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Hopefully, after digesting one of my previous posts, some readers have decided to explore the wonderful world of used cars. Congratulations on you big leap out of the man’s propaganda campaign and into the more sensible Franco’s Army…the frugal, non-football version (on a side note, I only joke about “the man” because I find it funny. I’m a true capitalist at heart). So what are the most important things to consider when buying a used car? I won’t pretend that my list is exhaustive, but here a couple things that have done me well over the years.
A quick note for those that like to shop online (and for those that don’t, you are not fit to wear the “frugal” name). Always remember to do a quick search for online coupons before you checkout. I was shopping at Sports Authority today after I found out that my local Sport Authority would still string my tennis racket for free if I bought my strings off the website. Normally, I purchase the strings at the store, but the website had a closeout deal on $18 strings marked down to $5 (needless to say, I bought a couple). I also found some fancy new Adidas golf shoes (on sale…of course) and an inflatable pool for the Frugal Family to escape the summer heat. Before you knew it, I had run up a triple digit bill. As I was getting ready to checkout, I noticed the little box for coupon codes. A quick search for “sports authority coupons” directed me to Coupon Cabin where I found a 15% off coupon. A mouse click later, I was back at the Sports Authority checkout with a slightly fatter wallet for my troubles.
Buying a car is a difficult process and one that most people do not take lightly. There are so many variables and tradeoffs to consider…foreign vs. domestic, flashy vs. practical, new vs. used, cup holders vs. a car that parks itself (or something like that). Let’s explore the most important part (or at least it should be) of the decision making process…cost.
This post is really just an amendment to my last post as further elaboration is needed on the glory that is ebay.com and craigslist.com. Both of these venues offer great opportunities to get lots of stuff on the cheap and each has a unique advantage over the other.
Craigslist
The history behind Craigslist is quite interesting as it grew out of one man’s (Craig, believe it or not) house in San Francisco by word of mouth. The site has remained true to its grassroots with a pure text based website (no annoying, flashing banner ads), a skeleton staff of 24 people, modest profitability, and a refusal to sell out to the man (a la ebay…which actually acquired a 25% stake in Craigslist when one of the former principles decided that selling out to the man was the way to go).
How long do things stay new? It depends on your definition of “new,” but technically it is the moment right before you get your grubby little paws on it. So if that’s all it takes to label something “used” instead of “new,” people should consider buying discounted used products rather than their fully priced brethren. Sure, there is a whole litany of things that you don’t want to buy used (underwear, mattresses, and bathing suits come to mind), but many of the larger ticket items people purchase can be obtained at a bargain price in the used market.
Look…everyone likes going out to eat, so here are a few tips that Frugal Franco likes to use to make the experience a little easier on the wallet.
There is so much to say about this topic that I don’t know where to begin. I’ll start with a time sensitive deal that everyone should take advantage of if possible. Many grocery stores in my area (and I believe around the country) are offering a 10% bonus when you put your stimulus package (wait…this is suppose to be a kid friendly blog) rebate check toward an in store gift card. You don’t have to cash the physical check at the store. Instead you can put it on your shiny new cash reward credit card (that you had overnight delievered to you after reading yesterday’s post…very un-frugal of you) and save up to an additional 5% (depending on the reward structure). The Mrs. and I went hog wild with this one since grocery shopping is something we have to do every week. I wouldn’t recommend buying more credit that you can easily pay off when the credit card statement comes in the mail (or email) at the end of the month. Remember, if you’re going to use a credit card, make sure you pay it off IN FULL every month. Getting a couple percentage points back on all your purchases is great and all, but it’s never worth the double digit interest charges the credit card companies charge you if you carry a balance.
Wouldn’t you love to get paid for doing all your everyday tasks? Take a shower in the morning…$3, brush your teeth…$2, take the garbage to the curb…$4. Alright, so my analogies aren’t the best (fair warning — I love analogies), but hopefully you get the picture. But this type of opportunity is available to almost everyone through the use of no annual fee, cash back reward credit cards.
I use credit cards for two reasons 1) they are super convenient & 2) I get paid to do so. Credit cards can be dangerous if used improperly, so if you don’t trust yourself to pay off your balance IN FULL every month, than read no further. For those that can handle the responsibility, I highly recommend doing the following:
