Getting rid of a broken down or old car can be a little daunting seeing as it is not something you do every day.  How do you know what your car is worth? Who should you contact? Luckily, if you need to junk a car for cash it can be a lot simple than you imagined. If you keep a few key tips in mind it can really make the experience, go a lot smoother than the nightmare some may have.

One thing to always be sure of is to find your title. Not properly obtaining your title and transferring it to the individual or company purchasing the car may cause you to incur various fees. State records will show you still technically own the vehicle whether it is in your possession. Sometimes it is not always required depending on the age of the vehicle, this number can vary by state. Inquire with your local department of motor vehicles to find out the specifics for your area when it comes to the required documentation and processes involved to streamline the process as much as possible.

Along with getting your title in order, some states require you return the plates to cancel registration. Sometimes you are unable to cancel your insurance policy until this is done either.  Doing this ahead of time will save a lot of time and head ache. You do not want to try and get your plates while a busy tow truck driver is waiting!

Junkyards are normally pricing out the metal or potentially reusable parts but in most cases, they are not going to give you extra for your premium parts. Things like aftermarket radios and good tires will only be icing on the cake for them. If your tires are still in good condition, consider picking up some bald tires to replace them, then resell the good tires.

Just like buying a car, simply because one person has said what they will pay you does not mean that everyone will pay the same. Give your car a good look over and take down everything you observe such as areas of the vehicle with damage, mileage and how long since the car was last driven.  The more detailed and useful information you can gather the more accurate your quotes will be.  You can also use Kelley Blue Book to find out a rough idea of the value of your car.  If it isn’t running, consider having a mechanic check out the vehicle to determine if it’s an easy fix. You can also subtract the amount needed to repair the car from the KBB estimate to get an idea. A car that runs can be worth considerably more than one that doesn’t.

Call several different salvage yards and junkyards and write down what each is willing to offer to get the best price. There are also numerous online companies out there that may be interested in your car, a quick search can turn up several scrap car companies. Your local paper can also have several local companies listed in the classifieds. You never know when the next phone call you make could yield even more money than the last.

Make sure you remove all your personal items from your car as well. Check in all the small out of sight areas and make sure you do not miss anything. You never know what personal items or information may be hiding underneath your seats. You don’t want to find out that you left something valuable in there like an iPod or perhaps even old mail like bank statements.    

When arranging a way to get your vehicle to the lot there are a few things to consider.  Obviously, if the car can be driven then some junkyards will pay more for bringing it to them so be sure to mention that when discussing the vehicle. If the vehicle does not run, then the most convenient option is to have the junkyard pick up the car. Make sure you are aware what your car is worth as sometimes they may change what they are willing to offer once the car is loaded.  Do not let them push you out of money you should be paid. You’ve done all the work to know what it’s worth.

If you keep these tips in mind, getting rid of your car can be a breeze. In fact, junking your extra car can be one great idea to get extra cash for the holidays. Just take your time and before you know it you will be cashing your check and moving on to the next daunting task of replacing it!

Handy Tips to Get Cash for Your Broken-Down Car is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Many people have car loans. In fact, approximately

Not only are car loans expensive, but they can also be avoided, even if you are on a low income. If you are looking for a vehicle now or soon, here are a few tips to help you pay cash for your next car.

Drive Your Old Car As Long As Possible

If you have a car already, drive it until you can’t drive it anymore (or until it doesn’t make sense to keep repairing it). Why buy a car you can’t afford when the one you have works just fine? Sometimes, you may be envious by the people driving new wheels, or the people who don’t have to manually roll up their windows. However, you have to remind yourself that it’s not worth getting into massive amounts of debt just to own a newer car.

If you don’t have a car yet, now is the time to act like you do. Start saving money as if you have a car note, insurance, and other miscellaneous things to pay for.

Save Each Paycheck

Even if it’s just a few dollars, save money from every paycheck in a new car fund. You can always increase this amount as you earn more or cut out expenses, but try to save something. It may take you a little longer to save enough money for a car, but it can be worth it when you realize you don’t have that extra bill hanging over your head every month.

Save Extra Money to Pay Cash For Your Next Car

Do you get bonuses, raises, or even birthday money? It should go straight into savings when you get it. It may be hard seeing that money sitting in your savings when you feel you deserve to spend it, but that extra money helps grow your savings faster.

For every bonus or raise you get, continue to save it and live off of the income you were making before. Before you know it, you’ll have a nice chunk of change to use for your next car purchase.

Cut Spending

There is always a way to cut some spending in your budget, even if you don’t think so. Do you eat out a lot? Do you leave lights on when you can turn them off? Could you use an old phone instead of a new one? Finding ways to cut your spending can help you pay cash for your next car by offering you a way to save more.

I’m not saying you have to be drastic when it comes to cutting your spending, but I also think that short term sacrifice equals long term gain. If you really want to pay cash for your next car, you won’t mind making changes to do so.

Price Shop

Once you’ve saved enough money to pay cash for your next car, it’s time to go shopping. Since you know how much money you have to spend, now is the time to price shop from dealership to dealership (or online).

Finding a car in your budget can take some searching, but don’t give up. Plus, checking out cars in person may give you the opportunity to find a car that hasn’t been listed yet, and you may find yourself a good deal.

Check Out Sales

Some of the best times to buy a car are right before or after the new year, around the holidays (like Memorial Day), or the middle of summer (when everyone is on vacation). If you focus on buying your car during these times, you may be able to walk away with a better car for less money.

For example, I bought a car last year for $15,400. The car itself was fully loaded and had only been driven for a year before the owner decided to upgrade. My car was worth $24,000, but I snagged it on sale AND was able to barter because I was paying for it in cash.

Buy Gently Used

Just like I mentioned above, you can get really good deals on gently used cars. Sometimes, you are better off getting a car a little newer, because it will most likely still be under warranty and have less mileage than an older used car.

This helps you because you won’t have to worry about purchasing a clunker every couple of years, and you may not have to worry about too many repairs. This, in turn, can help you continue to pay cash for your next car.

Buy From a Private Seller

Private sellers can get a bad rep because of Craigslist horror stories and people not doing their research beforehand. However, you can get some of the best deals by buying from a person rather than a company. My sister bought her 2003 Pontiac Grand Am from a private seller for $1,200, and it’s still running like a champ.

The important thing is to surround yourself with knowledge about the car, come with your cash in hand to barter and make sure to test drive the car and think about it before making any decisions. You may just be able to find a diamond in the rough, all while paying cash.

It can be overwhelming trying to pay cash for your next car, but it doesn’t have to be. Keeping your goals in mind and knowing that you won’t have extra bills to pay can make it all worth it.

How to Pay Cash For Your Next Car is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

I’m also lucky because when I got ready to buy my first car, my parents where there to help walk me through the process and to make sure that I made the best decision possible.

If you are a first time car buyer, here are 4 things you need to know.

Consider Your Total Budget, Not Just Your Monthly Payment

Most first time car buyers don’t have the luxury of having cash saved up to pay for their entire car purchase. If you know you are going to have to take out a loan for a car, make sure you consider your entire budget for buying a car, not just how much your monthly payment will be.

Every time I’ve bought a car the salesmen are quick to ask me what I want my monthly payment to be. This is when they try to make a car fit in your monthly payment budget no matter if it’s really a good financial move. Sometimes they will extend the loan terms, causing you to pay more interest over the life of your loan, just to make sure it fits within the monthly payment target you’ve set.

When you go shopping for your first car you can avoid this by having a total budget in mind for your car purchase, not just what you want your monthly payment to be.

Know What You Need

Car needs are different for every person. Some people need lots of cargo space, some people need lots of space for passengers, some people need 4 wheel drive, and others don’t care about that at all. No matter what your situation is, you need to keep your overall needs in mind when decided what type of car you want to buy.

Prioritize Wants & Be Willing to Compromise

You might want a car with leather seats, a remote start, or under 100,000 miles. Everyone has things they want when they go to buy a car, but it’s important to know what you want most so you can prioritize that and compromise on other things that are less important to you. This will also help you stay within your car budget too.

Do Your Own Research

Before you set foot on a car lot, do your own research about how much a car you want will cost you. You can easily compare prices online at different dealerships, along with checking out car values on reputable sites, like Kelley Blue Book. This is an important step that you shouldn’t skip if you want to get a good deal on your car purchase. You also need to consider how much insurance and taxes will cost on your new car. One thing to consider is if you comprehensive insurance or just liability. Comprehensive insurance by youi is one thing to consider.

Buying a car for the first time doesn’t have to be a scary process. With these tips in mind, first time car buyers will be able to walk confidently into a car lot and find what they really need and want the most without overpaying.

Did you make any mistakes when you bought your first car? Do you have any other tips for first time car buyers?

4 Things First Time Car Buyers Need to Know is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

I’ve gone looking at cars several times over the past 2 years or so and I’m not 100% sold on what the right decision is.

Those who remain staunchly pro-new buying will answer than used cars are never a sure thing, and if you intend to own a vehicle for the life of the vehicle, then deprecation doesn’t matter. Pro-used car buyers argue that new cars are a waste of money, resources, and will always be a terrible investment?

So how should a person decide whether or not used car buying is the right decision for their transportation needs? Weighing the pros and cons will always help decide whether or not you’re making the right decision when you get ready to buy a car.

Here are just a few of the many pros and cons of buying a used car, which will help you to make the right decision for your car-buying needs.

Pros:

Less Depreciation in Value

According to Edmunds, on average, a new car will depreciate 11% in value the moment you drive it from the new car lot. Buying a used car will let you avoid that costly expense of car ownership. By waiting just 6 months to 2 years before purchasing your desired car model from a reliable, certified pre-owned program, you could save yourself thousands of dollars on the purchase price.

A certified pre-owned (CPO) designation from a reputable dealer will also offer guarantees on the reliability and value of your used car purchase. Not all CPO programs are created equally though, so make sure to do some research into the dealer before settling on a used car.

Easier to Obtain a Loan

If you are currently struggling to pay off debt or rebuild your credit score, you will have more luck getting a car loan if you want to buy used instead of new. Especially if you have a significant down payment, you most likely won’t have any trouble obtaining a loan.

Lower Insurance

You will most likely pay less money for registration fees, taxes, and insurance. Although insurance companies don’t necessarily charge more to insure new cars, things like vehicle safety, the likelihood of theft, and the ease finding replacement parts all tend to make used cars cost less for insurance.

Lower Fees and Taxes

The lower the cost of the car, the lower the fees and the taxes will be on the car. Research the vehicle tax rates for your state to help make the decision on which car to buy. You don’t want to be stuck paying thousands of dollars in tax on your vehicle every year.

Cons:

Uncertain History

Even with a CPO program, no one can know the history of a vehicle with 100% certainty. Getting a CarFax report will give you accident indicators and a history of whether the used car has ever been salvaged, junked, or flooded. The report will also include odometer readings as well as repair, service, and usage history.

Just remember that even though reports like those through CarFax will help you make an educated decision about whether or not the used car is a trustworthy purchase, there will always be unknown factors which play into the reliability of a used car.

Probably No Warranty

Most used cars don’t come with extended warranties, so always take a used car for a test drive, and if there is a 24-48 hour warranty period take your used car for an inspection by your regular mechanic.

You can also try to haggle in an extras with the dealership before you close on the deal. Lots will sometimes include free oil changes, road side assistance help, or a transfer of the warranty from the original owner. It never hurts to ask what they are willing to include in the purchase price to sweeten the deal. It may very well save you hundreds of dollars down the road.

After weighing the pros and cons, it really depends on the individual make, model, and year of the car in question. It also depends largely on the reputability of the car dealership and the individual history of that particular car. There are too many variables for any one answer to the pro vs. con used car debate.

Use websites like CarFax, Kelley Blue Book, and Edmunds to help pinpoint the necessary details which could alter your decision to buy used or not. Always look at all the variables before making your decision.

Do you prefer to buy new or used cars? What made you make that decision?

Pros and Cons of Buying a Used Car is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

I know there are services such as Carvana, which delivers a new car to your door with a seven-day, no-questions return policy.

I may give such as service a try some day, but for now I’m old fashioned and figure if we’re going to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a car, I’d prefer to take it on a test drive before buying.

Before I get to the tale of woe and offer ideas for making the chance to buy a car easier, I should explain two things:

1. We only decided to buy a new car after doing plenty of research that showed that a new Toyota Prius was only about $4,000 more than a used one. My normal inclination is to always buy a car used because a new car’s value depreciates 9 percent when you drive off the lot.

