Hypothetically, let’s say you know a guy who owns a 2010 Prius. The car is mechanically reliable, fully paid off, and lightly used.

Then one day, this hypothetical guy gets a phone call from his wife’s parents … They want to buy him and their daughter a new car, free and clear, as a gift. This gift car would be larger than the Prius, have more modern and awesome features, and would be perfect for future road trips that this hypothetical guy and his wife are planning to take.

This guy you know is loving the thought of having a newer whip, especially one he can fit all of his surfboards inside plus have plenty of room in the back for his hypothetical German Shepherd!

On the other hand, this guy and his wife are mostly minimalists, and don’t need a new car. Upgraded versions of the consumer items they already own don’t add a huge amount of value to their lives.

Help this hypothetical guy out. What would you advise him to do in this situation? Should they accept the new car as a gift, or politely decline the offer?

Accepting BIG gifts Is Hard, Especially Cars!

Now, you might be thinking that this friend of yours is a complete idiot! Why is this such a tough decision? Take the car, you moron!

If it was me making the choice (and it’s definitely not me or anything …) I would be hesitant because:

• Owning newer stuff increases my cost of living. A new car would add to my annual expenses, and it’s why we just got rid of our previous spare car.
• Our 2010 Prius works just fine and isn’t due for an upgrade for at least 5 years, or probably longer. 
• My wife and I have a lot of self pride. Accepting handouts and large gifts is uncomfortable because we feel we haven’t earned it ourselves.
• I’m a personal finance blogger, and many readers would never be in a position to be gifted a car. Accepting expensive gifts kind of makes me feel like a fraud, because I preach to others all day about saving and investing — and here I am getting stuff for free.

All that being said, I also believe …

Part of Giving Is Receiving

I’ve given away decent sized gifts in my life, and it feels GREAT. I love acts of kindness, showing love, helping others, sharing wealth, and all that good stuff people do when they have an abundance of something.

By refusing the car, I’m kind of belittling the process that I love so much. So here are some supporting points for why we should accept the car:

• If the situation were flipped, I’d probably do the same thing. Sharing my wealth is what I plan to do in the future — probably with my kids in the form of things they wouldn’t buy themselves.
• Not accepting gifts robs the giver of a good feeling. Generosity should be encouraged, not discouraged.
• Although we don’t need a bigger car, it certainly would come in handy. Road trips, more room if we foster kids soon, and also it solves a problem in the coming years when the Prius dies.
• When I left Hawaii in 2012, I gave away my car and motorbike to others (they were only worth a few thousand each). The car went to a work colleague who had 5 teenage daughters, and the motorbike went to a friend with no transportation. Is this the universe paying me back 9 years later? The more you give, the more you get.

Financially Speaking …

Let’s help this hypothetical friend work out how much his annual expenses would increase by taking on a newer car. Maybe that would help his decision-making.

Let’s assume the current 2010 Prius gets swapped out with a gift of a new (used) 2018 Ford Explorer.

Registration costs: I believe California has a flat registration fee/taxes for standard vehicles so I’m going to assume no change here. Annual reg is currently $186.

Car Insurance: A quick GEICO quote shows me a 2018 Explorer would be $741 for a 6 month insurance policy. That’s an increase of $440 compared to the current Prius policy of $301 for 6 months.

Gas Mileage: The current Prius is averaging 46 miles per gallon and I’m gonna assume that the new Explorer will get approximately half that. Therefore, gas prices would double. Looking back at my past annual gas expenses, we spend an average of $1,245 in gas each year (not including 2020, we didn’t travel). All in all, the new car would ADD $1,245 annually to our fuel expenses.

Maintenance: For the simplicity of this exercise, let’s assume both cars have the same annual maintenance costs. The Prius just got new tires and has no mechanical issues. I’m assuming the new car won’t have any issues over the next 5 years either. Annual maintenance: $368

All summed up, looks like accepting the new car would add $2,125 in expenses annually. Or broken down per month this would be $177 per month!

Financially worth it? Well, just looking at annual cost isn’t the complete story … Upgrading cars this year means not having to upgrade later. Paying the extra $2,000 per year now might save a once off $15,000 replacement cost for upgrading the Prius in 5 years.

Other Random Thoughts

Thinking outside the box, this might not have to be a binary decision. There could be options other than just “car or no car.” A few things come to mind:

• What if we accept the new car on the condition that we get to gift our current car to someone else in need? Paying it forward is a beautiful thing.
• We could also accept the new car, then buy a large unexpected gift in return for the parents later. A vacation? A surprise party where we fly in relatives and pay for expenses?
• This is kind of rude to request … But we could ask the parents if this gift car could wait a few years. It would be much easier to accept if our current car were dead and needed to be replaced! I feel dirty just typing that thought.
• Instead of a car, what about something the entire family can all enjoy together? This would allow the giving to take place, and more people can receive a benefit. Could that be a win/win?

Would You Accept a Car as a Gift?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this totally hypothetical made-up situation that is definitely not happening right now with me and my family. I’ll be sure to pass on all your comments to my friend.

Let’s also hope that his parents in-law aren’t reading this post right now. Just in case, please be respectful in the comments — I’m not really sure how they’d take to their goodwill gesture being splashed around and discussed on the Internet.

[This post, Would You Accept a Car as a Gift? Asking for a Friend …, was first published by 5am Joel on Elite Edge Money]

“Good luck, man. Nobody is buying used cars right now. You should’ve sold it six months ago before COVID happened.”

This is what one of my friends said to me recently. And at the time I kind of agreed. With most people working from home and limiting their travels, I thought we’d have a really difficult time getting rid of our second car.

Luckily, it turned out easier than we thought! Just last Saturday we sold my wife’s 2013 KIA Soul. Woohoo!

