4 Tips to Get the Best Deal When Buying a New Car

The process of buying a new car can be a mix of excitement and stress. It's fun to check out cars you like and take them for test drives, but the part where you actually negotiate the price can be a hassle. You don't want to breeze through the car-buying process, though, because when you're smart about it, you can save thousands of dollars. Here are a few tips that will help you get the best deal when you buy your next car.

1. Figure Out the Value of the Car You Want

Knowledge is power, and that's especially true when you're buying a car. Once you have a car in mind, you should look up its value, as this will give you a starting point for negotiations with the dealer.

One of the more popular tools for calculating the value of a car, new or used, is the Edmunds True Market Value database. All you need to do is plug in a car's details, and you'll see what its value is in your area. With new cars, the tool also shows you the car's invoice price, which is what the dealer pays for it. This way, you're able to negotiate up from that invoice price instead of down from the much higher suggested retail price.

2. Don't Buy the Extras

When you're finalizing a car deal, the dealer will likely offer you all sorts of expensive extras. Typical extras include rust-proofing, paint protection and vehicle identification number (VIN) etching.

These are big money makers for the dealership, and you should always decline them. Some of the services are entirely unnecessary. Others are useful, but available much cheaper when you go elsewhere for them.

This is also true with extended warranties. Despite their popularity, extended warranties typically aren't worth the money. It's better to save the money you would have spent on the warranty and save it for maintenance yourself.

3. Take All a Car's Expenses into Consideration

The price you pay for the car now shouldn't be your only consideration. If you have multiple cars in mind, you should also think about how much each car will cost you over the long haul.

For example, one car could be cheaper than another, but also less reliable. Even though you're spending less upfront for it, you'll likely spend more in repair costs. You can check reliability reports to see what a car's expected repair costs are.

Insurance is another important factor, especially since you'll be paying it every month. If you can get cheap auto insurance with one car, that's a huge selling point, even if the car itself is a bit more expensive.

4. Consider an Auto Broker

If you're not a fan of the car-buying process, you may be better off using an auto broker for your next car purchase. With an auto broker, you tell the broker what kind of car you want, and then they find and negotiate deals for you. Auto brokers typically charge a flat fee, with the amount depending on the broker and how rare the car is that you want.

Even though you're paying a fee to the auto broker, you can still end up saving money by doing this. Many auto brokers worked at dealerships before switching careers, which means they know how to negotiate with dealers to get the lowest prices. If you pay $200 to a broker who saves you $1,000 on what you would have paid for a car, you're still coming out ahead. And you won't need to spend as much of your time looking for a car.

Car buying is one area where knowing what you're doing can help you save quite a bit of money. Take your time during the process and keep the tips above in mind to spend less.

5 Flexible Jobs with for Busy Working Moms

Settled women with families find it hard balancing household duties and career work. Additionally, finding the ideal job as a career woman is no easy mission. Many women find it hard to balance both family duties and job duties. Fortunately, there are job opportunities in the modern world that have made it easier for mothers to balance work and personal life as a mother. Being a career woman isn’t a walk in the park, but with the appropriate job and a flexible schedule, it can be highly rewarding. Mothers frequently need good paying jobs with flexible working hours and opportunities to operate from home. This article discusses five of the best jobs that provide moms with the flexible programs they require to balance motherhood and their profession.

1. Call center representative

Any mother can work as a customer call center representative. This job deal with answering customers especially responding to questions and helping in solving issues and challenges that the company may face. This job entails speaking with company clients through the phone, text messaging or sometimes by sending and replying to online emails. It’s a highly flexible job where representatives work with shifts or choose their convenient time to work. Some companies have allowed their employees to operate from home giving moms even greater flexibility and free time to balance both career and household chores. It has an annual salary totaling 32,000 dollars.

