October 26, 2017

Small Car Repair You Can Do to Save Money

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car, money, car repair cost


Car repair is one of the monthly expenses that many of us don’t take seriously. We only consider repairing the car after a major damage has occurred. This is because sometimes the cost of car repair can be high regardless of how small they may look. Did you know that you can cut your car repair expenses by almost 50%? You don’t have to abandon your car in the garage to achieve this. It all involves handling the repairs by yourself. After years of having a car, you might have realized that some issues don't have to be handled by professional mechanics. Here are small car repairs that you can do to save money

1. Change your brake pads 

Mechanics and other car technicians will charge you some good amount of money just to change your brake pads. Did you know that you can do this without spending a dime? Replacing brake pads is quite an easy process and requires little technical knowledge about the working of a car. You only need pliers, basic wheel wrenches, and a wheel lug wrench. After removing the wheel, go ahead and fix the pads. The process may take less than an hour, and you won’t have to pay for the cost of labor. 

It surprises us to see the number of people who visit auto shops to change their car batteries. This is one of the simplest car repair procedures that you can do at your home without involving a technician. 

A typical battery will last for a period of between 3 to 4 years. By the end of this time frame, you should be fully aware of when to change the car battery. Waiting till you get a technician is one big lie. One secret of knowing the state of your battery is by checking its expiry date. 

2. Change oil 

A typical oil change that is done by a mechanic will cost you $20 to $30. Doing it yourself can help you reach your savings goals. After all, you would already have catered for the cost of oil and filter. Why should you pay more for the technician to do it? 

Doing it yourself also minimizes losses that are associated with the process. Some technicians may use fake oil or those that are not compatible with your car engine. In doing so, your vehicle may start developing mechanical issues which will eventually affect your overall expenses of maintaining the car. 

3. Change your spark plugs

Attar buying a car, one of the first lessons that you need to learn is how to change spark plugs. It is an easy care repair service that will save you from incurring some big expenses. These plugs have a lifetime, and in the latest models of vehicles, spark plugs expire after approximately 100,000 miles. The procedure is also less complicated as you only need a spark plug wrench. 

4. Replacing headlight 

Smart car owners walk around the car on a daily basis to check out the condition of the car's lighting system. It would be a suicidal move to drive a vehicle whose headlights are damaged (https://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/headlight.php) or not in a perfect condition. First, you will be putting yourself and other road users at risk. Secondly, faulty tail lights can mislead vehicles that are behind you. 

You don’t have to hire someone to tackle your taillights. After buying a replacement, follow the procedure outlined in the manual. While replacing, be careful on how you handle the bulb. Do not touch the old one with your bare hands. Also, ensure that your hands are not greasy when handling the bulbs. 

5. Fixing a chipped windshield 

Setting a chipped windshield isn’t a complex process as many people tend to assume. In fact, it is one of the small car repairs that you can do to save money. To accomplish this task, you need to have a windshield kit repair kits which are sold at affordable prices. After that, get rid of loose glass using the pin that came with the kit. 

Once the glass attains satisfactory cleanliness level, stick a small device next to the windshield until a seal is formed around the rock chip. Use vacuum contraception method to apply some resin into the crack. This is a small operation that can last less than an hour. It also seals the crack on the windshield from spreading hence saving you from incurring massive damages. 

6. Windshield wiper 


Rubbers that are found on the windshield can get worn out, making their effectiveness go down. You can efficiently deal with this issue by replacing the old strips of rubber with new ones. Alternatively, you can get unused wipers and remove their rubber strips. All you need is a screwdriver to complete the exercise. 

7. Dangling exhaust pipe 

Never assume any unnecessary noise coming from the back of your car. There could be something serious affecting your vehicle and needs to be handled as soon as possible. Probably the exhaust pipe holders have been damaged. Check under the car for any broken holder and repair it before the problem escalates to another level. 

