Website Review: The Dollar Stretcher
Here is a website I have enjoyed for years-- The Dollar Stretcher. It covers a wide variety of topics on stretching your dollar of course . . . anything from saving money to managing debt to smart purchases. It seems to have a wide variety of contributors and there is clearly something for everyone.
I highly recommend the following two articles (the best analysis of the economics of car ownership I have ever seen):
I am adding this site to my BlogRoll.
Posted by DDFD at 11/2/2008 10:15 AM 
Categories: Reviews, Personal Finance, Frugality
Tags: Personal Finance Frugal Frugality
Categories: Reviews, Personal Finance, Frugality
Tags: Personal Finance Frugal Frugality
This is the concept of overall cost of transportation. It is really the key to getting the biggest bang for your buck. Switching cars or getting a scooter to save money is rarely only about mpg, it is about safety, convenience, comfort, capability/capacity and life-cycle costs.
Here are a couple of links that you might find interesting. First, a basic analysis of small car, large car, and a good used car:
http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com/good-used-cars.html
The good used car wins by quite a margin every time. It's painful at the gas pump, but it can be a financial breeze in every other aspect.
Next is a discussion of how a co-worker of mine (my supervisor) tried to talk me into getting an expensive sports car. I refused, and instead put lots of money in the bank over many years.
http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com/cheap.html
Even as a neophyte I knew that the large lumbering "land yacht" was the best use of my money. If we were to add up all the money that we've needlessly given to others over the years, we would see quite a large pile.
If we did a quick life-cycle cost calculation before making many of our decisions, and if we made decisions with our heads instead of our emotions, we would probably make much better decisions and live with peace of mind and abundance.
Clair
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An automobile is a simple capital budgeting problem-- an MBA concept. The core or base value is its "terminal value." There are a series of cash inflows and cash outflows-- the big question is what does it really cost to enjoy the transportation of an automobile. A car is a form of transportation, luxury is nice, sport is nice, but in the end, a working vehicle is a form of transport and has a base value of say, $500. In our society today we often lose sight of this basic premise . . .
I have often said the best car is a paid off car-- Clair, I know you understand this point-- the trick is to get our fellow Americans to wrap their minds around this concept.
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