We got a great price – $7,700 (well, we feel great about it) after only 4 days advertising it online. It was a win/win deal for both us and the nice couple who bought it.

My friend was right about one thing though … We should have sold it six months ago. Actually, we should have sold it two years ago, the very moment we realized we could get by fine with 1 motor vehicle.

The cost of an unused car …

I ran the numbers recently and it’s quite shocking to see what this little Kia was costing us just sitting there without any use:

• CA Vehicle registration fees: $154/y
• Car Insurance: $475/y
• Annual parking permit: $34/y
• Depreciation: $1248 this year**

Total:  $1,911 for the year … or  $159 per month!

Keep in mind, this is without even driving it. Driving costs for gas/maintenance would have added up to even more! Cars are the worst.

I’m a bit embarrassed to be sharing all this. I sit and type personal finance articles all day, and have been knowingly leaking $159 a month out of my wallet! There’s no excuse. I guess the reason we kept the car for so long was because it was fully paid for (a sunken cost fallacy), and also a combination of laziness and falsely perceived convenience.

What’s even worse, there’s a big missed opportunity cost. For every $1 of negative equity sitting in a depreciating car, that’s $1 of equity that’s not helping build wealth for our future! 

Oh well. If the best time to sell our car was 2 years ago, the next best time is right now!

**I used this car depreciation calculator to learn what average depreciation would look like for a 2013 car, worth about $8k over a 5 year holding period.

Such a cool calculator! But also very depressing to learn how fast your car depreciates. It’s much worse for expensive cars :(

Selling a car online

I’ve only sold a few cars online in my life. Each time I learn something new and get a little bit better about the process. My first step was to do a bunch of online research to find out the best approximate car value. Since our KIA had low mileage for its year (only 43k miles – not bad for a 2013 model), I knew we had a better chance of selling than similar cars this age.

I looked at Kelley Blue Book value first, and they estimated the car’s fair market value range for private sale: $6,673 – $8,190.

Then, I cross checked these numbers with Facebook Marketplace, Autotrader, and Craigslist. 2013 Kia Souls were advertised anywhere between $3000 for a crappy junk car all the way up to $9000 for dealership prices.

All in all, my wife and I decided we would list it for $8,500 and see what happens. We could always drop the asking price later if needed.

BTW did you know Kelley Blue Book does instant CASH Offers now?

I found this pretty interesting … KBB now teams up with local dealerships to offer cash for used cars. Unlike a trade-in, you don’t need to buy another vehicle at the dealership to get this cash price.

After filling out a detailed form on the site, we were emailed an instant cash offer cash of $5,662. I could take this to a participating car dealership and get rid of it immediately.

This was actually pretty tempting. The thought of taking it into a car dealer and that afternoon walking out with cash was really exciting. But, knowing we could probably make a few thousand extra for just a tiny bit more effort, we decided to do the hard work and sell it to a private buyer.

Photos, photos, photos!

Before pulling out the camera, I went and got the car fully washed, waxed, and smelling like new. This cost me $69.95 at the local car wash – seems their prices have dropped a lot due to nobody driving much these days!

Next, I drove over to a nearby parking lot and snapped photos with my iPhone. From everything I read online about selling cars, it all comes down to the photos! If you show quality photos, you attract quality buyers. (Remember to cover your license plate in any photos!)

One other strong recommendation I heard was to take a photo of the keys, original manuals, vehicle history report, title and all repair paperwork. (check out the pic below) This might seem like a useless photo to take, but showing an interested car buyer that you keep records neat and tidy goes a long way! It also makes you stand out against the other ads out there!

Did you know Craigslist charges you $5 to post Autos for sale now? When did that start!? I guess it’s in an effort to minimize the amount of fraudulent ads and users… But, it didn’t stop me getting a lot of scammer responses. About 5 minutes after I posted online, I started getting emails from people with lowball offers or asking for the VIN number without explanation.

Then finally, after 2 days we were contacted by interested buyers who wanted to check out the car.

COVID, Cleanliness, & Craigslist

Probably the thing I was most nervous about was letting strangers touch and drive the car. My wife and I agreed to meet the potential buyer, but if we got weird feelings at any point we would just politely excuse ourselves. We brought disinfectant wipes and a bunch of hand sanitizer to the meet-up.

After greeting them and having a 5-10 minute chat (social-distanced of course), they sounded legitimately interested. They took the car for a quick test drive, and offered us $7,700 cash as soon as they returned. My wife and I were happy with this, so we accepted right away. Done deal.

As much as I wanted to rub the 77 hundred dollar bills all over my face, I refrained. We washed our hands and disinfected everything when we got home. :)

Why are people buying cars right now?

This whole process was shockingly easy. I had just assumed nobody would be buying cars right now. But there ARE people out there looking for used cars …

The couple we sold the KIA to moved to LA from New York a few years back. They’ve lived without a car for the past few years – they work close to home and have been able to Uber almost everywhere they need to go.

But now with COVID, they don’t feel comfortable using Uber or public transportation. Since they are both working from home and cramped in a small apartment, they wanted a small used car simply for weekend use. They want to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway and visit the northern remote beaches. Camping, hiking, and just being outdoors and enjoying Southern California.

The guy who bought it admitted he knows he’s going to lose money owning a car. But I guess it’s better than losing your mind stuck at your house all year?

TLDR; 

• Wifey and I sold our spare car on craigslist for $7,700.
• Should have done this years ago, we are idiots.
• Was costing us $159 to keep in the garage – cars are a money pit!
• KBB has instant offers now (they seem low), and craigslist isn’t free anymore, they charge $5 to list a motor vehicle now :(
• If you’re selling a car online, include a nice photo of the keys/manuals/paperwork. Good photos attract good buyers!
• People ARE still buying used cars apparently, regardless of pandemic hot spots.

