Of course anyone can get cash for an old clunker by selling off parts, but now you may be able to score even more cash back with a new Cash for Clunkers Bill.

The bill is poised to be signed into law as part of a $106 billion wartime spending bill. New car buyers will be able to trade in their old clunkers for vouchers worth up to $4,500 that can be used towards the purchase of a new, fuel efficient car. The bill is basically passed. On Thursday, June 18th the Senate voted to for the Cash for Clunkers provision and now it’s on it’s way to President Obama to sign (news venues are reporting he’s for it). If passed 100% consumers will be able to buy cars that qualify on July 1, 2009.

Some basic facts:

• The car you trade in cannot be older than 1 1984 model.
  
• The car you buy with one of these vouchers must be new and cannot exceed $45,000.
• Vouchers are tax-free for consumers.
• It’s looking like you’ll only be able to get one voucher per new car, so if you have two cars you’re out of luck (unless you’re buying two new cars).
• You can’t go buy some old car and trade it in, you’ll have to show proof of at least a year’s worth of ownership.

Of course there are plenty of other rules and your local area may not be participating so visit Cash for Clunkers to learn more.

[image via stock.xchng]

Gas prices have gone way down where I am in Oregon; hopefully they’ve gone down where you are too. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still save money on gas, or know what to do when prices jump again.

Click before you fill up - check out online gas prices before you head to the pump. Gas Buddy and MapQuest Gas Prices are two good places to start.

Get gas at the store - In my neighborhood, we have some grocery stores that also have corresponding gas stations. If you swipe your store card at the pump you save 10% on your total purchase and score points towards free gas. Check around and see if you can get deals like this  - BUT make sure it adds up. If the store pumps charge a lot more than another gas station the discounts may not add up.

Roll up the windows - I actually hate driving with my windows up. I pretty much drive with them down year round, but it’s not smart money wise. Your drag is decreased when you roll up, which means you save gas.

Don’t idle - Besides being bad for the environment, idling is bad on the wallet. Why waste gas? If you’re not moving for over a minute, turn the car off.

Declutter the car - Having lots o’ junk in your trunk (wow- that sounded bad) is no good if you happen to be a car. Extra stuff weighs down a car and increases the gas you use.

[image via stock.xchng]

Someone smarter than me is going to have to explain to me this whole auto bail out plan because I am not getting it.  This week I heard a statistic but I can’t remember the source.  The statistic went like this … In 2007, Toyota and GM sold the same amount of gross product.  Toyota, however, mad etwice the profit as GM.  So if htey are both making cars in the US and they both brought in similar amounts of money, then why is Toyota fine and GM needing y tax dollars to pay a rediculous overhead.

Let me say quickly that I do understand that if they go under, we can’t handle the aftermath.  Too many jobs will be lost and our economy will tank.  I understand that.  But what I don’t understand is that if Detroit doesn’t get our tax dollars, then they will restructure under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Seems to me like I don’t want to throw my good money after bad decisions.

Am  I missing something?  A pay cut would be a heck of a lot better than no paycheck at all.  What do you think?

So have you heard about the Arab Sheikh who flew his $400,000 Murciélago LP640 Lamborghini to London for an oil change.  This is the same car used in Dark Knight.  I must be missing something.  Here is how The Business Sheet breaks it down in US dollars:

• $400,00 - The cost of the car
• $40,000 - The flight to London to get the oil change
• $7,000 - The mechanic’s price to do the oil change
• $? - It doesn’t mention how much the oil cost
• $447,000 - Oil change

I just got my oil changed today for a total of $26.  I pay that much because the oil place I goto donates to our church’s mission fund for every member of our church that goes there.  I feel it’s worth it.  But $447,000!  Come on, I can’t even pay the $75 to fill my gas tank for my mini-van.  BTW, I get 18-18.5 mpg with my 20 gallon tank.

Don’t get me wrong.  There isn’t a person out there that doesn’t wish they had the money to throw around like that.  But why does it seem that there is such a big gap between them and the every day regular people we know and love?