2. I don’t consider myself an expert in car price negotiations — mainly because I’ve only bought one new car — so before buying the Prius I hired a car broker to buy a used car. The broker not only saved me money, but it took a lot less time and I’m sure less hassle than I would have had at an auto dealer. Eventually, we went with a broker to buy a car for my wife.

Start with a price report

To get a feel for our local market to buy car, I got a free TrueCar report for its estimate of how much the car would cost. I then used a link from my Consumer Reports magazine subscription that allowed three area car dealers to send us price quotes through email.

The offers were all reasonable, based on the prices we found online. But one offer was about $2,500 less than the others. That kind of set off a red light for me, but I called the salesman anyway to make sure the price was accurate and that it included any out-the-door fees, taxes and anything costs they planned to charge me.

He assured me it was, and sent me an email confirming the price as the final price. This is where things started to fall apart.

0% financing runaround

I told him I was ready to buy a car from him, but again, wanted to make sure that he was quoting me the final price and that we wouldn’t be surprised with other charges when we arrived. I also asked if the price included the 0% financing that Toyota was offering.

He told me it didn’t include the 0% financing, which would increase the price by about $1,000. The low price was for people with bad credit, who wouldn’t qualify for the 0% interest rate and would end up paying $1,000 or so in interest with Toyota’s low-interest financing. If you have good or excellent credit, which we do, then the price rises $1,000 because you’re getting the free financing.

Confusing, yes, but whatever. The car was still a deal.

Paint protection bait and switch

So before driving 20-something miles, I told the salesman that I agreed to his new, final price, but only if it included everything. I didn’t want to be surprised by any add-ons or other fees when we arrived. He told me that the final price was what I’d be paying.

When we arrived in the early evening to buy the car, he showed it to us and pointed out a $995 fee for paint protection and wheel locks that he said were added at the factory.

I was furious. I told him I didn’t appreciate this bait and switch, and asked for the extras and $995 to be removed before we’d buy. After he “talked” to his boss, they agreed to lower the price to $700. I felt like I was about to buy a car from Jerry Lundegaard:

But unlike in “Fargo,” we didn’t buy. The salesman said they couldn’t remove the paint protection, so we walked out.

Back to the broker to buy a car

I immediately called a car broker we had been working with. He told us before we went to the Toyota dealer in Fairfield, Calif., that other Toyota dealers told him they couldn’t match the Fairfield dealer’s price because he was likely losing money on the sale. He warned us to look out for upsales.

Long story short: The broker found the same car at another dealer for $1,000 more than the Fairfield dealer originally offered, but without the paint add-on and any other hassles. It was time to buy a car — finally — for a fair price.

We didn’t even have to drive to the dealer. They delivered it to our home and the broker handled the paperwork.

The dealer’s response

I’ve since reviewed the shady dealer on Yelp with a one-star review, and called the general manager after he read it to tell him the full story.

He denied it was a bait and switch, telling me that the fine print in the email the company sent me explained that the price wasn’t guaranteed and that add-ons may be part of the added price when I arrived at the dealership.

OK, Toyota gets out of a bait and switch with some legal notice that no one reads. I get that. But it’s still dishonest business, I told him, to have a salesman quote me one price and then give me another when I arrive.

His answer floored me. Their initial prices were so low, the GM said, as a way to get people in the door. Without the extra markups and their tactics to spring them on people at the last moment, they’d be out of business.

If they didn’t add on extra costs when the customer arrived, they’d go out of business if they sold cars at the original price they quoted, the general manager of the Toyota dealership said.

What? I asked him to clarify, and his response was that they basically dupe people to come in and buy a car by showing them low prices. Then they hit them with extra fees. Without that business practice, which he said was normal, they’d be out of business.

Is there a better way to buy a car?

If I ever buy a car again, which for me is a rare purchase, I don’t plan on dealing directly with a dealer. I’ll either go through a broker or try Carvana or whatever else is available online.

I don’t expect buying a car to be like a trip to the grocery story, where I don’t have to haggle over the price of what’s in my grocery cart. Car features can be individualized, though picking one off the shelf should be a lot easier than it is.