Next up, just gotta visit the bank and transfer this $$ to our brokerage account! VTI all the way :)  Feels good to check another 2020 goal off the list and turn a depreciating asset into an appreciating one! 

What about you? Are you driving less and/or Uber-ing less? Thinking about getting rid of your car?

[This post, Selling our car online … Are people even buying cars right now?, was first published by 5am Joel on Elite Edge Money]

Morning!

Snagged that dollar up there at my local thrift last month – isn’t it cool? :)

Here’s a bunch of updates on things we’ve blogged about over the months in case you were wondering on any of ’em… If I missed anything, just holler!

Minivan — Two months in now and still driving it! The newness has worn off and I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as I was hoping to after hearing how much people love ’em, but I do my best to remember it’s for the greater good of my family and there are some things I do like… Like the hands-free calling and how much my kids and dog get out of it, etc… Just won’t be one of those proud Minivan Dads I guess, but oh well! We tried!

New puppy — Now this one was surprising in the OTHER direction! I had no idea how much love and joy a dog could bring to a family, and all my anxieties of having “more responsibility” have completely flown out the window… Everyone just ADORES her – especially the kids! – and it seems like she’s getting a lot out of us as well :) So a great call on this one for sure (And I’m now outside 3-4x more every day too! Another bonus!)

[Still not decided on the pet insurance stuff though… Just really can’t tell if it’s worth it or not so for now we’re just “not” and seeing what happens, haha… But I can still be convinced!!]

New couch — Worth every hour fighting those turds to get that dang ottoman in the end!! And turns out it makes for epic fort building too ;) You can actually catch a glimpse of it up there in that doggy pic.

Our new’ish home — That picture there pretty much sums it up still, lol…Though it hasn’t been all that horrible lately :) The yard is fantastic for the kids and the new pup, and logically I know it’ll be better financially in the end since we plan on staying put, but deep down I still crave renting and all the freedoms that come with it… I just wish we would have found a way to give us more *time* to look around vs settling for 2nd best like we did, but oh well… We made it back to my favorite state at least, so mission accomplished there!

My friend Agatha! — Still battling her nasty disease, but got an update from her recently saying what a boost y’all gave her with all those donations!! Over $3,200 when all was said and done after a week! WAY TO GO GUYS!!!

Here was her message:

“Thank you to all of you and J for your donations and support. In late January, I felt so exhausted by therapy that I did not know how I would continue. Then all of a sudden I see a flood of donations and support in my fundraisers. It gave me such an incredible boost. I cannot thank you all enough! This week in therapy was more physically demanding than any other and my nervous system is able to handle it, which is wonderful news. I am doing everything I can in therapy to get to a full recovery <3”

Elite Edge Money — Last but not least – the selling of this blog! Which turned 12 YEARS last month if you can believe it! And while I technically don’t own it anymore, it still feels like I pretty much do since I’m still here day in and day out with y’all ;) Only with a lot more freedom and cash in the bank while doing it, haha…

But hopefully you haven’t noticed too much of a difference since the takeover? They’ve been great at letting me do my thing, and I actually just re-signed my contract to stay on for a bit longer since everything’s going so well… Though at some point I *will* have to transition out and let the site move into its next phase, but don’t worry – I’ll give you plenty of heads up so it doesn’t come out of nowhere like what usually happens! I’m always going to be around on other projects in the community anyways, so we’ll have plenty of chances to stay connected for whoever wants to.

Here’s my personal newsletter too if you’re not already on it –> jmoney.biz/newsletter

In the meantime, keep saving that money and have a blessed weekend out there! Let me know if you wanted an update on anything else!

Oh, one last one – my kids. Who are basically like mini adults now and get along great until they don’t ;) Here they are playing Ring Around the Rosie – one of the worst nursery rhymes ever, haha…

Talk to you soon!

[This post, Some life updates :), was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

INSIDE: Finally pulled the trigger to see what the fuss was about. Picked up a Honda Odyssey & so far so good?! Here’s my thoughts as a minivan dad.

And boy, do I feel like a dad haha…

One of the first things I actually noticed, but it’s kinda cool! I AM a dad, and I’m proud to be one! :)

But seriously, here’s my thoughts on being a minivan dad…

What Being a Minivan Dad is Like

I’m not sure it’s my favorite car yet, but after a week of driving it so far, it isn’t the worst thing in the world… And my kids are obsessed with it! They literally ask to go with me EVERYWHERE now just so they can hang out in it, haha… They’re also enjoying their newfound independence of buckling themselves in and opening/closing the doors too – now that they can’t ding a car even if they tried. They even stand up in the back to put their jackets/backpacks on – it’s crazy roomy!

The one thing I’m finding I like the most so far, though, is just the fact we’re finally now *experiencing* life with a minivan instead of always wondering and thinking about it all the time. We bought it, and will now know pretty shortly whether the fuss was all worth it! ;)

And thinking about it along those lenses makes decisions like this a lot easier to swallow too – especially when you’ve been fighting it so long ;) Regardless of how it turns out we’ll now KNOW instead of wonder! And so far I’d say I’m about 70% convinced it was the right move?

I’ll have to come back in a few months and see where we’re at ;)

In the meantime, here are some of the stats of the van for those who enjoy such things:

• 2016 Honda Odyssey
• 60,000 miles
• 3.5-liter V-6 engine
• 19/28 mpg
• Seats 8
• Sunroof
• Leather seats
• 5 out of 5 star safety rating
• Backup and side cameras (which I never use, hah)
• Third row seating that folds down flush with floor for more cargo area (great for yard saling!!)
• Detachable 2nd row middle seat for creating a walkway and/or hang out area for our dog (who now LOVES being in the car too! Hasn’t thrown up once since shuttling her around compared to being in the back of the SUV (where she threw up almost every time :())
• Purchased at Carmax again, because despite the higher prices I just love how easy and efficient they are! And always such a good inventory to poke around and test drive from too…

As for costs, we paid a little over $21,500 which includes tax and titling (and NOT having to spend 10 hours at the DMV – a priceless win itself!!), and we traded in our 2005 Toyota Corolla as well.

