Consider the Cost Per Use When Planning a New Purchase
When we purchase something and use it frequently we comment that we "got our money's worth" out of it, as the cost-per-use has plummeted. Weigh the frequency of use against the purchase price when considering if something is worth buying.
Photo by Joe Marinaro.
Financial blog Personal Finance by the Book highlights how cost-to-use analysis plays out in different situations. For example, when purchasing a new vehicle it makes little sense to pay extra for features that are infrequently used:
Should you pay an extra $5,000 for that 7 passenger car? It depends on how often you actually need those extra seats for the life of the vehicle. Obviously, if you have a family of seven you need all the seats you can get, but if you only use those extra seats one week a year for your annual vacation, you are paying $1,000 for each of those weeks (assuming you keep your vehicle five years). Because a seven passenger mini-van rents for about $500 a week at Enterprise, you may be better off saving your $5000 purchase price and renting that 7 passenger vehicle when you need it.
Check out the full article at the link below for more examples and tips for applying cost-per-use analysis to your purchases.
It pays to be original when dreaming up your vacation plans, because if everyone else has the same idea as you, you're sure to be paying the highest rates possible for travel, accommodations and attractions.
A post on Currency, AmEx's personal finance blog recommends planning your trips on off-peak seasons to avoid the crowds and pay as little as possible.
The post says you're best off traveling between April 15 and June 1, as well as Oct. 1 and Dec. 15 - obviously excluding the travel hell that is Thanksgiving - for the best rates.
Granted, there are some disadvantages to traveling during the off-seasons. The San Diego beaches, after all, aren't quite as appealing in December, but Disneyland is still Disneyland during what passes for winter in Los Angeles.
What's your favorite off-season travel destination?
Travel Off-Season for a Cheaper, Better Getaway
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger
Consider the Cost Per Use When Planning a New Purchase
When we purchase something and use it frequently we comment that we "got our money's worth" out of it, as the cost-per-use has plummeted. Weigh the frequency of use against the purchase price when considering if something is worth buying.
Photo by Joe Marinaro.
Financial blog Personal Finance by the Book highlights how cost-to-use analysis plays out in different situations. For example, when purchasing a new vehicle it makes little sense to pay extra for features that are infrequently used:
Should you pay an extra $5,000 for that 7 passenger car? It depends on how often you actually need those extra seats for the life of the vehicle. Obviously, if you have a family of seven you need all the seats you can get, but if you only use those extra seats one week a year for your annual vacation, you are paying $1,000 for each of those weeks (assuming you keep your vehicle five years). Because a seven passenger mini-van rents for about $500 a week at Enterprise, you may be better off saving your $5000 purchase price and renting that 7 passenger vehicle when you need it.
Check out the full article at the link below for more examples and tips for applying cost-per-use analysis to your purchases.
It pays to be original when dreaming up your vacation plans, because if everyone else has the same idea as you, you're sure to be paying the highest rates possible for travel, accommodations and attractions.
A post on Currency, AmEx's personal finance blog recommends planning your trips on off-peak seasons to avoid the crowds and pay as little as possible.
The post says you're best off traveling between April 15 and June 1, as well as Oct. 1 and Dec. 15 - obviously excluding the travel hell that is Thanksgiving - for the best rates.
Granted, there are some disadvantages to traveling during the off-seasons. The San Diego beaches, after all, aren't quite as appealing in December, but Disneyland is still Disneyland during what passes for winter in Los Angeles.
What's your favorite off-season travel destination?
Travel Off-Season for a Cheaper, Better Getaway
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger
Consider the Cost Per Use When Planning a New Purchase
When we purchase something and use it frequently we comment that we "got our money's worth" out of it, as the cost-per-use has plummeted. Weigh the frequency of use against the purchase price when considering if something is worth buying.
Photo by Joe Marinaro.
Financial blog Personal Finance by the Book highlights how cost-to-use analysis plays out in different situations. For example, when purchasing a new vehicle it makes little sense to pay extra for features that are infrequently used:
Should you pay an extra $5,000 for that 7 passenger car? It depends on how often you actually need those extra seats for the life of the vehicle. Obviously, if you have a family of seven you need all the seats you can get, but if you only use those extra seats one week a year for your annual vacation, you are paying $1,000 for each of those weeks (assuming you keep your vehicle five years). Because a seven passenger mini-van rents for about $500 a week at Enterprise, you may be better off saving your $5000 purchase price and renting that 7 passenger vehicle when you need it.
Check out the full article at the link below for more examples and tips for applying cost-per-use analysis to your purchases.
It pays to be original when dreaming up your vacation plans, because if everyone else has the same idea as you, you're sure to be paying the highest rates possible for travel, accommodations and attractions.
A post on Currency, AmEx's personal finance blog recommends planning your trips on off-peak seasons to avoid the crowds and pay as little as possible.
The post says you're best off traveling between April 15 and June 1, as well as Oct. 1 and Dec. 15 - obviously excluding the travel hell that is Thanksgiving - for the best rates.