Another option would be to go without a car, which I’d seriously consider if I lived in a major metropolitan area. I could take Lyft, public transportation, bike, walk or rent a car when absolutely necessary. Anything but having to buy a car.

I may get to that point someday. But until then, I’m on the lookout for better ways to buy a car.

There Must Be a Better Way to Buy a Car is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Takata, the largest supplier of airbags, admits that its airbags can explode violently when they deploy, sending shrapnel flying into the passenger compartment. Six deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the defect.

Steps to check for Takata airbag recall

What should consumers do? There are four easy steps, according to the Consumer Federation of America:

1. Get your vehicles’s Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, from the outside of the dash on the driver’s side, or on the outer edge of the driver’s door. Your registration card and insurance card should also have the VIN.

2. Go to www.safercar.gov/vin and type in your VIN.

3. If your vehicle is part of the Takata airbag recall, contact any dealer of your vehicle immediately to schedule a replacement appointment. The repair is free.

4. Ask your dealer or vehicle manufacturer for a “loaner vehicle” while parts are being manufactured.

If your vehicle isn’t currently listed as being part of the Takata airbag recall, check back to see if it is added.

Typical consumer response rates for recalls is around 70 percent, according to the CFA. If consumers don’t respond to this recall, more than 10 million vehicles with this defect could be on the road.

Other ways to look for Takata airbag recall

There are other ways to check for a recall. The Safercar.gov site is run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NHTSA has its own section of its website to check for recalls and defects. Recalls.gov also lists recalls.

Drivers can also look technical service bulletins, or TSB, for their cars. Automakers use these to inform dealers about problems.

How to Know if Your Car is Part of Takata Airbag Recall is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

A couple of weeks ago, at 5:45 AM on a rainy Wednesday, we hit a small lake puddle hidden in a curve of the road, causing us to hydroplane and come thisclose to hitting an oncoming vehicle. Our little car was careening out of control, and while we were able to avoid disaster that time, we might not be so lucky the next.

The first thing out of J’s mouth, after the both of us had calmed down, was “these tires cannot handle the rain“. I reminded him that I told him to be careful in that corner seconds before the incident, and the situation wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t shrug off my warning, but I knew he was right. We needed new tires.

In late 2011, I bought tires for my twenty-five year old Mercedes 190E. The tires cost me $550 installed, and a similar incident but with snow instead of rain was the catalyst for the purchase. That and many patched holes in each tire from driving over stray nails at work.

I was sure that my Mercedes would last for at least a year after the tire purchase. I’d maintained it quite well and while it was an old car, it had a lot of gusto. Plus, who knew how many kilometers were on it. The 190E had an odd defect that year of the odometer stopping at 146,000, where it had settled god knows how long prior to my acquisition of it.

Three months after I dropped hundreds of dollars on the tires, my beloved trooper broke down a foot from my driveway. After a quick assessment of the issue and some price comparisons and research, and I resigned myself to the fact that it would cost far more than the car was even worth to fix it.

The car was dismantled and shipped away and I bought my trusty Honda, excited for the air conditioning and windows that actually rolled down. The used car dealership where we bought her told us that the tires weren’t in the best shape, and that we’d need to get new ones fairly soon, but I pushed it off, thinking that I’d had enough of tire shopping to last me a decade.

We went camping a couple of weekends ago, and J pointed my tires out to a friend, who told me that they were the baldest he’d ever seen. Then, as if a message from the tire-Gods, we picked a big, sharp chunk of metal from one.

Needless to say I had to make that dreaded phone call to our local tire store today to book an appointment to get new tires on. We did a lot of research and found the right ones, but the last thing our budget needs right now is more large purchases, considering we have a wedding coming up.

$545 later, and our new tires were installed and we were ready to take on the wet roads. Despite my disdain for the necessary purchase, one of us needs a vehicle, if not both (as a condition for our jobs), and as they say, safety first.

When was the last time you bought tires?

Image via

Tired of Buying Tires is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Image Source: Tysto/Wikimedia Commons

Getting Ready to Hit the Road

Before you start your engine, take a look at your car and the load you’re carrying. Do you really need those extra boxes of clothes you keep meaning to take to the donation box, or your roof-rack that you never use? Streamline your car as much as possible, because extra weight will only burn extra fuel. Empty your backseat and remove extra objects from the roof to reduce wind resistance and drag.

