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Archive for October, 2008

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Family Entertainment, The Home Theater Way

October 31st, 2008 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in Home Improvement

One of the most cost effective home improvement projects is the Home Theater room, a great way to makeover a home and bringing in some serious entertainment!

One of the most cost effective home improvement projects is the Home Theater room, a great way to makeover a home and bringing in some serious entertainment!

Families have learned that one of the most important ways to create harmony and to foster cohesiveness is to spend some time together alone. But doing that means shutting your family off from the cares and pleasures of this world, influences that can creep in and steal your peace or have a negative impact on your personal beliefs.

In generations past, families would gather around the radio to hear comedy shows like Amos ‘n Andy or Blondie, enjoy dramas including Charlie Chan, Boris Karloff, and Tales of the Texas Rangers, or imagine themselves transported to faraway or make believe places as they listened to Hopalong Cassidy, Buck Rogers, and Gunsmoke.

Later generations took to watching television together by enjoying Walt Disney Television, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Burns and Allen. Today, television viewing is still an important family event, but many families have tired of the filth and other inappropriate content and are screening what their children see, opting for CDs, select cable channels, and choosing to view home videos.

These changes in the viewing habits of American families has brought about an increased demand for home theaters. Not just your average television screen mind you nor simply a room with a couple of couches and easy chairs. Instead, today’s home theaters offer movie theater sound and viewing quality, lots of comfort, excellent noise control, and so much more.

While a big screen is helpful, it is the audio system which really sets a quality home theater system apart from the pact. Speakers, surround sound capable receiver, laser disc player, Dolby receivers and other important components make for a truly enjoyable home theater experience, one that your family will enjoy and your friends and neighbors will admire.

To that end, nBuy Plaza – a companion site to SayEducate – has been updated to include a new module featuring home theater entertainment. Literally, you can find everything you need for you home theater and save money too.

Assembling Your Home Theater!

Control Center: design your system using Dell home technology

The Big Theater Screen: compare televisions

Surround Sound: build your sound system with acoustic sound

Download Your Movies On-Demand: get the VuDu box

Get Some Help: find an expert to “wire” it all together

Now you have everything you need to automate your home and home theater room!


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Wise Car Financing Tips You Need To Know

October 29th, 2008 by Matthew C. Keegan | 1 Comment | Filed in Autos Express, Consumer Financing, Consumer Tips

The gloomy news affecting the economy right now can have you believing that absolutely nothing is going right. Even people who have long been accustomed to saying that the glass is half full are rephrasing their terminology to the negative glass is half empty expression, falling prey to what they see to be the prevailing sentiment.

Saturn Aura

Digging through the news you’ll soon learn that housing sales were up for the month of September while new cars sales are still about one million units, demonstrating that people with the means to buy something are taking advantage of lower prices and spectacular deals while they can. Indeed, before the economy does recover, finding a deal on a new car, trucks, minivan, SUV, or crossover vehicle can help you save thousands, but one problem could remain: how do you arrange financing?

Well, the folks at Carmax who happen to be the largest retailers of used cars in the country, have advice for their shoppers as well as for people in the market for new cars. We would all do well to heed the following financing tips, sage advice that can save you time, money, and headaches:

Maintain Good Credit

  1. Maintaining a good credit rating is generally a matter of simply paying bills on time.

  2. You should also be aware that overextending yourself on credit and actively shopping for credit could have a negative impact.

  3. Know your credit history by getting a copy of your credit report. Check your credit report annually to see if any information on the report needs correcting. You can get a free copy of your credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com, You may also contact any of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies:

Equifax: 800-685-1111, www.equifax.com

Experian: 888-397-3742, www.experian.com

TransUnion: 800-916-8800, www.transunion.com

Know How Much You Can Afford

  1. Determine how much you can afford for your vehicle purchase and monthly payments. Most financial institutions recommend that your monthly car payment not exceed 15% of your gross monthly income.
  2. Maximize your down payment to lower your monthly payments and it may improve your offer and likelihood of approval.
  3. Calculate how much your trade is worth and how much you owe on it to gain a better understanding of your total purchase. Go to any CarMax superstore for a free appraisal to determine the current value of your vehicle. CarMax will be happy to contact your current finance source for a payoff to help you determine your equity position.

Find a Car Retailer that Offers Competitive Finance Terms

  1. Look for a car retailer that offers competitive finance terms without the hassles of negotiation.
  2. Make sure the retailer shows you all available finance options. CarMax makes it quick, easy, and convenient to apply for financing and will show customers the details of all offers received so customers can make an informed decision.
  3. Only buy a car from a retailer that offers at least a three-day payoff option. If you find a better offer or decide to pay cash after you take the car home, this gives you the option to pay off the financing with no fees or penalties.

Be Prepared at the Car Retailer

  1. When shopping for a vehicle, take essential paperwork items with you, including the title and the registration for your current vehicle, your driver’s license and your insurance card.
  2. Before signing any paperwork, review all the documents and understand all terms including vehicle price, trade amount, financing, warranties, return policies and fees.
  3. Beware of any add-on or hidden costs not previously disclosed or explicitly requested by you.
  4. Do not hesitate to ask lots of questions. Be prepared to walk away if you are unhappy with your car-buying experience.

Certainly, preparation is the key ingredient when buying a new car so go into any sales negotiation armed with the information you need to succeed. Creditors may have tightened things up for consumers with average or poor credit, but if your credit is good or excellent, you stand to find the best auto financing deal while saving big bucks on your purchase.