8. Replacing broken fuse 

One of the reasons that may be preventing your headlight from turning on is broken fuses. They inhibit the transfer of electrical energy to their destination. Replacing a blown fuse is not a big deal. You only need to find the exact location of the fuse then read the appropriate manual on how to install it. 

9. Replace gauge sender 

Does your car keep running out of fuel? The problem may not be your bad driving habits. Probably the fuel gauge tank needs to be replaced. Try to find the location of a fuel gauge tank at home then look for the user’s manual and initiate the process if you can. 

Conclusion 

If you thought that buying a car is an expensive affair, wait till you start paying maintenance costs. Sometimes of these expenses are too high that they can end up draining your savings. With these tips, you will be able to save enough money that you can use for other ventures. 

Bio 

Tim Fox is a co-founder and writer for theeliteproduct.com. He and his friends share latest information about cars and motorcycle on their blog.
October 25, 2017

5 Life Lessons You Should Learn While You're Still Young

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While it’s true that we live and learn, there are a few life lessons it would have been great to know about a bit sooner - at least while we’re still young. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to predict the kind of stuff we should have known about before it actually happens, and it’s certainly not common sense to listen to the advice of our seniors. 

So we turn to strangers on the Internet instead, hoping they have a few words of wisdom on the life lessons they wished they’d known a bit sooner. Knowing about it could have changed their life for the better, giving them a completely different - and even a much brighter future. 

Here is a rundown of the most important lessons these strangers on the web would like to pass on so that you can make a difference in your own life. 


#1 Being fit isn’t just for jocks 


That exercise is good for you is something that most of us know by now. Thinking back to our teenage years, it’s easy to see why a number of grown-ups would like the younger generation to know that, even if you’re not participating in team sports or winning medals for your school, exercise goes beyond looking good and building muscles. 

exercise, woman exercising
Image via Pexels

It goes beyond weight-loss too, and the importance of realizing this can have a tremendous effect on your mental health. We tend to understand the benefits of exercising as we grow up, though, but those who see the advantages to it a bit sooner are also able to improve their cognitive capabilities, boost their memory, and even be building lifelong habits of healthy eating and a balanced lifestyle. 

The bottom line in all of this is that being fit isn’t something that’s exclusive for jocks or the cool kids in high school - and the sooner an awkward bookworm realizes this, the easier it is for them to start committing to their own health goals. Invest in your health now, take care of your skin, eat properly, and you’ll get a great return on your investments in ten years. 

On a separate note, it’s also helpful to keep in mind that it’s never really too late to get in shape. Have a look at this article, first of all, to boost your motivation and find solace in the fact that these were formerly sedentary middle-aged adults who were able to practically rewind time by doing high intensity-cardio in intervals. It’s like the fountain of youth just with the taste of sweat. 

#2 We’re all a bit lost 


A life lesson that keeps being repeated is the simple fact that none of us really know what we’re doing. Everybody is pretending to understand this whole adulting-thing, we’re all suffering from imposter syndrome, and the sooner young adults manage to understand this, the easier it is to stop caring about what other people think. 

When you’re straight out of college and about to embark on your career, you’ll undoubtedly be surrounded by a bunch of people who seem to know what they’re doing. And they probably know a bit more about this than you do, seeing that they’ve been in the industry for a few years - but don’t think for a second that they didn’t feel like a big old phoney when they first started out. 

Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re a bit lost, reach out to others for help, and notice how much easier it becomes to laugh at your mistakes and get over it a bit quicker. The more lost you are now, the more clarity you’ll have when all of those mistakes are over and done with, and you’ll even start noticing that those with a full decade of experience still make mistakes sometimes. 

It’s a balancing act of understanding that your parents, for example, may have more life experience than you so you should listen to their advice - while also realizing that many people reach a ripe age before they figure out what to do with their life. Have a read about imposter syndrome in this article, by the way, and you’ll feel a lot more confident in the next meeting. 