And then we also got to cross off another experience on the list – PAYING FULLY IN CASH! My first time doing so, which surprisingly also cut down the time and paperwork involved by half too. Though only because we paid w/ a *check* vs cash in a briefcase, haha… I asked about that, of course, but apparently that actually doubles the time due to all the compliance stuff it triggers! And unfortunately the option to slap it on a credit card for rewards wasn’t available either, which was my first question ;)

At any rate, a far cry from this experience 3 years ago when we were on the verge of depleting our cash reserves and barely hanging on cash-flow wise, but as it tends to do, it just goes to show that a lot can change over the years when you keep at it… I never want to go back to those days again, but I sure can appreciate where we are now more having gone through it! :)

So there we have it! I’m officially a minivan dad now, and my wife has already plundered the Lexus for her daily driver, haha… I’ll keep you posted with how it goes, but so far I haven’t suffered any dire consequences or major hits on my street cred, at least that I’m aware of…

How are your car journeys going? Anyone else recently give in to The Van life? Anyone pulling the trigger on *other* experiences they’ve always wondered about?

That really has been the best part of it for me so far… Just finally *going for it* and experiencing the hubbub once and for all… Not completely sold on it yet, but for now we turn up the tunes and roll!

******
PS: There are some things I’m NOT liking very much so far… Like the millions of *electronic* features from the keyless push start to the automatic sliding doors to the dual screens and cameras that just seem to complicate things even more! I get that it’s more convenient, but man – so many more things that can now break! What was wrong with early 2000’s technology?! :)

[This post, It’s official – I’m a Minivan Dad!!, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

I was talking with a friend the other day on how I never buy anything new, only to realize how DEAD WRONG I was when I actually went to jot them all down, haha…

Literally only came up with two things, although they are the biggest things:

• A car
• A house

Now secretly I’d love to one day experience both of these even though I know my wallet would kill me (I want to have that new car smell/warranty and customize my dream house from scratch!), but as of today I’m a virgin new home/car buyer which I’m sure has worked in my favor over the years :)

As far as everything else in life though??

Apparently I’m REALLY good at buying that new! Haha… Took me all but 15 seconds to list out everything I’ve bought new over the past 39 years:

• Clothes*
• Food
• Shoes
• Games
• Books*
• Domain names
• Electronics
• Furniture*
• Artwork*
• Decorations*
• Utensils
• Power tools
• Accessories
• Bikes*
• Toys*
• Cell phones
• Laptops
• Engagement/wedding rings
• Sporting equipment*
• Pets*
• Kids
• Plants*
• Underwear

Now half the list I also buy used too pretty often, particularly with books, furniture and kids clothes/toys (the asterisks above notates all the stuff we also buy used), but as you can see there’s still a lot of things we pick up right off the rack.

Pretty eye opening seeing it all displayed like that. And as you’ve probably noticed, I’m riding a wave of “bullet point” journaling on the blog right now, circa the old days of writing down logs. Only here on the web!! (Wait a minute… web, logs, weblogs – blogs! Heyo!)

Anywho, a fun exercise to dive into if I’ve got you curious now…

Anyone else never buy a car or house right off the lot? Anyone recently do it and now want to try convincing the rest of us that we’re missing out? :)

[This post, A list of things I’ve never bought *new* before, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

INSIDE: Have you been asking yourself, “Should I buy a Mercedes Benz?” We did too, and we finally made our decision. Find out what it was and why we came to that conclusion.

So after many (MANY!!) days obsessing about “should I buy a Mercedes Benz” and pouring over your thoughtful notes and advice and nudges (you sure didn’t hold back! Haha…) we finally made a decision on what we wanted to do with that Benz offer burning a hole in our brains…

And that decision is…. drum roll please….

NOT TO BUY IT!! EEK!

And instead, keep going forward with the minivan route as we originally planned.

Something in a million years the old me would have never guessed I’d be typing out, haha, but unfortunately for him there’s a new family guy in charge, and Mr. New Family Guy just doesn’t think it would accomplish the mission… Despite how fun it was to dream about it for a while.

How We Came to the Answer to “Should I Buy a Mercedes Benz?”

When we sat down to really hammer out what *exactly* we wanted in a new car, the answers just didn’t match up to what the Benz offered. Then the answer to “should I buy a Mercedes Benz?” was NO.

1. Extra space for storage and people (it was roomy, but not minivan roomy)
2. A car for the more *longer* term (would the Benz last two years or twenty years?)
3. Easy and cheap to maintain (I’m not a DIY’er in the least and 100% rely on mechanics!)
4. And then most important of all, at least for my minimalist side, something I don’t have to *think* about or *worry* about at all and just gets us to where we need to go in relative joy and comfort. And having driven many a cars in my lifetime, I know I can be just as happy in a minivan as I can in a luxury car so long as it gives me peace of mind! Plus – after hearing all the love some of y’all have for your vans, I’m actually kinda excited to give it a shot now! Haha… It’ll be a new adventure, right?!

So as much as I loved the *idea* of a new Benz to the Money family, it looks like it won’t be happening this time around, but I’d be open to it again later when the circumstances are different. Some of y’all almost had me convinced there for a bit!! Haha…

In fact, the most interesting part of the polling here was the drastic difference in opinions when they were shared PUBLICLY vs PRIVATELY!