2. Dietitian

Many women have diverse knowledge when it comes to matters concerning food and the kitchen. Mothers can utilize this experience to advise clients on what to feed on and keep a healthy lifestyle to accomplish specific health goals. Dietitians have witnessed a rise in job opportunities due to food-related complications and diseases such as obesity. The majority of dietitians are self-employed which makes this professional perfect for mothers who require personal time to attend to parent needs. It’s a good source of income with an annual pay amounting to 58,000 dollars.

3. Makeup artists or Hairdresser

Moms can choose to work as hairdressers and makeup artists whose demand keeps on increasing on a daily basis. A mother with babysitting responsibilities can opt to work as a Senegence Distributor where she dispenses and sells cosmetics and skincare products to leading beauty parlors. Beauticians can choose to operate from home, work at their convenient hours or operate a mobile salon. As for makeup artist, job specialization will be ideal since they have to operate with schedules mostly in weekends where most social events are staged. Such jobs provide the best working conditions for parenting mothers with an annual salary amounting to 10,000 dollars annually.

4. Financial Planner

Women are known to be good planners and managers both financially and handling household expenses. For parenting mothers, choosing a career in this field can be of great benefit since it comes with lots of flexibility as one chooses to limit the number of clients to attend to. Women have incredible skills that will help them succeed in this profession while at the same time be able to manage their parental needs. Being a professional career that requires lots of school work, it has a god rewarding annual salary amounting to 80,000 dollars.

5. Nurse

Nursing is regarded as the best career for women. The nursing field provides different options to choose from ranging from certified nursing assistants, registered nurses or nurse practitioners. There are numerous places where the different nursing categories professional can choose to work. Nurses can choose where to work either in a doctor’s office, a hospital or a nursing home. Additionally, they can choose to provide in-house care to disabled or elder individuals. This is a professional that allows shift working which is ideal for parenting moms. Any mm can choose the shift she wants to work be is day or night thus provides a flexible schedule and time to attend to parenting needs. It has an annual salary totaling 80,000 dollars.

Being a mother doesn’t necessarily mean you quit your professional career. All you need is to follow the above-discussed careers that make it easier for moms to balance their parenting duties and their office and career work.

Counting the Cost of Beauty

Budgeting monthly expenses involves different considerations for today's women. With the current importance of social media, women are aware that their faces may end up online at any point in the day. This is one of the many reasons so many women are invested in their beauty routine.

That routine comes with a cost, however. A very real monetary cost that can add up to thousands of dollars per year, even up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in a woman's lifetime. This can involve everything from hair products to salon treatments to skin care products. Small purchases made when a jar of cream or a bottle of toner is empty don't look like much at the time, but those dollar amounts add up.

Skin Care

The basis of most makeup routines is skin care, and that step is over thirty percent of the world's average spending on beauty. A 16-step makeup process begins with cleansing and involves anywhere from one to six steps focused on skin care alone. Anywhere from two to six products are used. Facial wash, toner, serums, eye creams, moisturizers and primers are all involved in keeping a woman's skin smooth for the application of makeup.

Women often spend anywhere from $50 to $200 every three months on skin care routines. Toners, serums and moisturizers tend to be the most expensive products, averaging anywhere from $20 to $50 (or more) per bottle.

Your Colors

The average beauty routine involves more than just skin care. Makeup--foundation, eyeshadow, bronzer, mascara, etc.--often makes up the majority of a woman's beauty spending. Foundation alone is one of the most expensive products used, and the price may simply be due to marketing, not necessarily higher quality ingredients or results.

And women try to cut costs on certain products--eyeshadow, blusher, eyebrow shadow--while spending higher amounts on others. Mascara alone can cost nearly $40. Lipstick, available in thousands of colors, can reach over $30. And as social media exposes women to new makeup application techniques and products, they add more to their routine. Bronzer and highlighter are becoming staples of the beauty routine, something unheard of ten years ago.

