How to Save Money When Buying a Car

Car buying can be a daunting task for even the savviest of consumers. With so many makes and models available in various trim levels, it may be a challenge to ensure that you're getting the best deal possible on a new car.

Fortunately, several resources exist today which make the process faster, easier and more fun than ever before. Read on to find out how you can save more money when buying a car.

Find out what others are paying

In the age of the internet, it is now possible to know what others have paid for the same car you're interested in.

Before you visit a dealer, look for sites that allow you to select the make, model and trim of the car you want and find out what others in the same area have been paying to avoid paying more.

Check the vehicle history

If you're buying a used car, knowledge of the vehicle's history can give you some powerful negotiating leverage.

For example, if you find out that a certain vehicle has been repaired following a front-end collision, you may be able to negotiate a lower selling price due to its diminished value. Websites like EpicVin give potential buyers an easy way to review the history of a vehicle.

Look for deals and incentives

Many manufacturers and dealerships advertise finance or lease deals on their websites. You may find that a specific vehicle carries low lease terms or that your local dealer is offering low APR financing.




Buying around certain holidays or seasons can also give you a better chance of getting great deals.

Employee pricing 

Many manufacturers offer deep discounts to employees or immediate family members of employees. Be sure to take advantage of this if you are able.

Don't be afraid to walk 

You could be surprised to find that less negotiation is required to get the price you want on a car than in years past.

Even still, some dealers may be less willing to negotiate deep discounts on your first visit. Always be ready to leave the dealership if you aren't getting the deal you want.

This is useful because it shows the dealer that you are a confident, savvy buyer and they may be more likely to call you and offer a lower price.

Consumers are more equipped today than ever before to save money on car purchases. With the wealth of information available, especially online, it is easy and simple to buy with the confidence that you're getting the best deal possible.

5 Budget Vintage Home Decorating Ideas You Need to Know!

Giving your home a new look when you’re on a limited budget may seem difficult. What’s more, decorating the house with vintage finds and creating appealing displays can seem even tougher!

However, there are limitless possibilities of infusing vintage items into your home décor without having to spend a lot of money on expensive stuff. All you need are some DIY skills and the ability to look at items and think of different ways to use them!

If you’re ready to give your home a healthy dose of vintage, you’ve come to the right place. These tips are also great if you already own vintage pieces. If not, you can get it as freebies online or through flea markets. Read on for 5 ideas that you’re sure to love.

Place Vintage Finds Together

Make a collage of all your vintage collectibles and display them on the mantelshelf, bedside table, coffee table, or even kitchen countertop. Bear in mind that your vintage treasures might never match each other, but don’t worry about mismatching anything as you’re sure to find some harmony between the pieces if you look for it!

If you’ve got several items and can’t seem to figure out a way to display them, start with grouping items by type or color.

Spray Paint Items

Create a unified display by spray-painting a medley of different items in the same color. For example, grab some old trays, buckets, and kitchenware, paint them a bold color, and display them together. You could also get some bar stools for the kitchen and paint each one a different primary color.

Just remember to wipe down items with a damp cloth to get rid of dirt and dust, and allow them to air dry before you begin painting!

Bring out Your China

Old china and other pottery items can make the best vintage displays in your living room or kitchen, so bring them out of hiding and give them a place on mantels, tables, and countertops. Don’t worry if they are stained, chipped, broken, or if sets are incomplete; the flaws will only lend to the vintage appeal! Do add in some thrift store hand-painted coffee mugs to brighten up the display.

Pottery can also be put to use in various ways; for example, use utensils as planters and place them around the house- in corners and on windowsills and tables, etc. Furthermore, decorative pieces can be used as bookends or to hold trinkets.

Show off Suitcases

If you have a couple of vintage suitcases that you use to stow away out-of-season clothes, you’re in luck because they can ooze charm just by sitting in a corner. So instead of letting them remain under the bed or in the attic, show them off by stacking them on top of each other in a corner or in the hallway.

You can also consider placing a single suitcase upright by a bedside table or by the mantel. A large vintage trunk can be used as a bench or a center table too! Alternatively, leave a vintage suitcase open on a dresser or on a side table and use it to hold items like toiletries, photo frames, books, or a vase.

In addition to this, vintage suitcases can be transformed into shelves or wall decorations easily by simply cutting through them. If you have pets, transform each suitcase half into a comfy bed for your furry friends.

Amp up Storage

Go vintage with storage by using your flea market finds and hand-me-downs differently. Here are some tips you could make use of:

• Use crates to store items under the sink and in the laundry room. Attach wheels on crates to make for easy under-the-bed storage. Crates can also be mounted into studs on walls to create striking wall storage.
• Store towels, linens, clothes, kitchen ware, and more in wicker baskets. Display the baskets on shelves or line them on the floor.
• Turn to open shelving wherever possible and mount trays, racks and metal baskets on walls to hold items. Paint shelves white or in a bright color, or give them a distressed look to add to the vintage look.
• Use a baker’s metal and wood rack to accommodate various objects like kitchen utensils, laundry baskets, paperwork, etc.
• Repurpose pitchers and vases to serve as utensil and cutlery holders on the kitchen countertop and the dinner table.
• Muffin tins, cake dishes, servers, and plates can be used to display jewelry. You can also hang accessories on a DIY tree branch holder.