I have no idea if it’s purely coincidence or not, but those who shared their opinions publicly on the blog or social overwhelmingly voted for us NOT to buy it, whereas those who shared their opinions privately via email overwhelmingly told us to GO FOR IT!

Isn’t that wild?!

And then when I actually tallied up ALL the answers from across the board, it was split almost perfectly down the middle with 61 yays and 64 nays (as well as a good 40-50 “it depends”). Telling me right there it was indeed a hard call to make and I wasn’t totally being a drama queen up in here ;) Haha…

It’s been about three days since we sent over our final decision, and if you can believe it it hasn’t crossed my mind even *once*! A sure sign we made the right decision for sure…

So thank you, THANK YOU, thank you for all your thoughts and advice across *all* sides of the table here! And I can promise you that I read every last one and kept an open mind.

And if you’re asking yourself, “Should I buy a Mercedes Benz?” maybe all of this will help you make your decision as well.

It’s funny to think that just this time last week I was completely torn and didn’t know how it would turn out, and then literally just days later it’s all made clear again :) The power of just letting time do its thing right there! Thank goodness the car was halfway across the country, or we very well could have been writing a different post today! Haha…

Now anyone have a minivan they want to sell for $5,000???

******
PS: Here were a few of my favorite comments from y’all ;)

• “This is a used car, not a marriage. You can always trade or sell later.”
• “Quick, call MMM right now so he can punch you in the face!”
• “No brainer here, you get a solid car AND the fun. Eat the cannoli!”
• “Once you’ve owned German the rest are vermin.”

[This post, Our Decision on The Benz!, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

INSIDE: We were offered a great deal on a Mercedes Benz ML-320 SUV, but not sure if it’s worth the risk? Should I buy a Mercedes with high mileage?

So here’s an interesting deal that recently popped into my inbox!

A cousin of mine asked if any of us need a new car as he’s about to sell his that he hardly uses anymore (and we do! My wife’s is getting pretty decrepit!), and out of all the cars in the world it’s one of my FAVORITES from back in the day!

A Mercedes ML-Class SUV!

SO SEXY!!!! AAAHHHH!!! Even though I’ve never actually been inside one before or even *driven* one! Haha… But that’s exactly why I need your help today :) My heart started racing the second I saw this and I can’t tell if my emotions are masking the actual situation here, or if it’s TRULY a good deal?!

I know they’re made well, and from what I hear are rather *safe*, but I just don’t know much about them and honestly wasn’t even in the market for one…

We were looking for minivans!! Haha… But now we’re both kinda excited – including my wife!! – so trying to take a step back more and really look at the pros/cons… If she had killed it from the start we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, but that just makes it even harder now! :)

Here are some pics, followed by the details:

Details:

• 2008 Mercedes ML-320 CDI
• V6
• 21 MPG
• All wheel drive
• 7-speed shiftable automatic
• Diesel gas
• Sunroof
• Heated seats (front and back)
• Heated steering wheel (!)
• Tow hitch (our Lexus doesn’t have one)
• Navigation (not updated though)
• Screens in the back seats for the kids
• No major issues
• Only two owners – with my cuz owning for past 10 years
• Regularly maintained and serviced at Benz dealership
• Really well taken care of

And then the two biggies:

• Price tag: $5,000 (!!!) (For family members only – The KBB shows $7,000’ish which is what he’ll list it for if none of us are interested in it…)
• Mileage: 140,000 miles (!!!)

Ackk!!! See my dilemma?? Should I buy a Mercedes with high mileage?

A hot car (my once dream car!) well maintained and super cheap, but at any moment can still break down and cost us up the keister in repairs…

And while I don’t know much about the cars themselves, I DO know they are not cheap to maintain. At least if you’re taking them to the dealership every time. (I called my local shop to see if they work on them, and they do, however they can’t get into the electronic side of things or other Benz-specific items so we’d be out of luck on anything outside of regular repairs/maintenance)

There’s a lot of other cons I can think of right off the bat too:

• Diesel is not always the easiest to find
• Diesel is more expensive than regular gas (about 50 cents it seems like), however cheaper than *premium* gas by also 50 cents’ish which most luxury vehicles take
• We already have an SUV and they’re not the greatest on the environment (though not sure how different minivans are?)
• They don’t have a third row like minivans do, although it does have a large trunk
• It’s the opposite of stealth wealth, which I don’t like ONE BIT!! (Even though it’s only $5k!!)
• I’m not a fan of black on black, but can’t really be too picky, haha…
• It’s very possible I’ll hate driving it, which I’ll only know if I go to test drive it…
• I’ll have to go partially across the country to get it as my cuz doesn’t live anywhere close to me (Road trip!!! ;))

We’re on day #3 of thinking about it, and I still can’t wrap my head around it enough to make a call one way or the other. I just don’t know the answer. Should I buy a Mercedes with high mileage?

A part of me just wants to say “F it – let’s get it done and have some fun!!!” But the other – older man – version of me is saying “Hoooooold on now cowboy, are you sure you want that anxiety dangling over your head like that??! You know it’s going to break down at some point, right?? And how ridiculous would it be parking that thing in your driveway – it’s gonna look like a damn luxury dealership!”

But then I also think about the long process of picking up a car from elsewhere and how annoying/tricky that can be without knowing the history or how well it’s been maintained, and all the different options and models out there, and yada yada yada, and that doesn’t excite me that much either…

I used to love car shopping, but now all the optimizing drives me crazy!! It takes me 10x longer to make larger decisions these days and I hate that about myself :( With this car here we have no choice but to either accept it as-is or move on! And that alone is quite tempting! Haha…

That’s my brain dumping for you today anyways, and now eager to hear what you think…

So, I ask you, should I buy a Mercedes with high mileage?