Many "daily facial costs" include the products, but what about the applicators? Brushes and sponges can range anywhere from $0.99 each to $25 or more. Application sponges, powder brushes, blenders, contour sponges, eyeshadow brushes and lip gloss wands all carry a monetary cost. A blush brush may last over six months, but a blending sponge will need to be replaced within two months or even sooner depending on the usage.

Aftercare

In conjunction with skin care is the cost of makeup removal products and post-makeup skin care. With long-lasting makeup being a preferred choice for many women, makeup removal isn't as simple as washing with soap and water. Creams, specialized cleansing wipes and other removal products are needed to remove makeup and leave skin clean.

And there's the addition of night eye creams, moisturizers, toners and facial masks. Many products boast formulas designed to rejuvenate skin and erase signs of aging, but only a few specific products have dermatologists agreeing with their usage.

Cutting costs for many involves simply buying a cheaper product, but this can result in spending more money if acne breakouts or discoloration occurs. Knowing the full monetary cost of a daily beauty routine can actually help safely reduce costs. Reading ingredients and comparing brands is one method. Getting expert help, like checking with a LuLaRoe consultant, is another. A beauty routine can have a high monetary cost, but knowing what the money is actually buying and how to select products based on results rather than marketing will save money without sacrificing beauty or confidence.

The Ultimate Roadtrip Checklist For Your Family’s Next Adventure

Why fly for your next family trip if you've got the time, money, space, and a drivable destination? A road trip can be one of the best bonding experiences your family can have.

But once you decide to hit the open road, what to bring (and maybe even what not to bring) is your next big decision. Comfort is key. No one wants to be stuffed into the backseat with bicycle tires, water toys, and heavy suitcases (rent the bikes and toys and only bring the clothes you need). Inversely, no one wants to be unprepared for a minor injury or sickness, dead batteries, or boredom.

Thankfully, there is a happy medium. Here is a short list of some of the things that can make your road trip one your family's best memories together.

Taking Care

Health and safety is crucial. You'll want to make sure you have this covered in the event of an emergency.

1. The Right Insurance

You can be the best driver out there, but that doesn't mean that everyone else is. Make sure you have the best car insurance and add-ons as possible. You don't want to be stranded without roadside assistance or have to fork over hundreds (or even thousands) to rent another car if yours becomes unusable.

2. First Aid Kit

Band-Aids, Neosporin, Cortizone, Advil, Tylenol, Benadryl, disinfectant etc. Have a little of everything just in case someone in the family needs it. Taking a short break from the car for a walk in the park seemed like a good idea, but now everyone covered in bug bites. Pass back the Cortisone.

3. Keep It Clean

Kids (and even adults sometimes) can't help the occasional upset stomach. And frequently, it's the car that is causing it. Make sure that you've brought along a small pail and some plastic bags to catch anything that may come up. And oh and plenty of napkins and Wet Ones.

Keeping it Together

Being organized and running a tight ship will help you save time (and maybe even some headaches!) all along the way.

1. Wardrobe Changes

Keep an extra set of clothes for each kid (and even the big kids) handy and separate from the suitcases for the inevitable spilled drink or a change in weather.

2. Blankets

Passengers fighting over the temperature in the car? Bring small blankets for the cold ones to cuddle up in for warmth or to sleep.

3. Chargers and Batteries

Don't let your phone, tablet, or gaming system die. These things keep everyone occupied, provide entertainment, and sometimes even keep you going in the right direction. Have every charger for every device at the tip of your fingers.

Leisure Activities

Packing the right snacks and things to do on the road can be one of the most important things to put together before you head out.

1. Music

Put together a family playlist of songs. And for those passengers that don't love the sing-alongs, pack some headphones and separate music players.

http://playlists.net/family-friendly-playlist-favs-of-the-fa

2. Snacks

Make sure you have accessible snacks for everyone. You can make them all healthy or you can make just some of them healthy, just make sure you have enough to go around a few times and that they are not going to make a huge mess in the car.

