There is someone living near me who has a problem. Every time they start their car, the belts squeal horribly. Now, that in itself is annoying, but that is not why I am writing. Any belt making a noise like that will, at some point, will snap. It may be when she is leaving for work and that is bad. It may be when she is zipping along the highway and that is worse.
Yesterday, I heard a truck go be with a periodic squeal coming from its left rear wheel. This truck needs a wheel bearing replacement. At some point, the wheel will simply seize and the truck will not move, and if this happens when it is going 60 mph, the results will not be pleasant.
I see cars that are leaking an assortment of fluids and I hear brakes so worn that it is definite that there is no pad left, just metal grinding metal. I have neighbors driving on tires that have absolutely no tread.
O know that money is tight and the Holidays are here but some things cannot be put off. I know. I have done just that, several times. Trust me, a vehicle will almost always break down at the worst possible time. And, in almost every case, neglect will make the repairs more costly than if you went ahead and did them when the problem is first evident. In addition, cars in disrepair are dangerous for you and every one else.
Take care of your car.
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Take Care When Driving
Driving safety may seem like an odd topic for this blog, but hang on and you'll see my point.
A few years back, I was fairly broke. Driving to a store one day, I forgot that I was entering a mini-speed trap. For a two block range, the speed limit dropped from 50 to 35 and then back up to 50. I stayed at 50 and, sure enough, got pulled over and ticketed. The police periodically parked in that area and, at time, had 4 or 5 cars pulled over. I knew this and simply forgot.
Well, I had no argument. He had me and I was fined $145. Of course, my insurance also went up. At that point in time, I was just getting by financially and the fines and increase created a few weeks of hardship.
I have seen the same thing happen several times to folks I knew. I have had friends and acquaintances get in wrecks that were their fault, sometimes with no car insurance, or inadequate insurance. They ended up buried in debt, all because of a moment's lapse in attention.
I have also known folks who ended up with severe financial, personal, and legal problems because they drove in a somewhat altered state of consciousness.
My point is that in all such cases, using a little common sense and paying attention to what you are doing, especially when operating a car, can save you a whole lot of time aggravation and money. Being practical is not just about fixing things and handling money. It also means avoiding unnecessary expense and stress.
A few years back, I was fairly broke. Driving to a store one day, I forgot that I was entering a mini-speed trap. For a two block range, the speed limit dropped from 50 to 35 and then back up to 50. I stayed at 50 and, sure enough, got pulled over and ticketed. The police periodically parked in that area and, at time, had 4 or 5 cars pulled over. I knew this and simply forgot.
Well, I had no argument. He had me and I was fined $145. Of course, my insurance also went up. At that point in time, I was just getting by financially and the fines and increase created a few weeks of hardship.
I have seen the same thing happen several times to folks I knew. I have had friends and acquaintances get in wrecks that were their fault, sometimes with no car insurance, or inadequate insurance. They ended up buried in debt, all because of a moment's lapse in attention.
I have also known folks who ended up with severe financial, personal, and legal problems because they drove in a somewhat altered state of consciousness.
My point is that in all such cases, using a little common sense and paying attention to what you are doing, especially when operating a car, can save you a whole lot of time aggravation and money. Being practical is not just about fixing things and handling money. It also means avoiding unnecessary expense and stress.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Preventative Maintenance
There are a few things I know. Problems will not fix themselves. Small problems will get worse. And, it is far better to prevent problems from developing. The answer, Preventative Maintenance.
How do you do that? Simple. First, periodically, say once a month or so, look around your property. If you are an apartment dweller, just take a glance around. Do you see any frayed wiring? Is your refrigerator making strange noises? Is the air conditioner acting erratically, or, more importantly, does it have a lot of built up moisture. While you're at it, change or clean that AC filter. If it's cold out, check your heat source. Make sure you are seeing no drips around your washer and dish washer and, if either is rattling or clunky, get them checked out.
Do you see any little water spots on your ceiling? Apartment dwellers, call your maintenance staff and bug them until they look at it. Home owners, if you are able, and feel comfortable doing it, check out your roof. If not, call a roofer. Small repairs are quick and cheap. Large ones are not.
