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What Should I Look for in a Reliable Used Car?

09.21.2022 by Harry //

When buying a used car, it is essential to get everything right. So, what are the main factors you need to check?

When buying a reliable used car, the musts are to check the fuel economy and the body’s condition. Also, ensure the safety features are intact and inquire whether the vehicle has been involved in any crashes since its purchase.

What Are the Things to Consider When Buying a Used Car?

Let’s go through how you can assess your decision while choosing a used car. 

Keep Your Ears Open

Listen to any sounds that may be considered signs of a problem when taking the car for a test drive. Who knows, you may even be able to detect impending transmission failure, indicated by a gurgling sound. Grinding sounds could indicate a problem with gears. Look up common sounds of different mechanical failures before you check out a car.

Remember, if you suspect something is wrong, do not hesitate to ask questions and be critical.

Check for Signs of Neglect

When checking the car, keep an eye out for rust in its fenders and the undercarriage. The vehicle’s interior will tell you how the previous owner treated the car. Is the dashboard cracked and dirty? Are there rips in the upholstery?

If the car is full of fast-food leftovers and does not look like it has been kept clean, who knows what the state of the engine is like? So, maybe it is time to move on to other options.

Fuel Economy

This is an obvious one, but so people miss it. The fuel economy of any car says a lot about the engine’s current state. An easy way to gauge this would be to compare the fuel economy to other vehicles within the same class. Any major deviances should be investigated.

Safety Systems

Many cars, even those five years old or older, come with some safety measures fitted within the vehicle. These include ‘forward collision warning (FCW)’; automatic emergency braking (AEB),’ and ‘blind spot warning (BSW).’ These systems are essential for providing a safety net in case something terrible happens.

You can check for their functionality through the console of the car. Most vehicles come equipped with such a console. Keep this in mind when going for a test drive.

For example, the car should alert you when you get too close to the sidewalk when parking. However, remember that older or classic cars will not have these systems. They should have working seatbelts, brakes, and the dashboard warning system should work,

Keep Your Eyes Open for Mismatching Colors

Sellers will try to cover up imperfections and signs of collisions by repainting the vehicle. Luckily, in such a case, the colors will almost always show differences in shade. Look out for these differences and inquire about them if you find them.

This is why it is generally recommended to check cars in daylight, as these variances in color are hard to see at night or when it is cloudy. In addition, you can look up accident reports when you buy used from a dealership.

Use Your Nose

This may sound like a joke, but it’s not. Any smell that you don’t usually expect from the inside of a car may tell you something about the condition of the parts you can’t directly see.

It could be a sign of water damage and should be investigated immediately. For example, a mildew smell means mold is in your air vents. Similarly, burning smells can indicate clutch or braking system problems.

https://www.ridetime.ca/blog/the-7-most-common-smells-your-car-might-emit-and-what-they-mean/

Test Everything

Check the air conditioning, even if it is cold outside. Do the same for the heating system, even if you are in the middle of summer. Check all the lights and make sure everything is working correctly.

You can pre-purchase inspections at most auto garages and dealerships.

If you find something that is not working, factor it into your finances before deciding.

Conclusion

Even though buying a used car may seem like a good idea, given the money you could save, it is critical to thoroughly inspect everything.

Do not hesitate to take a friend along or consult a professional. No measure is too great, considering you are about to spend significant money.

Image credit: [Manusapon]

Categories // General

The 5 Best and Worst Coupon Apps

05.31.2022 by Harry //

Who does not love saving money? Coupon apps are one of the best ways to save money. From grocery apps like Ibotta to Shopkick rewards, smartphone coupon apps are great options to save money on the go.

Keep more dollars in your wallet by using these apps to shop for everything you would typically buy, from groceries and family fun days to clothes or dining out.

By offering coupons, promo codes, points, or cash back, coupon apps help consumers pay less for things they would buy anyway. Most apps are free, but not all coupon apps are created equal. Scammers create fake apps to look like trusted brands, and you can safely download them from the Google Play Store. Steer clear of coupon fraud and scams by avoiding too-good-to-be-true deals, following rules, and not copying or using expired coupons. 

If you love saving money when you shop, check out these 5 best and worst coupon apps of 2022.

1.    Ibotta

You have probably heard friends rave about this popular grocery app. Here’s how it works:

  • To save money and avoid buying extra stuff while strolling the aisles, you can open your Ibotta app before you leave home to check for any coupons for things you plan to buy.
  • Ibotta lets you mark the coupons right in the app.
  • Next, head to the grocery store to buy the items you usually buy. Remember to hang on to your receipt since you will need it to claim your savings.
  • Back at home (or in your car if you can’t wait), open the Ibotta app. Select the option to redeem your previously selected coupons.
  • You will need to scan the barcode on each item and the barcode listed on your receipt. The credit shows up as soon as a few minutes or up to one business day.

All you need to do is wait until your credit reaches $20, then you can cash out your rewards via gift cards, PayPal, or as a direct deposit to your bank.

It is one of the fastest, legitimate, and most popular ways to get real cash back for your everyday purchases.