#3 Look after your skin while you’re young 


Signs of aging will creep up on you when you least expect it - and by then, it’s way too late for prevention. While this advice ties up with the first one about seeing exercise as a way to boost your body and mind, rather than to fit in with a specific group, skin care is also something that all of us should focus a bit more on. 

Men, in particular, are still gravitating toward a better understanding of how to take care of their skin, when to wear sunscreen, and how the food we eat may or may not affect the condition of our skin, but they’re not all quite there yet. UV-protection remains the number one way to shield your skin from signs of premature aging, and there are multiple ways to do this that doesn’t include layers of sunscreen. 

relaxing, woman relaxing
Image via Pexels

Protect it with loose fabrics during the summer, consider car window tinting if you spend hours on the road, and wear a hat if you’re confident like that. There are so many ways to take better care of your skin that doesn’t involve splurging on costly cosmetics; with that being said, you can easily find a foundation or tinted moisturizer with sunscreen, though, to save the extra bucks. 

#4 Don’t let anyone pressure you into university 


When we’re lucky enough to have grown out of those awkward teenage-years, we start to understand just how stressful the time actually was. It seems strange to advise the younger generation not to allow anyone to pressure them into higher education, but there’s so much buzz about it online and seems like a valid life lesson. 

Parents and teachers alike are keen on seeing their teenagers become a part of the rat-race sooner rather than later and, in some families, it’s completely unheard of to take a gap year. Land a decision immediately instead and regret the amount of money you spend on it in a few years when you’ve fallen out of love with your career, right? 

Taking some time off to figure out where you want to be in life is actually a very responsible decision. Some parents may say you’ll never get back to school after a year off and that you should just get college over with, but it’s so much money spent on a choice you never really had time to speculate on properly. 

#5 You can win in all areas if you work hard - except for love 


This advice is two-fold but it made so much sense to the readership online that’s it’s worth taking a moment to explain it. Trying hard and not giving up is something that will help you to reap a lot of rewards; learn to work hard in college, for example, and your life may look very different in ten years than if you just snoozed through it.

It is not necessarily because you’re bound to get awesome grades and lead a generally happy life, as you can never really predict where life will take you - or if your professor is just cruel and gives to poor grades nonetheless. The life lesson lies in the fact that the sooner you learn to keep trying and to work hard, the easier it will be for you to motivate yourself in terms of career progress later on.

heart-shaped
Image via Pexels

Now to the second part of this life hack; even if you work hard and continue to try, it’s important to remember that nobody owes you anything in life. You can be dreadfully in love with someone, go out of your way to put your best foot forward, and take them on awesome dates - but the final decision is still theirs to make. 

Understanding that the world owes you absolutely nothing can help you in a lot of aspects. Jealousy, for example, or general envy of what others have that you can’t afford. Love and relationships may be one of the most insanity-inducing thing you’ll ever encounter and, unlike other areas in life, it doesn’t matter how hard you try. Realize it sooner rather than later and save yourself the emotional trauma that follows. 

If you learn the life lessons above before you turn 30, you’re either incredibly unlucky or just a an excellent listener. Hopefully, we’ll manage to be the latter and avoid years of bothering ourselves over things that are out of our control. If not, at least you’ll have a handful of life lessons to share with the rest of us in a few years.
October 25, 2017

The Tools Everyone Should Have in their Car

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There’s nothing like the freedom of having your own vehicle, being to go wherever you want whenever you want without having to rely on a third-party to get you there. Unfortunately, most drivers will, at some point in their life, experience an issue with their car that means that freedom is, at least temporarily, taken away from them. The good news is that if you have a few choice tools in your car, your chances of getting into trouble and having to rely on someone else to get you out of it will be significantly lessened. 

With that in mind, here are some of the most important tools you should always have on hand in your car: 

The Car’s Manual 

It’s pretty obvious, but so many people do not keep their vehicle owner’s manual in their vehicle; they leave it at home, where it is absolutely no use at all should they get into difficulty on the road! If you want to be able to solve your own car problems, as best you can, as often as you can, then you absolutely do need to carry your car’s manual with you wherever you go.