Keep your roof's gutters unclogged. If you live where there are serious storms, keep trees properly pruned. If you have a nice garden, check your sprinklers every week or so; it is easier, and, again, cheaper than having to replant parts of your garden or lawn. If you have a swimming pool check the chemicals daily and the flow rate weekly. Once a pool is out of balance, it can be nightmarish to rebalance it.
If your toilet is not flushing correctly, go ahead and fix it and, if you are a home owner, periodically have your drain lines cleaned, either by machine or with one of the many chemical drain cleaners available. I am sure you will not enjoy having your toilets back up.
Take care of your car. Check fluids once a week and do not skip scheduled maintenance, such as oil changes, belt replacement and tune ups. Do not ignore any little drips you see. They may indicate a serious problem.
Most of all, keep your property and belongings clean and neat. People will be surprised just how much this will improve the functioning of autos, appliances and your home in general. Preventative Maintenance does not have to be a huge chore. Just, on a routine basis, give your place a few minutes attention and you will save yourself a world of time, expense and aggravation.
How do you do that? Simple. First, periodically, say once a month or so, look around your property. If you are an apartment dweller, just take a glance around. Do you see any frayed wiring? Is your refrigerator making strange noises? Is the air conditioner acting erratically, or, more importantly, does it have a lot of built up moisture. While you're at it, change or clean that AC filter. If it's cold out, check your heat source. Make sure you are seeing no drips around your washer and dish washer and, if either is rattling or clunky, get them checked out.
Do you see any little water spots on your ceiling? Apartment dwellers, call your maintenance staff and bug them until they look at it. Home owners, if you are able, and feel comfortable doing it, check out your roof. If not, call a roofer. Small repairs are quick and cheap. Large ones are not.
Keep your roof's gutters unclogged. If you live where there are serious storms, keep trees properly pruned. If you have a nice garden, check your sprinklers every week or so; it is easier, and, again, cheaper than having to replant parts of your garden or lawn. If you have a swimming pool check the chemicals daily and the flow rate weekly. Once a pool is out of balance, it can be nightmarish to rebalance it.
If your toilet is not flushing correctly, go ahead and fix it and, if you are a home owner, periodically have your drain lines cleaned, either by machine or with one of the many chemical drain cleaners available. I am sure you will not enjoy having your toilets back up.
Take care of your car. Check fluids once a week and do not skip scheduled maintenance, such as oil changes, belt replacement and tune ups. Do not ignore any little drips you see. They may indicate a serious problem.
Most of all, keep your property and belongings clean and neat. People will be surprised just how much this will improve the functioning of autos, appliances and your home in general. Preventative Maintenance does not have to be a huge chore. Just, on a routine basis, give your place a few minutes attention and you will save yourself a world of time, expense and aggravation.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
The Pitfalls of Debt
I am going to give some advice, something I rarely do. I am sure you have heard it before but this is one of the most important things you can do. Avoid debt. If you are in debt, pay it off as soon as possible, even if you have to scrimp on everything to do so.
Debt is crippling. When you start paying interest on money you owe, you are immediately losing. Even at low interest rates, when you carry a debt for years, you are costing yourself a lot of money. Of course, some things almost always have to be paid off over time. Few of us can pay cash for a car or house. If you are that fortunate, consider yourself blessed and take advantage of your good fortune. If you are like most of us, use your head. Do not buy that really cool sports car when a nice, sturdy sedan will suffice and do not buy more home than you need. Very few need a huge house on a large lot. Buy what you can afford and be happy, very happy, when you pay it off. Get the best deal you can and make sure, even if you have to eat Ramen Noodles a few nights, that you never miss a payment. Do not even be late on payments, penalties are unnecessary expenses. Whenever possible, make extra payments and get that debt off your back as soon as you can.
Once you have paid off a car, drive it until it just cannot be repaired anymore. Take good care of it, keep the body and interior in good repair and do not let needed engine work go ignored. Yes, all that costs but not nearly as much as a new car.