Conclusion

Displaying vintage items around the house in a way that doesn’t make the décor look cluttered and busy is challenging. And being on a tight budget can certainly add to your troubles!

That being said, giving your home vintage vibes doesn’t have to be harrowing. With the tips given here, you now know a handful of ways to deck up your home without spending a fortune at flea markets and antique shops. So get started on using and repurposing your vintage treasures the right way!

Happy decorating!

Author bio: Ann Neal is a writer with a keen in decor, fashion, parenting and lifestyle topics. She is passionate about music and loves to play guitar in her free time. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Her Twitter handle is @Ann_G_Neal

The Top 5 Benefits Of Joining A Credit Union

The Credit Union National Association reports that over 96 million Americans belong to a credit union instead of, or in addition to, a traditional bank. 

With so many people jumping ship to credit unions, it makes sense to consider the benefits of becoming a member to one of the more than 6,000 credit unions in the United States. 

Keep these five benefits and advantages of credit unions in mind when making your decision whether to switch or not.

Better Service

Since credit unions are owned by their members, they focus on giving their members the services that they need at an affordable rate. 

As a member you’ll also have a say in how things are run. Banks are profit centers that focus on the bottom line and try to get as much money as they can from each customer. 

Belonging to a credit union gives you a better chance of receiving excellent service and speaking to a human as opposed to an automated system.

Lower Interest Rates

Credit unions typically have lower interest rates than banks. Since they are not-for-profit organizations, they can pass these savings onto their members. 

A lower interest rate amounts to thousands of dollars for a large loan for an automobile or home. Most credit unions also offer low-interest credit cards too.

No strings attached accounts

Most banks have a minimum balance or activity requirement for the account to remain open and in good standing. More than 75 percent of credit unions have no minimum balance requirement for members to avoid fees.

Fees are lower

Fees for the same services that a bank offers are cheaper at credit unions because their ultimate goal is to serve their members. 

You can check out different fees at sites like https://www.dfcu.com/ for more information on fees and customer service. Credit Unions like this have a bit more flexibility in how and what they charge their members. 

It’s more common for a credit union to reduce services than raise fees for its members. They do have to maintain some fees in order to remain federally regulated, but they’re still significantly lower than a traditional bank.

Shared branches and ATMS

Banks used to be able to boast that they were the only ones with a large network of ATMs for their members to use without incurring fees. 

That has changed with the co-operative network of credit unions allowing customers to use shared resources to avoid fees. Individuals can also go into other branches and conduct transactions in person regardless of where they are. 

Before joining a credit union, make sure that you know where the other branches and ATMs are located so that you are able to make the most of your membership.

It used to be difficult to join a credit union because they required you to work at a certain company or belong to a specific organization, but membership opportunities have spread vastly in the last few years. 

Many credit unions only have a residency in a certain town or county to join. Credit union membership continues to grow while distrust in banks spreads. It’s clear that a credit union is worth looking into for savings and other perks.

The Anatomy of Forex Trading Trends

Everything about trading on the forex market revolves around trends. Trend analysis is the number one tool that forex traders rely on to make smart investments, and every forex trading strategy out there is built upon inspecting, predicting, or finding trends.

But understanding exactly what a trend is, and how and why trnds form, is something that a lot of traders don’t have a firm grasp on. 

Trends have a specific anatomy, which can be thought of as either a set of inherent rules that they follow, or as a body that builds upon itself over the lifespan of the trend. 

Whatever visual works for you, there are steps that make up a trend, and understanding those steps can help traders get a better understanding of how to analyze trends.

Step One: Demand

The first part of a trend is imbalance. It occurs when a set of orders, that is greater than the orders currently driving trends, comes into the market. For example, let’s say that EUR/USD is currently in a downward trend. 

This means that right now, the market is defined by more sell orders than buy orders. If traders were to begin buying at higher rates than those selling, a new up trend is begun.

It doesn’t matter what time frame this occurs, or how often it occurs in a single day or week; every time a new trend happens, it is led by this initial phase of imbalance in demand.

Step Two: Cause and Effect

The moment that a new trend has begun, automated stop bids start kicking in. Traders start closing or opening trades based on the new information that is coming in. 

If the new trend was a down trend, the market will suddenly see liquidation, with losing trades closing. Any trader who had been trading based on previous trends will see a loss, and that gets the forex trading market moving again. 

As these traders react to the changes in the market, they propel the decline or rise in price even further by adding more buy or sell orders to the market.

This step is the hardest to predict, because it depends on how many traders had open trades that were relying on previous trends. It could take quite a while for the liquidation step to complete, or it could be done very quickly.

Step Three: Honing In

At this step, the forex trading market has now collectively noticed and catalogued the trend, and is honing in to begin trading on the new information. 

Buy or sell orders are placed based on the new trend, and that continues to drive the trend in its current direction. This step lasts as long as it takes for a new trend to begin. As soon as the demand is imbalanced again, a new trend will retire this one, and traders begin anew.

Using This Knowledge

As you can see, understanding the anatomy of forex trading trends isn’t as hard as it sounds, but it is vital information. 

While you can’t always predict how long a trend will last, you may be able to use your understanding of how trends work to anticipate a good entry or exit time. If step three has been reached, it may be time to stand back and start watching for the next trend, which could be just around the forex trading corner.

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