Tag: new

Driving

Top Considerations To Make When Searching For Your Next Car

JayneLeave a comment

When looking to buy a car, most people can find themselves standing on shaky ground. The purchase of a vehicle can, of course, come with enormous stresses, after all, it is one of the most significant investments you will ever make.

We are going to look today at some of the things you should be considering when searching for your new car.

Image Credit – Pexels – CC0 Licence

Affordability

When it comes to searching for your new car, making sure it’s affordable is possible one of the most important things you can do.

A new car can be one of the next most significant purchases after buying a house, so doing some research on its affordability is more than sensible.

The first thing you should look at is the cost of the car. Companies like Trade Price Cars are great when it comes to looking at finance deals. You should also be taking the other expenses of the vehicle on top of finance into consideration.

Doing some research into the economic factors of the vehicle is just as important. Knowing how much the car will cost to run weekly and the average repair costs are vital. 

Another consideration should also be the cost of tax and insurance. Getting some quotes and comparisons before you make a commitment will be essential in your car buying journey.

Reputation

Another important step when buying a vehicle is paying attention to the car you are going to buy. Most people have a general idea of the car they want, and sometimes this can be the biggest mistake. 

Going car shopping only wanting one car can often spell disaster. All is great should the vehicle you want is a fantastic feat of engineering. What if the car you want has a tripe reputation? You are then left with a new car that costs you a fortune in repair costs. 

The advisable thing to do is creating a list of possible cars that you find aesthetically pleasing. Then taking all of the vehicles from your shortlist on a test drive will certainly help you whittle down the good from the bad.

Be Prepared

Making a good deal of advanced preparations before heading out to view a car is essential. You should be armed with lists of questions and things of note to pay attention to as soon as you get there.

One of the first moves you should make, especially if the dealer knows you are coming is to feel the bonnet of the car. A smart little trick that dealers like to do is start the car and leave it running before you arrive.

By getting a car warm, the second time it starts helps to hide any issues that may be present when the car is cold.

Small things like this should fall to your attention; if something doesn’t look or feel right, there is no issue in walking away and finding the same car elsewhere. 

Driving

How To Decide If You Can Afford a New Car

Jayne1 Comment

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Many experts believe that there is no worse investment than buying a new car. It can be seen as a huge waste of money and a piece of metal that will depreciate in value the second you drive it off the forecourt. But you may have decided that buying new instead of second hand is best for you and your family. So here are some things to consider when deciding if you can afford to buy a new car. 

Maybe you dread the thought of constant repairs or want a car that is in line with today’s emissions and safety technology. Or maybe you just love that new car smell. There really are many different possibilities. But the big question to ask yourself is- can you really afford it? 

Put Down a Downpayment 

If you don’t have the funds to buy your chosen car outright, you’ll need to put down a little bit of cash to secure the deal. Companies such as Really Easy Car Credit could help you get the amount that you need. The ideal amount to put down is approximately 20%. Sit down and do the figures and see if you can afford it. 

Take a four-year loan

The most common length of loan for a car or other auto vehicle is approximately six years. However this could prove a bit too long. Consider taking a loan of around four years. It a good way to minimise the interest and ensure you’re not paying more than you have to. It also a good way to determine what you can afford. If you can’t meet the requirements for a loan payments of four years, it’s more than likely that you can’t afford the car in the long term. 

Only use 10 percent of your income

One final point is to ensure that you’re only using 10 percent at most of your monthly income towards your car payments. Any more than that and you can see yourself drifting into the red financially. Account for everything, including fuel. Car insurance, MOT fees and even parking tickets in this amount.

Stay within these boundaries and you’re looking at being able to realistically afford the car that you want. 

 

Bonus tip – Consider trading-in your car for another used vehicle

 

Maybe after reading this, you’ve decided that buying new isn’t for you, at least not right now.  In that case, maybe you should think about buying “newer”.  There are basically two ways you can go about this.

One option is to sell your current vehicle and then use the funds to buy a replacement.  In theory, this could get you the best deal.  In practice, it can turn out to be a whole lot of pain for little to no gain.

In short, the internet has made it really easy for buyers to research sales prices for just about any type of vehicle.  This means that they’ll almost certainly be looking for a meaningful discount on the “dealer price”.  To be fair, this will reflect the fact that they won’t get the same level of protection on the sale.  They’ll also, presumably, be paying the full price up-front.

The other option is just to trade in your existing vehicle for a newer one at a reputable dealer.  For example, you can just browse the used Vauxhall cars for sale from Pentagon and pick your favorite.  Then contact the dealer and ask what they can offer as a trade-in deal.

You’ll probably find that the discount the dealer will offer you will compare very favorably to a realistic private sale price.  What’s more, you can generally also get finance on decent terms.