Granted, there are some disadvantages to traveling during the off-seasons. The San Diego beaches, after all, aren't quite as appealing in December, but Disneyland is still Disneyland during what passes for winter in Los Angeles.
What's your favorite off-season travel destination?
Travel Off-Season for a Cheaper, Better Getaway
eric seiger
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
Another year, another debt-filled holiday season passed, another New Year's resolution to control spending. Sound familiar? Are you ready to take control of your financial planning? If so, personal finance budgeting is key. There is hope, and it is easier than you might think.
We must begin by getting back to the basics. In a society filled with credit cards and not a whole lot of personal responsibility, money slips away faster than we can dream up ways to make it. The first step to taking control is to STOP IT! Stop the cycle. Stop charging things you have to "figure out" how to pay. Stop imagining that your needs and wants are on equal footing. If you find yourself in this cycle, it truly is time to revaluate. Your own personal finance budgeting course starts right now.
Ready for the first step? Before you can hope to improve your personal finance budgeting skills, you need to do a little planning. First, put your credit cards away. You will not be using them any longer. I know there is something to be said for using credit cards that reward you, however, if you need to gain control over your finances, now is not a good time to be utilizing that benifit. For the purposes of this budget, you will be using cash. You need to regain a realization of how quickly money leaves your wallet and what kind of things you are spending it on. You may have to limp your way to your next paycheck, but in the process you will begin to understand what is happening in your personal finances.
It is time to face reality. Sit down with all of your bills. You need to add up every single dime you have an obligation to spend every month. Divide by the number of paychecks you have each month. This figure represents the amount of money you need to leave in the bank when you receive each check. Now, subtract this amount of money from your check total. The sum is the amount of money you have to spend. If you are more of a visual person the formula will look like this.
Total amount of bills per month / number of paychecks per month= Sum A (amount you need to set aside each paycheck for bills.
Total amount each paycheck- Sum A= Sum B (spendable cash.)
Once you have set the ground work, you can begin step two. At this point you need to realistically set up a budget. If your budget does not provide the amount of money you need to subsist on, this article will not help you until it can. Personal financial planning must start with a personal workable budget. Help yourself by getting one in place and then move onto step three.
Payday (yeah! It's OK, you can cheer!) Drive straight to the bank and withdraw your "spendable cash" (Sum B). Look at all the cash you have and prepare for the shock of a lifetime. You will be stunned how quickly the money will slip away!
Now that you have had all that fun oohing and aahing over all our cash, we must get back to work with step four. You now need to set up your envelopes. Simple white envelopes are the basis of getting finances under control (are you shocked?) To begin, you must retrieve your budget. Now, begin labeling envelopes. The envelopes represent different sections of your budget and can be whatever you want them to be. However, general guidelines do apply. An effective personal finance budget relies on categories such as food, miscellaneous household items, gas, entertainment and medical expenditures. If these categories don't all work for you, tweak the system until your envelopes match your lifestyle spending habits. From your budget, determine how much money belongs in each and divide your cash into each envelope.
Step five bring about the difficult part of your budget. You may only spend from your envelopes. When you get gas, take money out of the gas envelope. When you need groceries, take money out of the grocery envelope. When you want to eat out, money only comes from the entertainment envelope. I said this step was going to be hard. It becomes difficult when you realize that if the proper amount of money isn't available in entertainment, you can't eat out. This is where many budgets fall away, but revamping your life is going to take some self control and hard work.
It is time to Begin the final step (yeah! Go ahead, you can cheer again!) you need to set up one more envelope. This is the "overspent" envelope. Realistically, in today's world you may have to charge an item at some point. You may have forgotten your cash or are purchasing from a business that only excepts credit cards for payment. When this happens, you MUST remove money from the appropriate envelope and put in your "overspent" envelope. Do nothing with the money in this envelope except forget about it! The money is gone. When the credit card bill arrives, deposit the money back into the bank so you can pay the bill. When you hold fast to this one step you will eliminate any credit card problems you have had. And, let's be honest, won't that be wonderful?
Learning this very effective method of personal finance budgeting may seem a little overwhelming at first, but stick with it. You will be amazed as your own personal responsibility and determination grows as you realize where your money is actually being spent. The hard work will pay off and your newfound financial freedom will be more than a little pleasant in the coming year.
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger
JLS to appear on X Factor ahead of UK tour | Tixdaq.com Ticket <b>News</b>
JLS will perform on this week's X Factor results show along with Westlife and Take That.
Meanwhile, also in the <b>news</b>…
This entry was posted in News and tagged alex carlile, david anderson, harrogate council, mike gardner. Bookmark the permalink or use the short url http://ldv.org.uk/22006 for twitter and emails. Follow any comments here with the RSS ...
New Michael Jackson Track, 'Breaking <b>News</b>', In Quite Good Shocker <b>...</b>
Even Michael Jackson haters must be intrigued as to what the recently deceased pop-stars new single was going to sound like. There was a very good chance it wasn't going to be very good, what with MJ not being around long enough to ...
eric seiger
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