Would you buy this if you were currently on the hunt for a new car? Have you ever owned a Benz SUV before? Am I stupid for even considering this?? ;)

The one other silly thing I really like about it is that it has a few scratches already which means I won’t feel as bad when my kids get a hold of it, haha… All my anxiety with our Lexus dissipated after I hit that fire hydrant a few years back and it was great! Though never had that problem with Frankencaddy!

Thanks for listening, y’all. Let me have it!

UPDATE: Here’s what we decided!! What do you think we did?? :)

PS: One other thing I should note is that my cousin offered to buy it back from us if we take it home and realize it’s not a good fit for our family after a month or so… which I’d hate to take him up on, but it does lessen the concern more… (and in which case I’d probably just help him sell it here then so it’s not being transported all over the place)

PPS: And before anyone asks, yes – I do miss Frankencaddy :( In my perfect world I’d drive around a beater all day long and be in bliss, but until my kids are on their own I have to keep my “dad” pants on and make sure safety/reliability comes first. The day they’re gone though I’m taking those pants right off! Haha… Hubba hubba!

[This post, Should we buy this Benz?!, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

Good morning!!

Was talking back and forth with a reader of the blog here, and the more we got into it the more I realized just how powerful his story is.

Many of us come from a solid upbringing with plenty of opportunities to easily take advantage of, but Miguel here is proof that even without any privilege you can still succeed – and well!!! – with good grit and determination.

Here’s his story of how he went from nothing to millions, all by the time he reached his early 40s. I hope it inspires you in some small way!!

(And if any of y’all would like to share your story/net worth with us, I’d love to hear it too because I’m no longer allowed to share my own anymore and we need to keep the $$$ train going!!! You can easily shoot me a note here!)

Show ’em how it’s done, Miguel…

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Hello,

I am a legal immigrant from Guatemala on my own since age 15. While in high school, I knew that I had to continue my education if I wanted options aside from the few limited possibilities that I had available.

I worked hard to stay focused in keeping my grades up, applying for every program possible to help me. During my college time in the mid to late 1990’s, I came across a few financial magazines and books which inspired me to seek out ways to start building my net worth.

As a sophomore in college, I began by buying a severe fixer upper home for $7,500 (monthly loan payment was $150, taxes around $800 a year). Also during college I worked part time jobs, which kept me afloat but kept me stuck financially especially with the home maintenance expenses. The home I bought was a huge learning experience about how difficult it is to take on work that you know nothing about.

After my college graduation in 2000, I sold the home for $41,000. Most of the money went to pay off loans I had taken to stay afloat during school and to pay for the home renovations. Although I did not come out with a large sum of money from the sale after paying off debt, I learned a lot about fixing homes, which would help me in the future.

After graduation, I moved to a bigger city and tried a couple of jobs before settling in a federal one, climbing the ranks through the years. I began to save as much as possible early on, starting with 5% pretax deductions (to get the 100% match), and eventually reaching my goal of maxing out to $19,000. I have kept the funds in the stock market without touching it, buying low during bad years and doing great through stock market highs.

As I gained knowledge, I adapted and did the following:

• Bought reliable used cars at discounted prices through private sellers (having them inspected by mechanics and negotiating rock bottom prices)
• Annually review companies for lower insurance rates
• No cable or landline! We try to avoid reoccurring memberships or monthly fees that trickle down our savings.
• Cook most meals at home. When we get take out we usually get it from ethnic restaurants where the food goes along ways at a reasonable cost.
• Began a Roth IRA in my early 20’s contributing the maximum through today (<– that alone will get you to a million dollars over time!!)
• Very rarely buy anything “new” – most of my furniture comes from local ads or consignment stores (including electronics)
• Bought cheap fixer uppers in good neighborhoods, slowly moving up by taking principal from one to another
• Without exception always pay off our credit cards in full every month. Points earned automatically go to an investment account (see Fidelity credit card)
• Save for retirement in ETF’s (why pay mutual fund fees when most cannot even match the S&P benchmark?)
• Always looking for ways to save and finding ways to earn money on the side by subscribing and learning from financial blogs like J. Money!
• Most importantly, keeping track of all expenditures and savings in a notebook. Tracking my net worth and investment performance while continually setting higher goals

Aside from that, I also gained tremendously by having found a wife with a similar mindset and focus. I remember hearing from women while dating on how odd it was that I would bring up financial questions, but I knew that compatibility on that is essential (financial problems are the #1 reason for divorce after all).

I remember meeting a woman that had $150,000 in student debt and over $10,000 in credit cards but only earned $30,000 a year. I thought – Am I going to have to pay for that, and how long would that take? Most surprisingly was that she spent as if she earned four times what she earned thinking she would marry someone that would eventually pay off her debt (well that would not be me!).

I was very fortunate to have found a woman that had similarly worked as hard as I have, and who carried no debt with similar savings as mine. Although our strategies were different, we were able to align and coordinate to mutually agreed goals, constantly learning from one another.

Our summary net worth is as follows:

Home Value: $625,000 – Paid in full! This is our final home for the long run because buying and fixing homes gets old after several homes, and this is of course before we downsize to something smaller in retirement.

CD savings: $120,000 – We buy CD’s for emergency savings because they provide at least 2% interest, and we have applied the laddered CD strategy so money is available without much penalty if we truly need it.

Bank Savings: $10,000 – We keep a modest amount that, although does not provide much interest, is there for any immediate emergency and is quickly accessible.

Pre-Tax Retirement Savings: $1,200,000

Roth IRAs: $100,000

College Savings: $40,000 – We have just one child.

Vehicles: $30,000 – Both Japanese models, bought used through private parties after mechanic inspections.