A LifeHammer 

The LifeHammer is a simple tool, but one which could really save your life one day, should you get into trouble on the road. What does it do? It breaks windows very effectively. This would obviously be useful should your car, for instance, be plunged into a body of water, or should you get into a crash which makes it impossible for you to exit your vehicle by any other means. As a result, you should always keep your LifeHammer near the driver’s seat in a secure position. Perhaps even using tape to secure it, so that you will have no problem accessing it should you need to. 

October 14, 2017

Buying a car

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You’ve probably convinced yourself to keep that new Jeep or that Ford F-150 in your bookmarks just for fun. But maybe you’re moving that dream to reality--you’ve started clicking through your local dealerships, comparing prices, and considering the nitty-gritty details of buying the car you’ve been eying for years. It’s time for a little calculation. 


If you’re looking more seriously into buying a new car, it’s important to budget for your vehicle’s lifetime. Aside from a house, cars are one of the larger purchases you’ll make, and it’s important to plan the purchase carefully. Most cars will cost a bit more beyond the price tag over time. From fuel economy to maintenance and upkeep, you’ll want to consider all angles of your new ride to get the most for your dollar (and that might even require a quick test drive). Vehicle upkeep will inevitably include expenses like fluid replacements, oil changes, tire rotation, and it’ll include other forms of maintenance as your car ages. 

October 04, 2017

Stress, No & Maybe! Anxieties You Will Face Running A Company

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Stress and anxiety, it doesn't just come with the start of your startup, but it is something that is, unfortunately, a very regular occurrence during your time as an entrepreneur. The question is how you deal with these stresses? Everybody has their own personal anxieties, and these can impact on our business in many ways. But what are the key anxieties every entrepreneur will face at some point or another? 

A Lack Of Control 


This is a pertinent point to address because if you are a business owner, you will tend to be the person in charge, but when you work with other clients outside of your business, this is where you may end up in a position without a sense of control. Control, of course, isn't the same as having an influence over others, but this can have an impact on where you may see your business going. It's very difficult if you are a startup company that is trying to make the most of important client relationships, as these will pay your wages. It's also important to remember that in this respect that finances can cause grave anxieties, and so it may be worth looking at extending your working capital, to give you that bit more peace of mind. There are websites, such as workingcapital.co, that lists specific details on funding, and what criteria your business needs to meet. Some businesses aren't fully flexible when it comes to finances, but it's important to remember that there are organizations that are willing to loan you the capital. The lack of control may remind you of when you were an employee. But this is a lesson in letting things happen; sometimes you can't control everything, even if you are the leader of your own business. And this may be a harsh lesson for you to learn, but an essential one to help you calm your anxieties. 

October 03, 2017

The Basis Of Your Business

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The most fundamental thing any entrepreneur needs is a space to work. The wrong kind of environment can be very distracting, and it can significantly reduce productivity. In contrast, the perfect office space can motivate entrepreneurs to work for as long as they need, and the time they spend at work is extremely productive. To get your business off to its best possible start, here are a few places where you can work comfortably for as long as you need. 

At home 

All you need to productively work from home is a space that you set aside purely for work purposes. You can clear out some space under the stairs if you’re short on space, but ideally it does need to be a room so you can close the door for privacy. If you don’t have a spare room, then set aside a quiet corner in the living room. Once you’ve found the perfect space, you can start decorating it to inspire your creativity. Finally, you should make sure your desk and chair are comfortable, because you will be spending a lot of time sitting in front of your computer. 

Build an office 

You might not have the budget to buy some land and build an office from scratch, but if you own your house then you can create the perfect space above the garage or in the garden. Consult a company that specialises in design and construct services about the possibility of building an office on your property - preferably with its own separate entrance - and find a quote that works with your budget. This might not be ideal if you’re running an online store, but if you need a space to meet clients then this will give you some added professional credibility, and privacy to speak with your clients. 

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