If you have paid off a house, rejoice and stay there as long as you can. Tired of the way it looks? Home remodeling is a lot cheaper than buying a new one.
As far as other forms of credit, avoid them. I do think it is good to keep 1 credit card for use in absolute emergencies. Your 12-year-old's desire to get a new, $100 pair of sneakers is not an emergency, nor is you desire to go to that football game next weekend. Also, credit cards are good to use when traveling. No one in their right mind wants to carry a few $1000 in cash around but, and this is especially important, pay off the entire balance when the next bill comes due, and never, ever be late with a credit card payment. I used to work selling credit card offers and they sounded great. No interest for a year is great, but, if you are late for one payment, the full interest late, along with late fees kick in and you suddenly are way behind. Also, when that interest free period ends, if you have a balance, you will immediately start paying those big interest rates and it becomes very hard to catch up. That is how credit card companies can make those great offers. They count on people falling behind because then they start making their money. Do not get caught in that game. If you must use your card, make sure you pay off the entire balance when due, even if it means skipping a Friday night dinner out or two.
About the only debt I can think of that you may have trouble avoiding is hospital and doctor debt. If you develop a serious illness, you have no options and most insurance will not cover everything, unless you pay a great deal for that policy. If you run up deep medical debts, work out a payment schedule that you can afford. Most hospitals and doctors are actually pretty good about working with you.
Again, I know this is all old news to you, but this is the best advice I know, Stay out of debt and if you cannot, pay off all of your debts as soon as possible. Being debt free is liberating. You will be absolutely amazed at how much stress you shed when you find yourself free of debt.
Debt is crippling. When you start paying interest on money you owe, you are immediately losing. Even at low interest rates, when you carry a debt for years, you are costing yourself a lot of money. Of course, some things almost always have to be paid off over time. Few of us can pay cash for a car or house. If you are that fortunate, consider yourself blessed and take advantage of your good fortune. If you are like most of us, use your head. Do not buy that really cool sports car when a nice, sturdy sedan will suffice and do not buy more home than you need. Very few need a huge house on a large lot. Buy what you can afford and be happy, very happy, when you pay it off. Get the best deal you can and make sure, even if you have to eat Ramen Noodles a few nights, that you never miss a payment. Do not even be late on payments, penalties are unnecessary expenses. Whenever possible, make extra payments and get that debt off your back as soon as you can.
Once you have paid off a car, drive it until it just cannot be repaired anymore. Take good care of it, keep the body and interior in good repair and do not let needed engine work go ignored. Yes, all that costs but not nearly as much as a new car.
If you have paid off a house, rejoice and stay there as long as you can. Tired of the way it looks? Home remodeling is a lot cheaper than buying a new one.
As far as other forms of credit, avoid them. I do think it is good to keep 1 credit card for use in absolute emergencies. Your 12-year-old's desire to get a new, $100 pair of sneakers is not an emergency, nor is you desire to go to that football game next weekend. Also, credit cards are good to use when traveling. No one in their right mind wants to carry a few $1000 in cash around but, and this is especially important, pay off the entire balance when the next bill comes due, and never, ever be late with a credit card payment. I used to work selling credit card offers and they sounded great. No interest for a year is great, but, if you are late for one payment, the full interest late, along with late fees kick in and you suddenly are way behind. Also, when that interest free period ends, if you have a balance, you will immediately start paying those big interest rates and it becomes very hard to catch up. That is how credit card companies can make those great offers. They count on people falling behind because then they start making their money. Do not get caught in that game. If you must use your card, make sure you pay off the entire balance when due, even if it means skipping a Friday night dinner out or two.
About the only debt I can think of that you may have trouble avoiding is hospital and doctor debt. If you develop a serious illness, you have no options and most insurance will not cover everything, unless you pay a great deal for that policy. If you run up deep medical debts, work out a payment schedule that you can afford. Most hospitals and doctors are actually pretty good about working with you.
Again, I know this is all old news to you, but this is the best advice I know, Stay out of debt and if you cannot, pay off all of your debts as soon as possible. Being debt free is liberating. You will be absolutely amazed at how much stress you shed when you find yourself free of debt.
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