3. Games

Whether on a tablet, cards, or on a board, have plenty of games to keep everyone entertained and involved. Even the simplest of games like searching for different license plates or "I'm going on a picnic" can keep everyone engaged for hours.

No matter the destination or the companions, make the most of the time that you have together. Moments like this won't always be possible. And with the help of some of the items on this list, you can focus on what is most important: family time.

De-Stressing Your Life With These 5 Personal Finance Tips

Money is the root of all evil, as one of the famous sayings goes. But while there's no statistical proof to this age-old adage, there is truth to the fact that money adds stress to people's lives. Financial problems can hinder peace of mind and relaxation. It can lead to people overworking themselves to the point of burnout. And since you can't really just abandon the use of cash altogether, there must be some compromise so that you can use money as an effective tool to bettering your situation, rather than it giving you a hard time. Here's five ways on how to purge your life from the stress that's brought by personal finances:

Do Your Homework

Allotting an hour of your time every week to sit down and go over your budget can make all the difference in your net worth. Although change in personal finances don't regularly happen, expenses and lifestyle needs can change unexpectedly. Stay on top of the money that comes in and out. As a starting point, figure out your net worth, or the amount that you own minus the amount that you owe. If you have a salary of $60,000 but is paying off credit cards or student loans on the side on top of personal expenses including rent and utilities, your net worth may actually be fairly low.

Automate Savings

A lot of people fail to invest in their savings and retirement accounts due to the lack of time to march down to their nearest bank and wait in line to make a deposit. Every paycheck, set up your bank account so that it takes a portion of the amount and puts it into a savings account that's separate from your checking account. Moreover, automate monthly or biweekly contributions to your retirement accounts including 401(k)s and Roth IRAs.

Invest For the Long Term

Day trading can be lucrative, but it's also very stressful. Rather than day trade, create an investment portfolio that is setup to grow both in capital gains and dividend yields over time. Steer clear of bucket shop companies and penny stocks that are extremely volatile and risky. Instead, go for company stocks that are managed by a well-rounded team and are poised to increase in value over the next five to ten years.

Insure Your Most Important Assets

Identify the assets that you use on a daily basis, such as your house, car, and of course yourself. If your car breaks down or you get struck with an illness, your personal finances can be drastically affected. If your primary source of income comes from a home-based company or store, secure a small business insurance policy that covers personal injury or property damages from natural disasters or theft.

Ask Around

Many people still fail to fix their personal finance and improve their quality of life, despite their desire to do so. One culprit to this is the lack of support and guidance. While self-help guides are useful, there is no better advice to follow than the ones you get from people who've been in your shoes at one point in their lives.l Reddit and similar forums are a great online resource for personal finance advice since members are all eager to help and can give specifics, such as which states have lower property taxes, what to do against overdraft fees from your banks, how to resolve a specific loan-related dispute, what mortgages best work for your income bracket, etc. Asking family members and friends take the stress out of having to figure out the most practical decisions for your finances.

Final Thoughts

Wealth doesn't always have to come at the expense of mental stress and burnout. There are ways in which you can manage and set up your personal finances in a way that it grows with minimal to no attention needed.

7 Ways to Prepare Financially for This Holiday Season

So, the holidays are fast approaching, and you need to get ready for them. After all, it's not a time for slacking, is it? You've got presents to buy, a tree to trim, and food to cook. You also need to prepare for extra company and prepare for the inevitable breakdown of one or more relatives as the season tends to be emotionally charged for everyone.

Here are seven ways to prepare financially for the holiday season.