What to Avoid

Apps that offer fantastic super savings and high-value offers need to be avoided. If you see an app, email, or website that provides a $500 gift card, coupon, or promo code, the chances are that it is almost always a fake.

2.    Groupon

While it is not grabbing the news these days, Groupon is the original everyday deal app and is still a popular player in the online coupon space.

Typically, most Groupon coupons act as a discount on a specific service or experience. For instance, you can get $10 off for $20 at a restaurant in your area. Or you can get a spa experience for two at a discounted rate.

Groupon can save you a lot of money at places that you already use. It is also a great discount tool to check out deals at a new place. Groupons can be used for a wide range of services and activities, such as eating out, skydiving, wine tasting, going to the zoo, going to a theme park, getting a spa day, going go-karting, or getting home repairs done.

Keep in mind that Groupon promos are time-sensitive. This means that you will need to use them during a specific timeframe. However, if you have already paid and the promotion expires, you still have the option to redeem it to get your cash value back. 

What to Avoid

Watch out if you see an app that’s the only app that offers that great deal. For instance, if all other websites only offer a 10% off code, a 75% off deal is probably a scam.

The 15 Best Mobile Coupon Apps That Will Help You Save Big Bucks

3.    Coupon Sherpa

You might not have heard of Sherpa Coupon, but it is a solid, older coupon app that offers many printable coupons.

Scan through the list for coupons for mall retailers, local department stores, big box stores, specialty stores, or restaurants.

The good news is that you do not have to print and clip coupons to take advantage of Coupon Sherpa.

These days, the site has a mobile app that can give you savings on the go.

What to Avoid

Check if the digital or printable coupons on an app lack legal information or expiration dates. Legitimate online coupons or printed offers will have coupon rules and requirements listed on the voucher. Digital coupons must always match the manufacturer’s guidelines.

4.    Shopkick

Although Shopkick isn’t exactly a traditional coupon app, this app is a great way to earn points at stores you shop at online or visit in person.

Shopkick has joined with many popular chain stores to enable this rewards system. Just turn on your location services, walk into a store, and open the app to collect your rewards.

Once you earn enough rewards, called “kicks,” you can redeem the points for a gift card to your favorite listed retailer—Target, Walmart, Kroger, Best Buy, Yankee Candle, and TJMaxx.

You can save the most money if you take a few minutes to look for specific items on the list, find them in the store, and scan the barcodes.

Another way to get even bigger savings is to shop on big sale days of the year, such as Black Friday, where you can often earn up to 200 kicks in one day.

You can even earn kicks for visiting store sites online, watching short in-app video clips, or scanning a receipt for a purchase made in person. Check the app to see which points qualify for purchases that you make regularly. It’s a great way to collect passive points while going about your everyday shopping.

What to Avoid

Do not ever pay for a coupon. A legitimate app won’t ask for money. So, anything that requires you to pay before giving you the offer is a big red flag.

5.    Coupons.com

This is a versatile app that you can use on both Apple and Android smartphones.

If you are always on the hunt for offers, then coupons.com is a giant company that offers a ton of deals for groceries and everyday purchases.

With the app, you can take advantage of these deals while on the go. Browse digital deals at places like Petco and Old Navy, or add the coupons to your Apple mobile wallet via the Passbook app.

Here are the top 3 ways that you can access your coupon savings:

  • Print an email from your computer
  • Print a deal from your mobile device (this only works if you’re using an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and some HP printers)
  • Add the coupon to your store loyalty card and scan it when you check out

Use your phone to store coupons and scan to get the best rewards at checkout.

What to Avoid

Watch out for apps that employ scammers’ bait-and-switch strategies. For example, this scam pretends to offer you a coupon code online, free and clear. Then, once you agree to it, it makes you fill out a form with your personal information.

Top 8 Tips to Save Money Shopping on Amazon

Image credit: [Getty Images Signature]

Categories // Earn Money, General, Savings

10 Ways To Keep Your Bills from Exceeding Your Income

05.25.2022 by Harry //

Bills and paying them are a natural part of life now. What is worrisome is when your bills start exceeding your income. You can end up in a hole due to financial choices or circumstances outside your control. Or you could lose your job.

There could be an emergency expense. You could experience lifestyle creep, where your expensive tastes start to exceed your income.

Want to stop living paycheck to paycheck?

Here are 10 ways to be more aware of your bills, how to lower them, and how to gain more money.

1. Assess and Break Down Your Finances

When you are trying to keep your bills from exceeding your income, the first thing to do is sit down and take stock of your financial situation.

  • Examine your net worth. Subtract your debt from your assets to get a good idea of where you stand. Then, figure out your cash flow.
  • This means determining how much money you have coming in each month. Then, compare how much you have going out in bills each month.
  • Once you have figured out how much money you have coming in versus how much money you have going out, breaking these big numbers into different categories can help you control your spending.

For instance, determine how much you spend on food, gas, utilities, rent or mortgage payments, credit card debt, clothing, student loans, car notes, personal loans, insurance, personal care, vacations, and entertainment.

2. Write Down a Budget

It is hard to keep track of your financial health if you are going by memory.

One of the best ways to visualize your spending and saving is to have an online app or physical planner where you write down how you will spend your money.

