How to Bring Down Your Monthly Car Loan Payments

One of the most frequently read posts in this blog is the one about Car Loan rates. And consequently I get asked a lot about various stuff regarding car loans. But the most popular question seems to be about bringing down the monthly amortization/payments. So I thought it would be a good idea to tackle it in more detail here.

So what can you do to bring down your monthly car payment?

Let's tackle them in chronological order:
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Want to save money? Don't bulk buy!

Ok, you got me. That isn't really accurate. You can save money by buying in bulk - if you do it right. But most of the time, households are better off just managing their cash flows.

First off, yes you do get a lower price (per unit, that is) by buying in bulk. But it's not that straight-forward.

And good personal finance decisions often can be analogous to what a responsible company would do in similar situations. Taking stock of your personal net worth is pretty much a company's balance sheet. And assessing your cashflow is like a company's income statement.

And since companies buy in large quantities, it makes sense that we should do so if we can, right?

Actually, no.
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Digital Christmas?

So, like a lot of people on earth, I was wasting time on facebook and happened to come across a post from tahonews.com about 10 shocking predictions for 2015.

It didn't really seem that shocking, to be honest. Most if not all were current trends, just taken to an extreme conclusion.

Specially the one about online shopping.
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3 Silent Traps That Hold Back Your Finances

A lot of threats to our finances are external - from rising retail prices, sneaky charges or big red signs(sale!) at the mall.

Some are more internal - something we do to ourselves without realizing it.
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Are LED Bulbs Worth It?

I'm the type that likes to save as much as possible without "down-grading". So when we moved in to our new place (still renting) about two years ago, one of the first things I did was to close the water valve a little bit to conserve water and switch to LED bulbs.


So now, I'm wondering if the LEDs were worth it...
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How do you teach your kids to save?

This is going to be my problem in a few years.

I'm not exactly sure how to do it. Even when I think back to how I was raised, it might not directly apply. I have just one kid right now, and I doubt we'll want to have more than two. So there's a bigger slice of the pie to hand out, so to speak.

I've found a lot of tips though, and that should help. I'm just not sure how to make them work.
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7 Fuel Efficient Driving Tips, 2 Myths, 3 Strategies and 3 Maintenance Tips You Should Know

Fuel is expensive, but there's a lot you can do to make sure you use it as efficiently as possible.
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11 Useful Credit Cards That Can Help Your Budget

You've probably heard of people having multiple credit cards. Great way to get buried in debt, right?

If you have no financial discipline, that's the most likely outcome.

But if you can control your spending, some credit cards can actually give you an edge. Here are some examples of useful credit cards that can help you with your budget.
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Credit Card: Points vs Rebates - Which is Better?

(Unfortunately it's another one of my long, math-filled posts. Please bear with me, there's some good points here.)

Most credit cards let you earn points that you can exchange for rewards. Some give you "gifts" when you spend a certain amount (though usually that means spending a lot),

But some offer rebates - letting you get money back on purchases you normally make anyway.

So how do you know which card is most "rewarding"?
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On Advertising

You may have probably guessed that I'm not a fan of ads. I could probably give my views on them, but that would probably be a long and boring read (if not rambling and confusing).

But luckily I don't have to, you can "learn" all about ads from Jerry Seinfeld in this 4:37-short video clip.

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Is It Ok To Buy Generic Medicines Or Is That Being Too Cheap?

A while back, I was reading an article about savings tips, and one of the tips was to buy generic instead of branded medicines.

To my surprise though, one of the commenters was wailing against skimping on your health by buying "unknown" (di-kilalang) brands.

The person was of course right. But "unknown" brands are different from generic medicines. More importantly, they aren't really any less effective.
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On Living Simply

(This is going to be another one of my longer posts...)

My opinion has always been that to live simply means not trading in my years-old smartphone for the latest model. Or basically not chasing any of the latest trends.

That's true, but apparently that's not the entirety of it.
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How To Do A Fun Staycation

Staycations are in vogue; I remember a time when people thought it was boring that I spent my summers or holidays at home.

Nowadays, because of traffic, high prices and the generally more hectic pace of life, staying at home is a lot more attractive.

But it doesn't have to be boring. And really, does it have to be your house?
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5 Behaviours That Help You Save Money

There aren't always discounts or promos to be had. And we can't always time our spending around them either.

But on any given day, we can do our best to save money. Here are five behaviors that can help us do just that.
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Synergize

Ever played magic the gathering? I only ask because some otherwise plebeian cards become very powerful when used with each other. It's colloquially called a "combo".

In basketball, there's a similar thing. Teams perform well and win a lot, even with less talented players - as long as their skills complement each other. Sometimes the reverse is true, talented teams underperform if the star players don't find a way to maximize each other's strengths. This time it's called chemistry.

In business, the same thing also exists.

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12 Inexpensive Hobbies And Pastimes

"Idle hands are the devil's workshop." Or so an old saying goes.

While the correlation between "evil" and idleness maybe debatable, it's not far-fetched that when we've got absolutely nothing to do, we might end up being up to no good.

And that's actually very relevant in personal finance.

There's a whole lot of stuff out there designed specifically to entice you to spend money. And so when you find yourself with spare time and looking for something to do, there's a great chance you'll end up spending money.

In this case, idle time is your wallet's bane.

It's not a bad idea to have inexpensive, "default" activities to fall back on:
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8 Overspending Traps You May Not Be Aware Of

For businesses to thrive, customers have to spend. However we, the customers, actually want to save.

And indeed there are a lot of ways to do so. However, businesses have been quite adept at making us think we are saving money, when we aren't.

How? Here are 8 ways:
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The Extreme Savings Tips

A collection of savings tips I bet you've never heard before!
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