1. Set yourself a budget. It's easy to get carried away during the holidays. That's why it's important to give yourself a budget for gifts. Without one, it's too easy to pull out the plastic and charge things. You'll then get the shock of your life when the next month's bill statement comes in the mail. Determine how much you can reasonably spend and try to stay under that amount.
2. Think thoughtful gifts not ridiculously priced ones. Pricey gifts are not a measure of your love. Thoughtful ones are better received by family and friends, anyway. When you give a gift with personal or sentimental meaning, it's almost always cherished and appreciated the way that it should be.
3. Take advantage of gift card offers. During the holidays, many companies offer free gifts for buying a certain dollar amount in gift cards. For example, spend $100 and get $25 in gift cards free. There is no harm in using the 'free' gift card to give to someone else on your gift list or to use on holiday gifts.
4. Buy discounted gift cards to use to purchase your holiday gifts. Use websites such as GiftCardGranny.com and GiftCards.com to save on the purchase price of a gift card. Then use the extra money that you received on the card to finish buying the things that you need.
5. Look for coupons and discount savings. You'll find them everywhere if you're willing to look for them. Score special savings by signing up for company mailing lists. Take the coupons out of the Sunday newspaper and look through them. Look at original prices to get a sense of how good of a discount you’re getting. The expensive sale price may be more than half off a high quality item like a 12 ft Christmas tree. You'll find rather quickly that there are lots of good discount savings and coupons available if you're willing to look for them.
6. Take advantage of price matching store policies. Many stores will match the price on identical items you find that are cheaper. If you're lucky, they'll match the price and you won't have to travel to the other store for the discount.
7. Add apps to your phone and computer that alert you to online discounts and coupon codes. There are apps that actually give you coupon codes that have been used and collected. One such app is Honey. It's a great way of making your own sales for yourself. You won't miss out on savings this way and you'll be able to stretch your hard-earned dollars further because you have access to it.

There are many ways to reduce your costs while preparing for the holidays. You don't even have to visit the secondhand shops for gifts although they offer wonderful discounts and brand-new items. You can buy the things you need and really enjoy the holidays by having a plan in place that allows you to save anytime of the year at any retailer you want.

Prepare for the holiday season with ease. Now that you've done some planning, you'll be more than ready for all the celebrating you plan to do. Thanks to your quick thinking and ability to get organized, you'll have a holiday season like no other you've had before in the past.

The Worst Spots to Clean- And How to Make Them Sparkle

Cleaning may not be at the top of everyone's bucket list, but it's definitely something everyone knows needs to be done. The part that deters most people from taking part in it, though, is the tough spots- the places that seem too difficult to even try to tackle. However, here are the top toughest places to clean in your house along with the ways to make it a little bit easier.

The Shower

Bathrooms are, all around, one of the hardest places to clean. It always seems as if it gets dirty even faster than the time it takes to clean it. However, if you want to really make your shower sparkle, you can mix 1 cup of hot vinegar and 1 cup of dish soap in a spray bottle, then spray every inch of the shower with it, let it sit for 20 minutes, and scrub it away with a sponge or cloth. You can also do a second spray of bleach if you have rough stains or oils that just won't budge.

The Stove

The kitchen is actually the dirtiest room in the house, with about 134,630 bacteria per square inch on the kitchen sponge alone. And majority of cooking is done on the stove, so, whether gas or electric, we all know how filthy it can really get.

There are actually many ways to clean a cooktop, but a few good ones are using a scraper to remove burnt-on stains and pouring boiling water over the less dirty areas before scrubbing away.

The Tile Grout

Grout cleaning can really be the worst. The secret to getting the grime out of the cracks, though, is spraying a tough cleaner, letting it sit for five to ten minutes, and then using a scrubbing brush to wash it all away. You can use a store-bought brush, or you can opt for a regular or electric toothbrush to do the job; toothpicks work for the smaller spots, too.

The Wood Furniture

Wood can be difficult to clean; you don't want to ruin the finish, but you have to polish it up somehow.

To keep the shine lasting though time, you can use a natural cleaner of 1/4 cup vinegar plus 1 cup olive oil. Apply it sparingly with a washcloth, and be sure you only polish up the furniture about once a month- any more often will dull the wood's finish.

