just stop putting more money into it, but just when exactly is that?

The answer really depends on your goals for the present and the future. My husband and I recently faced just such a dilemma. Here’s our situation: We have a newer car that we rely on for our road trips as well as to commute to work, go camping, etc. We also have a much older and less reliable car that we use to get from point A to point B, which from now on will be referred to as our beater car. Since we both work at different locations, we each require our own car.

Unfortunately our beater car recently had some major issues that required us to cough up just under $1000 for repairs. At first we thought we wouldn’t bother doing the repairs and we would just donate it to a local mission organization to sell for parts. However, we ended up changing our minds and fixing it after all because for us, the alternative would be to simply buy yet another beater car.

September 6, 2010