If you want to increase your spending, you can commit to avoiding personal impulse buying by putting a miscellaneous spending category on the budget. For example, you can buy clothing or tools out of this budgeted section without guilt or overspending if your other expenses are covered.

3. Slash Discretionary Spending

It is easy to go out to eat every week or get caught up in an impulsive Amazon spending habit. If you do not need it to live (rent, mortgage, food, or loans), then cut it out. If you have credit card debt, this is a contractual obligation that you need to pay.

Taking control of your financial wellbeing and reining in your bills requires determination. No excuses. This means that you may want to cook at home when you do not feel like it. Cutting out the fat can mean downsizing, cutting out fancy vacations, or canceling extra subscriptions.

Although it is hard to cut discretionary spending, taking this step is enough for most people to get their budget back on track. Even though it can hurt, cutting out unnecessary expenditures can put more money in the bank and help you sleep better at night. 

4. Prioritize Your Bills

Sometimes, trimming the fat from your expenses is enough to keep your head above water.

If you are trying to maximize your savings, you need to organize your debts. This can mean making hard decisions about which bills to pay first.

  • First, look over your secured debts. These are things like your car loan or mortgage. If you fail to pay these bills, you could lose valuable assets like your house or vehicle.
  • Next, make sure you budget enough to pay for your utilities and insurance each month. You do not want to drive uninsured or have your power cut off.

https://www.wisebread.com/6-steps-to-take-when-you-have-more-bills-than-income

  • Finally, review your unsecured credit card debt. While you want to pay these bills on time to avoid credit issues, you might need to put these payments on the back burner if you cannot keep up with your secured bills.

Keep track of your prioritized bills by using a good spreadsheet. When you have money left after paying essential bills, put that money towards paying down credit card debt. You can also carry forward any savings to your next pay period.  

5. Set Aside Money in Separate Accounts

As you create your budget, put aside money for recurrent bills each month. It helps accumulate cash to pay large, annual, or expected bills in a separate account.

In addition, putting this money into a different account will help keep you from siphoning off money that you need for upcoming bills.

6. Centralize Your Bills

Are you always stacking bills on tables or stuffing them in drawers? It is easy to overlook bills and skip due dates this way.  

One good method to ensure that you do not miss any bills is to organize them in a central spot.  

Organizing your bills all in one place can be as simple as buying a basic letter carrier box. Hang it up and pigeonhole your bills in it when they arrive. You can stick each envelope in a numbered slot.

Putting the due date even a day earlier than the bill’s actual due date can help you pay bills on time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py3rkSwsbyw

7. Pare Down Essentials

If you are desperate to escape living paycheck to paycheck and restore equilibrium to your monthly balance, there are extra things that you can do to tighten your belt.

Tweaking your lifestyle at home can help you save some extra money each month.

While you do not need to shiver in the cold darkness, you could reduce your cooling or heating costs. Consider turning up the thermostat when you leave for work in the summer.

Then, you can turn it back down when you come home to feel comfortable. In addition, you can cut down on your utility bill by not blasting cold air on high while you’re not home.

The same thing applies to heating costs. So, grab a sweater or an extra blanket and get cozy.

Even if it is not your favorite way to live, for now, things like reducing your power bill by turning off lights, doing laundry on a cold cycle, taking shorter or cooler showers, and switching off ceiling fans if you are away can all help keep your bills from exceeding your income.  

You can also get your family involved in saving money together by watching TV together in the same room instead of having separate TVs in each room.

See if you can live with basic cable or a streaming service option instead of the more expensive digital TV.

8. Pack a Lunch

One of the fastest ways to keep down bills is by cooking at home. Instead of grabbing lunch on the go or ordering takeout, buy meat, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Make your own.

Meal planning can save you money every day. However, you can also create healthier options. For example, take your lunch to the park or create a fun dinner date to spice up an everyday lunch.

You can also avoid spending too much on spontaneous dining with friends and family by avoiding going out at mealtimes. 

If you do not know how to meal prep or want some fresh recipe ideas, many cooking tutorials and tasty meal ideas are available online.

9. Get a Good Deal from Your Billing Company

Save even when you’re paying the bills by asking for options. If you have a good record with the company, their representatives are more likely to work with you if you have fallen on hard times.

Communication is everything.

For example, if you need to push off a bill this month, ask to switch your billing date. Some companies may let you set up a payment plan instead of paying in full. You might even be able to cancel extra features that you do not need but might end up paying for if you don’t ask.

10. Pick Up Extra Work

There is only so much fat that you can trim when it comes down to it.

Sometimes, balancing your bills and income means you might need to start a side hustle or pick up an extra job. Even if you do not plan to have a food service, retail, or hospitality career, seasonal, temp, or part-time work can help pay the bills.

Keep in mind that saving money can put you in a better financial situation for the future. However, just because you might have to make radical changes now doesn’t mean this will last forever.

Image credit: [Aajan]

Categories // Debt, General, Money Management

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Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

Popular Posts

  • Lending Club - My Review of Social Lending
  • Understanding & Improving your Cash Flow
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  • Our Monthly Debt Reduction and Savings Statements
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Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

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