The Carpets

You may think that sweeping once a month is enough, but it's actually not. Even if you were to vacuum every single day, there's too much bacteria under the surface to get rid of so easily. The best way to get a clean, germ-free floor is by hiring a professional about every 6 months to steam and clean it.

It also should be noted that washing or steaming the carpets yourself isn't the best idea, either, because this leaves them wet for long periods of time, and mold and even more bacteria can accumulate as a result.

The Toilet

And then there's the worst of the worst- the toilet.

The nasty ring left in the bowl can be cleaned away with a heavy duty spray or powder, such as borax, plus some elbow grease with a pumice stone or piece of sandpaper, which wipes the circle away like magic.

There are also some other strange but very real ways to clean the rest of toilet, like using Coca-Cola to rid the rust stains and even bubble wrap to prevent tank sweat.

Nobody loves to clean, but nobody really wants a dirty home, either. Take into account these top tips, though, and your home can feel clean and sparkly-new once again.

10 Ways to Prepare Your Home For the Holidays

Christmas will be here before you know it. This means you need to start getting your home ready. Unless you plan on being out of town for the duration of the holiday season, check out these ten tips for getting your home ready for the holidays!

Stock that Pantry

You don't need to buy all of your holiday groceries right away. However, you should certainly start stocking up on the staples. For many people, this means filling your pantry with flour, sugar, salt, shortening, holiday spices, plastic wrap, and more. These items have a long shelf life, and you know you will eventually need them. This will keep you prepared, and it will soften the grocery bill the week you need to purchase the remaining items.

Guest Bedrooms

Get those guest rooms cleaned and ready for guests. Run any sheets through the washer. Get those fresh linens set out a few days ahead of time. Also, take the time to make the rooms nice by using holiday decorations.

Electrical

Make sure all of the electrical issues in your home are taken care of. If needed, stock up on a few fuses. Makes sure you have those extension cords handy. You don't want to be able to miss out on all of those great holiday lights in and around your home.

Pest Control

Nearly everybody in American knows about the holidays. Unfortunately, outdoor pests never think once about it. This means you should check your home for pests. You can then take care of them before the big family gathering. Contact an outdoor pest control company as soon as you can. Remember, pests can be a huge holiday embarrassment. Don't let them spoil your holidays.

Decorating

Don't let your holiday decorating spiral out of control. Pace your decorating, and consider replacing everyday items on display in your home with holiday decorations. This simple swapping will reduce clutter, and it will provide you with a predictable holiday decorating pattern each year.

Spare Appliances

Food is a huge part of the holidays. This means you will need to be sure you have enough space to store and prepare all of this food. If needed, consider investing in an additional oven or refrigerator that can be kept in the garage during the holidays. You can then store and prepare twice the amount of food!

Safety First

Don't forget that the extremely young and the extremely old might visit your home during the holidays. This means you simply must consider making your home as safe as possible. Check all the handrails in and around your home to help folks walk safely. Also, make sure you install safety latches on lower cupboards and safety plugs in all of the outlets. You don't want any accidents in your home over the holidays.

Snow Shovels and Salt

If you live in a colder climate, you will want to make sure you have snow shovels and salt on hand. You can then clear the driveway and sidewalks for your holiday guests. You can also prevent your guests from slipping on any ice that forms during a cold night.

Cooking Equipment

Make sure all of your cooking equipment is in working order. This means checking the temperatures in your oven and refrigerators. It also means making sure you have enough pots and pans. You should also sharpen any knives you will need for cooking. Remember, a sharp knife is a safe knife!

Clean

Take the time to do some deep cleaning around you home. Yes, it's often not very fun to scrub out the oven or wipe away old spills in the microwave. However, your home will look better for you guests. It will also be enjoyable to start the new year with an extremely clean house.

Don't let you or your home be unprepared this holiday season. Take the time to run through this checklist before the holidays arrive!