March 25, 2018 - Oh My Heartsie Girl

March 25, 2018September 29, 2020

Can You Save Money By Leasing a Car?

For a long time, we have all been wired to believe that buying a house is more convenient than renting. The same may also apply to a car. Many reasons support purchasing a car but have you ever considered the advantages of leasing over buying? Here are some of them.

Reasons why Leasing is Better than Buying a Car

To begin with, one needs not plan a long-term devotion. Many leases have 24, 36, 48 and 60-month terms. You do not have to get stuck with a car that you do not like forever. Leasing also favors those who do not like long-term commitments.

Moreover, there is no need to cater for significant repairs. Buying a car means you have to personally foot the maintenance and repair costs and sad enough you might end up stuck with a faulty vehicle. Leasing lasts a few months, and most leased cars are relatively new and therefore fall under the warranty of the manufacturer.

Furthermore, the monthly payments will be cheaper. When leasing a vehicle, you do not have to pay the whole price of the car. You only need to pay the depreciation cost and an additional small fee. Leases also require only a tiny down payment than when buying a car.

Leasing also gives you a chance to dodge dealership. When heading to a dealership, you may be presented with inappropriate information that might be a bit confusing. Leasing allows you to avoid dealership and only deal with brokers who are trained to help with the leasing procedure.

Also, there are no resell hassles. Once your leased term is over, you just return the car to the dealer. There is no need to get worried about finding a new buyer and meeting up with strangers handling somewhat tedious craigslist inquiries. There are few precautions here though. If you do a lot of driving and is likely to subject the car to a lot of wear and tear, you might just as well buy a car. This consideration is because the mileage and wear and tear expenses will be included in the monthly fee. This can be particularly useful for Uber car hire as some jobs like this can be temporary

Last but not least, it is possible to enjoy many tax write-offs that include a portion of depreciation if you utilize the car for business purposes. These deductions are not available to people who buy a car on loan.

Terms of Leasing a Car

Before leasing a car, you need to acquaint yourself with the terms used when renting a car. We have words like, depreciation which constitutes the most significant part of a lease payment. Typically, the value of a car depreciates by 50% over a 3-year period. Other terms include Capitalized cost, capitalized cost reduction, Adjusted Capitalized Cost, acquisition fee, just to name but a few.

In a nutshell, leasing a car is by far the most advantageous way of getting you a car. You can also read this guide to get the best tips on where, how and additional information on car leasing.

March 25, 2018September 4, 2020

Fun Family Outings

Having a family is one of the most rewarding things most people will ever do, but it’s not exactly financially rewarding. Put another way, it can get really expensive really fast. It’s also normal to want to go out as a family and enjoy the outdoors at a festival. It’s way too easy to sit around at home and watch Netflix so getting out of the house and bonding in a new way can do wonders for the family dynamic. The trick is finding something that’s fun enough to justify the cost. There are activities that are pricey enough for one person. When you send four or five people, it can feel downright ridiculous.

Sporting events

Sporting events are generally considered a safe, reliable source of entertainment for everyone from ages 5 to 95. Nothing about a football game involves a lot of cursing or sex (though there is some violence in the tackling). You don’t have to read reviews of a football game beforehand to make sure that the kids won’t be exposed to anything unsavory. Sure, there may be drunk, loud sports fans sitting behind you or around you, but there are drunk and unruly people in lots of places. It’s best to avoid them otherwise you may find yourself needing the help of a personal injury attorney. Want to avoid this and have the best time possible? Look for Family Fun Nights that offer discounted concession items or merchandise giveaways. Be flexible when looking at games to attend, too. Maybe bring the whole family to a college baseball tournament in Lansing, MI or look to the calendar for when the best team in your favorite sport comes to town. Of course, some teams will always be big-time box office draws, like the Patriots or Yankees. You can still buy Yankees tickets for the family, of course, but be smart on timing so that you don’t have to spend an exorbitant sum.

Movies

For decades, families have been loading up the station wagon or SUV and heading to the local cinema. Every year, studios release dozens of movies aimed squarely at cornering the family movie market, and they’ll keep doing that as long as people keep showing up. People are still showing up, but a bit more begrudgingly. Ticket prices are going up. If each adult ticket costs $12 and the kid tickets cost only a bit less, a family of five can easily drop $50 on tickets alone. Then you get to the concession stand and find that a bag of popcorn is $12, and nachos are $10, if not more. To lessen the impact on your wallet, look for matinee showings, especially if your kids are younger and don’t have a ton of experience sitting in front of a screen for two hours in public. Some movie chains offer rewards programs that can also soften the blow a bit.

