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You're NOT going to pay alot for that muffler!

mycoupons | 14 February, 2007 11:15

"I got approved for a car loan!!" My friend Sara yelped into the phone this morning. She was so excited you'd have thought she WON a car. Sara has been leasing cars (with her father as a co-signer) since she was sixteen. She was overcome with excitement at the thought of becoming the true and rightful owner without any help from her parents.

She rattled off the details so quickly that she couldn't catch her breath. I told her to give me the cold hard facts. (As you will recall, I am the daughter of a CPA- cold hard facts are all I deal in) Anytime you try to tell my father ANYTHING- he says "Put it in writing!" The man obviously can't comprehend the spoken word. I seem to have inherited this trait.

Sara gave me the details. Once she told me the payment ($ 495 a month) and the finance term, (72 months) I was convinced she was not only financing a fleet of limousines, but also taking the national debt under her belt as well.

"Have you lost your MIND??!" I eloquently asked her. "That's well over $35,000- what kind of car is it?" "A 2007 Hyundai Elantra- fully loaded." She purred. As we were on the phone, I pulled up Edmunds.com and typed in the car. I could actually hear the bubble burst as I read the invoice of the car- $16,935.

"Sara, where are you?" I asked cautiously. "I'm outside of the car dealership; they are putting everything in writing." She told me. In what seemed like slow motion playback, I yelled "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!" "Sara, DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING!" I demanded. "Get in your car and drive away-quickly! Do not even make eye contact with them, just back away slowly and leave!"

"Oh Cici! You are sooooo dramatic, they are really nice guys." She giggled. "Of course they ARE- So was Ted Bundy!" I yelled at her. After fifteen minutes of me questioning her sanity, Sara finally realized maybe I was on to something, and agreed not to sign anything until I had a chance to do some research, and she got away from the dealership relatively unharmed.

Once Sara arrived at my house, I introduced her to a new invention- It's called the internet. A handy tool, indeed. In this day and age, anyone that buys anything- from a pack of gum to a Lear jet, is remiss if they do not perform even a modicum of research first.

I spent more time making my choice on which washing machine to purchase than I did on which man to marry. (Oh, I had choices, believe you me!) There are so many tools on the internet just waiting for you to utilize. You can calculate car payments, salary averages, credit card interest rates, mortgage payments, dog ownership costs, and can even calculate the amount of time it will take you to become a millionaire. (I will be 103. Old, but rich.)

Every single one of you reading this has access to the internet, and I urge you to use it to your advantage. Whether you are looking for a car, house, or airfare to St. Louis- you owe yourself the favor of comparing prices.

Once I showed Sara that she was going to be paying $37,219 for a $17,000 car, she realized that I was right in telling her to run. Of course, my big mouth won me an ENTIRE day of car shopping on Saturday. I am kind of excited in a way; those poor guys don't even see me coming. Poor, poor souls.

Here are my top five money savvy websites- use them and use them often. Don't come crying to me if you pull a Sara.

Bankrate.com- You can calculate payments on anything here. I mean ANYTHING!

Edmunds.com- If you are buying a car, looking at cars, dreaming of buying a car, or have ever ridden in a car, you NEED to bookmark this site.

Salary Calculator- Congratulations! You just got offered $200,000 a year to transfer to Los Angeles! Too bad that amount of money in Los Angeles will only buy you a 250 sq. foot apartment above a gas station restroom.

Money.CNN.com- They offer financial planning tips, advice on how to make your savings last, and guides to 401k, IRA, and Social Security reform. Bookmark this site- unless you WANT to eat cat food when you are ninety!

Frommers.com- Before you take a trip -even to the grocery store-research this site! It is full of last minute deals, smart travel tips and money saving advice.

And last, but certainly not least, a site near and dear to my heart- MyCoupons.com. Here you can find exclusive coupon codes for everything and anything. You can learn the tricks of the trade on the shopping boards, and find out how to get enough free toothpaste to last you and future generations through decades of tooth brushing.

The internet IS your friend. I am Sara's friend. Isn't she lucky?

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours! ( Even if "Yours" is your dog!)

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

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