Another factor to consider is the amount of time you’re going to be on the road. If you’re unfamiliar with the route, plan it out in advance and try to combine short trips to use less fuel. If you can combine errands all in one go, you’ll spend less time stopping and starting your car. Technology can help with planning; just as you would use an app like Carsales to buy a car, you can use apps from sources like Michelin or AAA to plan your route. Waze is another app which can help you save time and fuel en-route, because it tells you where there are traffic jams and helps you plan your journey around them.

Image Source: Osvaldo Gago/Wikimedia Commons

Driving Techniques to Burn Less Fuel

Once you’re behind the wheel and ready to drive, try to take it easy. Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination so that you can avoid gunning the accelerator. Driving smoothly, accelerating as gently as possible, and keeping your eyes on the road ahead will reduce wear and tear on your car. Speeding down the highway is fun, but remember that the faster you go, the more fuel you’re burning. If you can keep the car rolling at a fairly gentle, steady pace you will burn far less fuel than if you have to make sudden starts and stops. Another factor to consider is climate control. Air conditioning can burn through a lot of fuel, so if you can get by with an open window at low speeds it will save you some cash.

In addition to adjusting your driving style, you can also save money on fuel by taking your car in for regular servicing to keep it running as efficiently as possible. Use the right type of engine oil, and make sure your tires are fully inflated to reduce resistance.
By following these basic tips and taking it easy behind the wheel, you can become a super-efficient driver and maximise your fuel use no matter what type of car you’re driving!

Is Your Driving Style Costing you Extra Money? is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

I’m a person of convenience, usually. I try to do things in the most efficient and convenient way. I’m not always successful, but I can’t stand wasted time.

These few points are the reasoning behind why I do all the things that I do, even the ridiculous things. They make sense in my mind while I’m doing them, and then usually end in failure and/or regret. For instance:

• In January, I waited in a parking lot for an hour and a half between meetings instead of going home, just to save gas and time. The thing that made this unbelievably dumb is that I was only 7 minutes from home.

• I park three blocks away from school sometimes to save $3.50 on parking. I go to school in the ghetto. A girl went missing from my school in November.

• I put every last cent I spend on my credit card. Two reasons. 1) It’s easier to track 2) I get a 1% rebate on everything I spend. The thing that makes it ridiculous is that I will never carry cash because of this. Sometimes, stores have spending minimums on credit cards; if you don’t hit the minimum, they charge you a $.25 fee to use a credit card. I’ve wracked up a few of those (making the purpose of the card redundant) because I never carry cash.

• I’ve waited in a border lineup for almost an hour to save $10 on gas.

• I’ve tried to make pasta from scratch to save (on an already inexpensive food). I don’t have a pasta maker or a rolling pin, so it didn’t turn out well.

• I move into the ghetto, where we have crackheads for upstairs neighbours and my property manager, I’m pretty sure, is either: a) the crackhead’s daughter or b) an entirely unrelated but equally terrifying individual

• I once tried to cut my own hair. This might work for some people, but not me. I denied it to my hair stylist a few months later, but I don’t think she believed me.

• Instead of buying expensive cleaners, I use vinegar for everything. I used to mop my floor with it. It worked, but it always smelled horrible. I was too cheap to buy nice smelling oils. To be honest, this is less to save money and more to go green and because chemical cleaners are terrible for your health.

• One time, I spent half an hour doing a survey that only earned me $1. Then I did it again. I actually didn’t learn my lesson until the third or fourth survey, at which point my hand was so tired from clicking through questions that it practically cramped up.

• Instead of buying a new, cheap black T-shirt after an unfortunate incident with the bleach, I tried to color in the white splotches with permanent black marker. I failed and had to buy a new back t-shirt.

I have no doubt in my mind that I’ve done thousands of dumb things to both save and make more money in my short life. I doubt I’ve had much luck in actually saving, because most of these things ended up, or could have ended up, costing me more in the long run. 

So. Readers. What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve done to save money, or to make more money? This could be fun. 

Ridiculous Things I Do to Save or Make Money is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.