Cash, coins, etc: $5,000

Although we put a big emphasis on savings, we are not by any means “misers.” We believe in keeping a careful balance, enjoying travel and things that makes us happy now because after all, we do know how long we are going to live.

Now in our early 40’s, our goal is to retire by age 50.

******

I asked him about his debts since in his first email to me he mentioned he was “almost” a multi-millionaire (and clearly these numbers above add up to over $2,000,000), and here’s what he said… Chock-full of even more insight!

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Yes, a multi-millionaire, but just over – and because the market has been shaky it is why I have not really solidified the “multi-millionaire” status. Whenever I have hit a milestone, it seems surreal and yet I don’t feel any different inside except at times fear of loss and thought of how to retain what I have.

I tend to be very hard on myself, always thinking of what I should have done (and should be doing) a lot more in life. I also have a hard time dealing with the imposter syndrome or whatever it is as I am not sure how else to explain it.

Otherwise to address your question, we do not have any debts.

Our cars are bought used and paid in cash after we have saved for them (my Toyota for example has been an amazing truck with very few issues for 11 years and purchased used).

We did of course have a home loan mortgage. I applied various strategies to keep a low mortgage; applying the principal from the previous home fully to the next, avoiding paying closing costs, and buying the cheapest house on the nicest neighborhood (with good schools because that helps retain the value!), that needed work and strongly negotiating a price as low as possible.

In keeping the costs of buying low for example, I found after much research that Pentagon Federal credit union would pay for the closing costs (up to $15,000) if one would use their agents and closing company (which was not a problem and a no brainer). That saved us $40K in three homes that we bought/fixed and sold. Every home that we fixed up was in a real estate market that fortunately did well. We paid off the last mortgage after heavily sending everything possible each month. A big sacrifice, but it gives us a great sense of peace knowing we are just liable for taxes, insurance and maintenance.

As I mentioned, we put everything on credit cards but we don’t spend on unnecessary things. We never buy the latest electronics, and keep our monthly costs low. Our cards are paid in full every month – we use them because we get cash back and the cash back money is automatically invested through Fidelity, which I transfer to my daughters’ college education fund.

Our goals have also been helped from my wife who recently started earning a higher salary (it does not bother me that she now earns more than me, the more the merrier!), and she did her education in Europe so it was free.

When we met, she only earned around $35K but had no loans of any kind; she drove a used Toyota Echo without any options. :) I had college loans because I did not have anyone to help me with my tuition, but I paid them off in full. I also went to a state university where the tuition was very low.

We are both immigrants, arrived to the US without any money, did not receive any help from anyone, and used our education and hard work to help us propel to good paying jobs.

******

For more posts divulging peoples’ money, click here.

[This post, Meet Miguel – an Immigrant Who Became a Multi-Millionaire Without Any Help or Money, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

Morning!

Got a notification that it was my anniversary on a couple things this week (picking up my Lexus from Carmax (3 years), switching to Republic Wireless (5 years!)), and thought it might be helpful to see how we feel about it years later now :)

Do I wish I could go back on any of them?! Did any of them completely change my life??!

Here are updates on those, as well as other events that popped in my head when I sat down to write these out…

Fun exercise to do!

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1 month anniversary of… buying a house! And so far so good, although we have still yet to move in! Haha… (probably why it’s going so good – the realities haven’t set in yet ;)).

1 year anniversary of… turning into a stay-at-home daddy blogger! One of my first goals when we found out my wife was pregnant again and I’m happy to report that everyone is still alive! Most especially my boys! There are days that are a real struggle and those I’m not proud of, but by and large I feel exceptionally fortunate to be able to watch them grow up each and every day and I’m slowly remembering what it’s like to live in “the real” world again vs online all the time… And I’m hopeful that my kids are enjoying it just the same! (Although I swear, as soon as Mommy comes into the picture she becomes the Queen and all of a sudden no one wants anything to do with me! Haha…)

1 1/2 years anniversary of… selling Rockstar Finance. Something that allowed me to have this better life/work balance and enjoy such things as above! So definitely wouldn’t ever go back and undo this one, though it is sad to see it slowly trickle out/stop?, now that it’s on its 3rd owner… I def. miss connecting with all the newer bloggers out there and spreading the love around. There were a lot of great things about that project.

2 year anniversary of… not working on the weekends! One of the top 5 decisions I’ve ever made in my life! I can’t tell you how beneficial this has been for me/my brain/stress levels over the months… It’s just so nice to have that *cut off* from things when so much of our lives seem to be mushed together by the internet and Go-Go-Go mentality of modern times… And when you put limits like that into your life it better helps balance things out and you STILL manage to get everything done you need to! Because there’s no pushing it off until the weekend when it’s no longer an option!

3 year anniversary of… quitting my podcast. Which is still rockin’ with Paula at the helm as she heads into episode #200 already! Work it!! But similarly to my feelings with leaving Rockstar, it’s hard to regret opting out of projects when it frees up so much extra time and opportunity for other things in life. Even if it seems crazy leaving a project that’s well on its way to success! I did recently hop onto the show just for fun though, and you can check out our reunion again here if you like ;) A helluva lot more fun on this side of the mic than the other, I’ll tell you that much! #199: The Three-Year Reunion with J. Money

3 year anniversary of… swapping my hooptie for a Lexus. Now this change out of all of them so far I get sad about every now and then… Not that my newer ride is horrible or anything (it’s one of the most comfortable, and reliable, cars I’ve ever had!) but I 100% miss my Caddy and wish there was a way I could have saved her :( There was just something about rollin’ around in that beat up ride, windows down and blaring hip-hop music without a care in the world…. She was great!! And even made me money at times! Haha… But such is life… Perhaps one day I can get a replacement when I’m no longer playing chauffeur 24/7 to my kids….(“BUT NOT BEFORE I GET MY MINIVAN!!!!” <— Wife)

4 year anniversary of… waking up at 5 a.m.! Another move I’ve made over the years that continues to pay dividends! Still very much waking up early and enjoying it (weekdays only), and definitely helps with the “getting everything done” during the week mission too. Though I also like to use part of the mornings to just reflect a little and soak in all the peace while everyone’s down and sleeping as well – including the sun :) It’s one of the only times I get 100% ME time!