Image source: ENI and Google Images

I couldn’t believe how high gas prices went right after Hurricane Ike. So I took this picture on Saturday. On Sunday, prices stayed put. On Monday, prices went back down to $3.99/gal. Today I paid $3.89/gal. I never thought I would be happy to pay $3.89/gal. It is so sad!

I’ve been told for quite some time now that gas companies are only allowed to charge a certain amount above what they pay for the gas. The Department of Energy even has a site where consumers can report price gouging on gasoline.

A recent trip to Wal-Mart left me questioning what is going on around here. Murphy Express is selling gas for thirty cents less per gallon than the other gas stations. Thirty cents!!!! Unbelievable! Yes, it is definitely worth driving the few extra miles for the savings.

Needless to say, the competition has been great and other gas stations are lowering their prices as well. A little competition is always good for the pocketbook.

What do you think about all this?

images by Karen

Last week, my husband listed his motorcycle on ebay.  The high bidder emailed to say that he bought another motorcycle and wouldn’t be able to buy my husband’s.  My husband reminded the buyer that as a bidder he was under contract to purchase the bike. 

After several emails, the buyer finally agreed to come and look at the bike.  In a “nice way” he said that he would drive 2 1/2 hours to look at the bike, but if anything was different than described, my husband should be prepared to pay him for his time and that he would receive negative feedback and be reported to ebay for fradulent selling. 

Are you kidding me?  This guy didn’t want to buy the motorcycle, so he was going to do anything in his power not to purchase it.  This is the part that ticks me off - Sellers cannot leave buyers negative feedback!!!!!

Buyers, you can no longer receive negative or neutral Feedback from sellers.
You should leave honest and accurate Feedback without the fear of receiving negative or neutral ratings.
Sellers can no longer leave negative or neutral Feedback for buyers.
Buyers should leave honest Feedback without the fear of receiving negative or neutral ratings.

This is insane!!!  How is this feedback system supposed to work, if they won’t allow you to use it? 

The buyer is even trying to bargain with my husband.  He said if my husband would leave him positive feedback, then he would pay him the ebay listing fees.

My husband has contacted ebay and is trying to get this resolved, but it doesn’t look good.  This makes me so mad!  Have you had problems like this with ebay?

I ran across a great article from Dumb Little Man on how to use the everyday things we use and found a neat way to get dents out of your vehicle.  This is ironic since someone dinged my brand new van (to me anyway) in the parking garage at work last week.  I was so MAD!  Anyway, Shilpan suggested taking a wet plunger and pull out the dent in your car.  It worked for most of the dent in my van so good luck.  Just another frugal tip to keep your things working and looking nice without spending money.

Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer is asking what is in your car?  So I had just cleaned out my car to go on a trip that we didn’t go on.  So here is my list:

• Spare diapers
• a new phone book
• toys
• shoes
• wipes
• mail, mail, and more mail
• a windshield visor
• milk jugs ( I make tea and take it to work so I don’t waste money on drinks)
• a stroller
• a birthday present for the boy at the sitter that I have to exchange
• an activity mat to sell
• pool toys
• Turkey Butt’s CD’s
• my purse
• an empty McDonald’s bag
• my Wal-Mart bag full of trash to be thrown out
• a pen
• a couple of mismatched socks
• a phone charger
• a couple of receipts
• a pair of sandals
• an organizer for my bathroom that I haven’t gotten out yet

I think that is it.  Not too bad considering.  I just happened to gather up all my trash last night and put it in a bag.  You can actually see the carpet, which is unusual for my van.  So there is my embarrasing list of junk in my trunk

See you later,

We are at my mom’s house this weekend.  I have enjoyed myself tremendously.  Family can be very nice to visit.  I wish we lived closer.  Today, my mom and dad’s friends came over and eat with us.  He is a mechanic and we got to talking.  He told me about a great little secret in car care.  COKE.  Turns out, that road film you get on your window that is hard to get off your car after a long trip isn’t so hard to remove after all.  Take a bottle of coke and shake it all up.  Then when you open it CAREFULLY make sure you aim for the windshield.  Then rinse the car well.  Otherwise your car will be really dirty and sticky.  But the acid in the Coke will break down and remove that awful road film on your windshield.

Good luck and talk soon,