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March 25, 2018

Tips for an Unforgettable Anniversary

When you got married, you were probably googly-eyed and madly in love. Hopefully, you’re still madly in love, but you’re no longer googly-eyed. You’ve woken up to the real world–marriage is hard work. It takes effort, education, and a lot of unselfishness. No one can walk into a marriage, not do any work, and expect things to go well. Now that you know how it works, however, you wouldn’t change it for anything. With every passing year, you realize that that dose of extra work is what makes it feel so worthwhile. We love the things we put effort into, and you adore both your spouse and your relationship with them.

Celebrating an Anniversary — Image: Pexels.com

If your anniversary is coming up, you may be in the midst of plans. An anniversary is typically a time to slow down, get romantic, and get nostalgic about your relationship thus far. If you and your spouse could use a relationship boost, or you just want to celebrate how well things are going this year, take some time out to really celebrate your anniversary.

Unplug

To really experience success on your anniversary, don’t keep one eye on your phone. For the afternoon or weekend that you spend celebrating your marriage, really get work, kids, and other life stresses out of your system. You may need to spend several days before the date talking out some of your life frustrations with friends, so that you’re not burdened with those feelings when you’re trying to focus on your spouse. Make your time together all about each other, and make sure you’ve been connecting steadily in the weeks leading up to your trip–otherwise your time alone could suddenly turn into time to resolve issues! Relax and unplug from life together, visiting a resort and spa, wandering through nature, or enjoying a beautiful meal.

Try Something New

You might be stuck in a rut when it comes to anniversaries–same dinner, same restaurant, every year. If you need to spice things up, try something radically different. Fly to Florida: try a new restaurant, like a seafood and crabhouse, and try new food–it’s never too late to try squid! Get out of your rut by doing the things you used to do when you were dating, or trying something together you’ve never tried before. Getting away is only one of the ways you can shed a new light on your marriage, and an escape from normalcy might be exactly what you need.

Pick for Your Spouse

You might know exactly what you want to do for this anniversary. It might not, however, be what your spouse would most enjoy. Don’t be afraid to be the one who loves the most–if you can do it with a good attitude (aka not an entitled attitude–he or she probably doesn’t want to pay for your generosity later!) then try to pick a dinner date, weekend trip, or couples activity that really blesses your spouse. Starting with their needs can really get the date off to a good start.

March 25, 2018

To Rent or Own

All of us need a place to live, and most of us need a car to help us get around. When we’re young, we tend to rent an apartment or house, and we may also use a car that our parents helped us buy. As we leave college and become full-fledged adults, we start to realize there are other options out there. By the time we hit thirty, owning may seem like a better idea. It may seem like the more “adult” option. Is it always, though? It may make sense to rent a home and buy a car, or vice versa. The right answer for you depends on a series of factors, many of which can and do change with time.

Vehicles

Rent To Own a Vehicle — Image: Carmax.com

Buying a car outright or through a payment plan is the best option for a majority of drivers, but leasing also works well for people in certain circumstances. The two biggest advantages to leasing might be the lower monthly payments and the small down payment. The fixed time period can also be a draw for people who lose interest in a car quickly. It’s easier to return a vehicle at the end of 24 or 36 months than it is to go through all the hassle of trading it in. If that sounds like you, then take a look at some of the deals on Best Car Deals Now or a similar site.

Who shouldn’t lease a car? Well, people with a bad credit score generally aren’t great candidates. In fact, you need excellent credit to even think about leasing in most cases. It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s typically easier to obtain a car loan with less-than-perfect credit than it is lease a vehicle. Leasing also isn’t a good idea for people who plan on driving the wheels off their car, since lease agreements charge you on a per-mile basis for going above a certain amount of mileage. If you’ve got small kids, buying is better as well, because those wear-and-tear fees can really add up with a lease.

Homes

A big part of the American dream involves owning a home. We like to imagine raising a family and settling down on our very own parcel of land, regardless of if that land is on a small lot in the city or an expansive one in the country. Despite that, rental rates in America are the highest they’ve been since the 1960s. Blame that on a combination of factors, including residual fear from the housing crisis that began in 2007. People want to buy, but inventories are low and prices tend to be high.

That doesn’t mean owning a house is a bad idea, but it means you should make sure that you’re getting into the market at the right time. Talk to a home financial adviser about what you want, and then talk about what you can get on the current market. You may find that the two are closer than you thought. If not, try to figure out when buying a home might be more feasible, and make a timeline if possible. A dream deferred can still be realized, especially if you make a plan and commit to getting your finances in better order