If you are thinking of buying a car the first really important question is ‘what sort of a car should I be looking for?’ Some of the questions that need to asked before you rush off are about affordability, lifestyle and where your life is heading. Answer these and the choice of a car will be made much easier.

What type of car should I buy is a pretty common question and a good one to ask before you actually do buy a car. It’s amazing how many people don’t ask themselves this question and end up spending way too much money on cars that are simply impractical for their life.

The first thing to consider is how much money you can afford to spend on a new car. You need to work out out how you can afford to spend each month for the next three to five years in repayments. As well as working out how much you will need for a down payment. Once you do that, you’ll be able to figure out how expensive a car you can buy.

After you have worked out how much you can afford you need to look at your lifestyle. Think of how much you will have to pay for fuel if you have a long commute. Maybe a smaller car with good fuel economy might be better than a big, gas guzzler. Conversely, if you have a lot of kids, dogs etc., a small car might make life difficult for you!

Another factor in lifestyle, is where do you live? Does the sun shine all day, every day, or does it pour with rain, hail and snow? You need to choose the right car for your climate.

The last thing you need to consider when answering the ‘what type of car should I buy’ question is, where is your life heading? If you think ahead a bit about your job will you be staying or moving on somewhere else), time of life (thinking of starting a family or retiring) it will give you some insight into the type of car that you might need. After all it would be no good if you get a two seater and then need room for a baby.

By answering the questions on affordability, lifestyle and where your life is heading, you will be able to make a good decision about the type of car that you should buy.

by John Torquato

During some time of my life I didn’t like buying myself gifts, as I thought it would be selfish and that I could use the money in other ways. A lot of people think the way I used to, and I don’t say they’re wrong because each and every person is unique.

Time passed and I have changed. As my life goes on, I see my achievements and my goals and I think there’s nothing wrong on being rewarded for it. I don’t expect any friend, family member or boss congratulating me for what I’ve done, I do it myself.

It is obvious that we treat well everybody we love, sometime buying gifts — and it shouldn’t be different with ourselves. But sometimes we feel a little guilty by spending for us while we could be paying a mortgage, a loan, buying groceries or even donating the money. It is true, but we also need recognition from ourselves. Thus, I’ve developed a new habit that helped me save money to buy myself a gift without going broke or spending money I should need.

First, I’ve setted a day and month to buy myself a gift and started planning one year ahead. Everyday when I got home, I checked my wallet for $1 bills.  If I had more than one bill, I’ll simply put one bill in a jar and didn’t use it for what so ever. Never!

After one year I’ve checked the jar, and there was $284 for me to spend anyway I wanted: I could buy a Blue Ray player, a video game, some fancy clothes or whatever I’d could. When purchasing my gift, I kept in mind all my achievements thru the year and that it was a gift to me, a reward. Every time I saw or used whatever I bought, I had great memories about myself. And I just kept doing it year after year.

I gave this advice for a friend of mine and he said he was on a tight budget, so I told him to save $1 per week. Not using $1 per week won’t be tight, but after one year you’ll have saved $52, what is enough to buy a CD, DVD or Blue Ray, a book, a new pair of shoes and many other things. He tried, and guess what, it worked wonderfully! After he came back from the mall he called me and I was so happy for his excitement, so I learned that sharing good things with other people should be great for us too.

Try it — I’m sure it will work with you too. After one year, don’t forget to come and tell me your results!