(Source: CarMax)


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7 Steps To Reducing Your Transportation Costs

October 28th, 2008 by Matthew C. Keegan | 5 Comments | Filed in Consumer Tips

We all need access to transportation, whether through owning our own car or being able to take a bus, train, or taxi as needed. No longer are we confined to our communities; modern transportation allows us to go most anywhere.

Toyota Camry

Personal transportation costs, however, can put a crunch on any budget – siphoning funds from other areas of your life and draining your savings. High gas prices, insurance, car payments, maintenance, and more can crimp your style, doing a number on your finances like nothing else.

There is no need for you to drive yourself to the poor house because you cannot afford to keep up with spiraling transportation costs. The following tips can help you not only contain your costs, but leave a little extra in your wallet each week:

Save on Gas – If your car “requires” that you fuel up with premium gas, consider using regular gas instead. You’ll lose some power, but you’ll save at least twenty cents per gallon. Don’t worry about your car not having a “taste” for regular fuel as your engine will automatically compensate for the reduction in octane. Potential Annual Savings: $200.

Save on Insurance – Older cars often still have collision coverage on them, even though the replacement value is negligible, therefore considering dropping this coverage. In addition, review your policy for additional savings and consider having one insurer cover both your homeowners and car insurance policies. Potential Annual Savings: $250.

Save on Car Payments – Lots of consumers think that the company financing their car is the one that they’ll have to stay with until their wheels are paid off. Like housing, there are hundreds of companies clamoring for your business who might be interested in taking over your loan. The lower your credit score, the lower your interest rates should be. Potential Net Savings: $500.

Save on Maintenance and Repairs – Your dealer may say that he knows your vehicle best, but plenty of independent mechanics are skilled in servicing a variety of modern vehicles. If your car is under warranty, then go to your dealer. Once it is off warranty, line up a trusted local mechanic who knows your brand of vehicle and can provide a competitive service rate. Potential Savings: The sky’s the limit!

Save on Warranty Costs – If you plan on keeping your car for many years, then consider purchasing an extended warranty. However, select vehicles – Kia and Hyundai, for example – have comprehensive warranties for the first three years of ownership and have a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty included. If you want a warranty, tailor that plan to cover what is NOT covered, allowing the manufacturer to pay for your other costs. Potential Savings: $300-$1500.

Save on a New Car – Sooner or later you’ll decide that your current car is too old, doesn’t meet your current needs, or you’ve tired of driving it. Right now can be an excellent time to buy a car, not just because it is the end of the model year or that the calendar year is fast coming to an end, rather car sales are way down and manufacturers are in the bargaining mood. Arrange financing on your own and walk into your dealership to take advantage of cash back savings and whatever other deals you can negotiate. Potential Savings: $1000-$15,000.

Save on Public Transport – If you don’t own a car or you take public transportation part of the time, you can save money by hopping on a bus, hailing a taxi, or catching the train. However, mass transit costs can be exorbitant, even when some of the costs are defrayed through taxes and grants. Fortunately, many of the publicly run mass transit authorities reward frequent users with weekly or monthly passes which can shave dollars off of your ride. Potential Savings: 10-50%.

For additional savings tips and ideas, please visit SayLowerBills.com to find great money saving ideas for your home, vacation, health, entertainment, and other expenses.


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Need Help With Budgeting? Websites That Can Help!

October 27th, 2008 by Matthew C. Keegan | 4 Comments | Filed in Consumer Tips

Millions of consumers are finding it difficult to make ends meet, living week to week on what they earn, hoping that they can keep up with their bills or even get a little bit of ahead of things for awhile. Now that we’re in a recession, the challenge to keep one’s head above the water is greater than ever before.

9 Sites That Can Really Help

BudgetingSmartMoney recently shared a list of websites — nine in all — that can help consumers with their budgeting. I won’t repeat what the article, “9 Sites That Help With Everyday Budgeting,” said here, but I can encourage you to visit each site to find tools that work for you.

Though the SmartMoney list was quite good, I’d like to draw your attention to a site that did not make that list, SayLowerBills.com, a companion website to SayEducate.com. SayLowerBills.com provides a number of different ways that you can save money offering help on specific topics including:

  • Lower Monthly Housing Costs — mortgage refinancing – rent – taxes – heating/cooling – home repairs – utilities.
  • Lower Family Care Costs — insurance needs – medical visits – vet expenses – medications – care facilities
  • Lower Recreation Costs — cutting recreation costs – dining in – personal movie house – reducing vacation costs
  • Manage Your Income — career plans – back to school plans – small business opportunities – home businesses
  • Lower Family Living Costs — food shopping – general groceries – clothing costs – baby care / feeding
  • Lower Transportation  Costs — auto loan refinancing – auto insurance – fuel costs – repairs – public transportation
  • Manage Debt Obligations — credit card payments – student loans – personal loans – charitable donations
  • Keep Those Savings Up — personal savings – college savings – saving for a home – retirement savings

Planning Centers and Budget Worksheets

SayLowerBills.com also offers links to related planning centers and offers free monthly budget worksheets to help consumers track everything. In addition, you’ll find links to the following free downloads that can help you exert better control over your money:

  1. home buying-selling-building
  2. remodeling specs
  3. moving checklists
  4. college planning forms
  5. house parties

Despite the current economic doldrums, you can succeed and even thrive under tough conditions. The federal government may offer solutions that will run up our national debt, but on the family level you can find your own solutions and come out ahead in the long run.


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