The best advice I ever got was from my parents who taught me at a very young age to live below my means.  My parents were consistent savers so saving money was a way of life for me as long as I can remember.  My parents took it to the extreme sometimes and were super cheap.  On special occasions we would go to Burger King on Sundays because they would have $.99 cents Whoppers.  We would get the burgers but then come home and make our own fries or have chips! I have carried this “frugalness” into adulthood and have always tried to be prudent with my finances.  My Dad told me to save my raises whenever I got them at work.  This helped me avoid lifestyle inflation which I’ve seen from so many of my coworkers over the years. When I was working my first job out of business…

My wife’s 2005 Acura MDX recently failed inspection and needed a minimum of $2800 in repairs to “maybe” pass (no guarantees).  After over 200,00 miles and a recent slew of repairs needed it is finally time to get a new car.  But I should be clear, I mean new to me..not new.  I’ve never purchased a new car and never will! When you are researching cars online and going to the dealership and seeing all the nice,fancy cars it is easy to forget one important thing.  A car is a depreciating asset.  Unless you are buying a classic car or exotic sports car as soon as you drive it off the lot it will lose around 10 percent in the first month. Afterwards it will lose 15 to 20 percent of it’s value every year. So my rule of thumb is simple.  I buy a used car that is a…