 

Family · Happiness · Parenting · Personal · Pregnancy

A Step Towards Independence (Or: A Shift in Our Relationship)

Jayne5 Comments

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Being pregnant has been infinitely more pleasant this time around. People keep telling me how well I look and I have to check to see if they’re talking to someone else, so used am I to being ill, pallid and drawn when up the duff. I never thought I’d be the sort of person who would wear pregnancy well, so to look in the mirror and see my skin and hair looking so healthy, colour in my cheeks (but not too much; my rosacea is better than its ever been) and none of my extremities resembling those of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters is a real treat.

However, pregnancy is already affecting both Sausage and I in other ways.

BP (Before Pregnancy), I loved nothing more than being able to pick my girl up and give her a cuddle. I can’t do that now – obviously, I shouldn’t be lifting heavy things, but my back and pelvis simply wouldn’t allow me to at the moment anyway. Sure, I can still snuggle with her on the sofa, or bend down for a hug, but it’s not the same.

In a similar vein, I’m no longer able to lift Sausage out of the shower anymore. Our shower is an over-the-bath one and BP, I’d wrap Sausage in a towel and lift her out. A recent trip to Ikea and one step-stool later, Sausage is now able to step in and out for herself and while I’m proud of her for being so willing to embrace independence, I feel sad that it’s something that she can no longer rely on me for.

We want Sausage to be fully involved with this pregnancy and everything else, which is one of the reasons that she’s attended all of my scans so far, and Husband and I have spent the last few months telling her all of the ways in which she’ll be able to help her little sister when she comes along, but I’ve become really conscious of the prospect of forcing her to grow up too much.

I’m also concerned that it will affect our relationship in a more general sense. She’s already started going to Husband for things that she’d normally come to me for (although, she’s very close to her Dad anyway and is lucky to have him working from home) and if I’m preoccupied with a baby, I can only see this getting worse. I cherish my relationship with Sausage, as any mother does, and the thought of it changing irreparably is a real concern.

All I know is, by the time the baby is born and I’ve recovered fully from my c-section, it will be almost a year since I’ve been able to pick her up and although I’m so happy about adding to our family, it does make me a little sad that I’ll have missed out on that interaction with her. I guess it’s normal to be having these thoughts and this is just one of many changes that are inevitable when you have more than one child, especially when there’s a five and a half year age gap, but I’m just so not ready for Sausage to no longer rely on me.

So, dear readers, any of your usual words of advice? As usual, it would be much appreciated.

Family · Parenting · Personal

Three Plus One…

Jayne5 Comments

If you’re friends with me on Facebook, then you’ll already have seen my not-so-subtle, monochrome addition to my photos. However, if you didn’t see it then you won’t know what I’m on about!

12 week scan

It’s official, our little family of three (well, four including Chuck!) is about to add one more to its numbers, as Husband and I are expecting our second child. Sausage is absolutely thrilled at the prospect of being a big sister, she came with us to the scan and seeing her face when we explained that the movement on the screen was actually tiny arms and legs was just priceless, in fact I wish we’d managed to get a photo of that too!

I’m around 13 weeks gone, although the sonographers keep changing my dates by a day or two either way, but we’ll be meeting Baby on or around the 10th March.

So far, this pregnancy has been totally different to my last. With Sausage, I discovered I was pregnant because I had such violent hyperemesis that I managed to tear a whole in my oesophagus. This time, touch wood, no sickness at all, although I am feeling the tell-tale aches that make me think I may get the dreaded SPD again.

The most difference, however, is my diabetic status. When I was pregnant with Sausage, I developed gestational diabetes at about 28 weeks and had to be closely monitored thereafter. However, because I didn’t look after myself very well after giving birth, the diabetes turned into Type II, so I’m going into this pregnancy as a diabetic, which raises its own set of complications. I’m testing my blood sugar FIVE times a day and am at the hospital every other week to see one of my two consultants, a diabetic Midwife or a dietitian.

Because of all of this, I’m on a very low GI eating plan, which means that I have to stick to foods which don’t cause a sharp raise in my blood sugar and release their energy over a longer time. It’s not been at all easy and I’ve made some mistakes along the way (sourdough bread? SO not low GI..) as well as having some rather EPIC tantrums about the awkwardness of the boundaries around what I can and can’t eat, but I’m getting there and making some rather pleasant discoveries about what is still on the menu!

This will be a new blogging experience for me too; Sausage was 2 when I started Mum’s the Word so I’ve never really blogged about having a newborn. That’s not to say that I’ll completely change what I write about, or that I’ll climb down off of my soapbox in any way, but there may be a few pregnancy and baby-related posts in there too.

So there you have it. After Sausage’s birth, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get my head around the thought of having more children, and I won’t pretend I’m not absolutely terrified at times, but with 5 years, a lot of love and support from Husband and Sausage and a little bit of blogging catharsis, anything can happen!