4 year anniversary… of cutting cable!! And can’t even tell you what I’m missing! Haha… One of the easiest transitions over the years, and like others wish we had only done it sooner :) We still pay for internet and thus connected to cable companies for life (ugh), but it’s a helluva lot nicer not having to battle them every 6 months when they jack up those rates! I don’t think we’ve had to call in yet over the past 4 years – it’s been magical… (And we still get lots of shows too using a cheap $16 antenna from Target, including all Redskins games – woo!!)

5 year anniversary of… giving up my iPhone and switching to Republic Wireless! And now over $6,000 total saved which is enough to max out a Roth IRA!!! :) So def. still happy with this one, haha… And not surprisingly, Android phones do pretty much the same thing as iPhones or really any other smart phones for that matter these days… You can call/text/snap photos/download apps/get internet and pretty much anything else! So why not keep going and pocketing that free $100 every month?!

7 year anniversary of… having my first kid! And going so well I had to buy two more! Haha… Although my wallet doesn’t appreciate it nearly as much ;) Anyone remember that time I tried tracking every last penny they cost back in the day?!

8 1/2 year anniversary of… getting fired from my day job and becoming a full-time blogger! It’s hard to remember what life was like back then, but I do succinctly recall that initial excitement and anxiety all rolled into one and not knowing what the outcome would be… Promised my wife I’d go back to a 9-5 if I couldn’t figure out a way to make it work in 3 months, and now here we are almost a decade later! Hasn’t always been rainbows and sunshine, and I’m definitely tired of calling the shots on everything that a business requires, but it’s been an incredible experience so far and will keep going until something more exciting comes along. Even if that’s a 9-5 again! I’ve long since realized happiness comes in many forms, and will consider anything that makes life better for me or my family :)

And finally, it’s our 10th year anniversary of… hitting our first $100k. Which was not only the turning point of feeling more stable and secure, but also of the compounding growth since it really starts snowballing from there!

Here’s how long it’s taken to reach each additional $100k:

• $100,000 net worth: 7 years, 11 months
• $200,000 net worth: 1 year, 5 months
• $300,000 net worth: 1 year, 2 months
• $400,000 net worth: 1 year, 8 months
• $500,000 net worth: 2 years, 7 months
• $600,000 net worth: 7 months
• $700,000 net worth: 10 months
• $800,000 net worth: 1 month (when I sold Rockstar Finance)
• $900,000 net worth: 1 year’ish (been going in and out of $900k lately)

So basically it took 8 years to get to that first $100k (from when I had my first “real”job), and then every year since we’ve averaged an additional $100k to the pile, due to both hustle and a variety of fortunate events. But it really was that first one that was the hardest to hit!

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So that’s been my life condensed in a few paragraphs! Haha…

How about you guys? Any major events in your life change you for the better or worse lately? When was the last time you really stopped to think about it?

Give it a shot now if it’s been a while… so much changes over the years!

[This post, 12 Major Decisions and How We Feel About Them Now, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]

My database of tips is filling up again, so time to pour them out!

Here are a bunch of notes people have shot me in recent months to better help them speed up their savings or stay motivated… Maybe something here will spark joy in your wallets too? ;)

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The Scoring System Hack

My focus this year has been to really pay attention to the value my spending brings. I’ve actually added a tab to my spreadsheet (yes, I still use spreadsheets and I love them) where I note everything I buy outside of what I consider living essentials.

I have created a point system that ranges from 1 (shouldn’t have) to 10 (making my dreams come true) and a then a couple middle items for an items I want/need and has been on my list for awhile and I found a good deal on it (replacing 15 year old pans). I also score items that maybe I wouldn’t normally have done, but it was worth it for relationships (happy hour with business partners).

I never really thought of it as happy or unhappy money, but I would say those items that I mark as “shouldn’t have” would be unhappy money or buyers-remorse, and putting extra attention to it and knowing I’ll have to identify it has really helped me avoid some impulse purchases.

– Financially Fit Mom

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The Stealth Wealth Hack

I take delicious pride in saving when others spend. My husband says I can pinch a penny until it screams for mercy. You would never know it if you came to our house because we look “normal”, but my biggest thrills are extra mortgage payments and maxed out retirement. It’s a beautiful thing.

Right now, I’m going a year without buying clothes, books (I can read the 457 I own already and use the library) and makeup. It’s awesome. I feel so empowered by the control I have over how I spend money! – Lisa

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The RoosterMoney Hack

I use an app called RoosterMoney to track my boys’ allowance (base pay), and the odd jobs I am offering to pay them extra for, with pay rates.

I believe managing their money and chores with an app gives them experience in 1) gig economy, where you choose a job and the pay rate, and work when you want to, 2) managing the funds you have, with buckets for spending, giving, short-term goals, and long-term goals (with interest set by me), and 3) the nearly all-digital world they are going to be in when they truly enter the job market.

When I started using this system, I made sure both boys had the app installed and knew their logins, and could send me a text via the app to reset their login if they forgot it. They can make purchases online or in person using a debit card I set up for each of them with my bank, who sends me an email for any purchase over $0.01, so I take the amount out of their Rooster “account”. It’s a bit manual, but gives us flexibility and control, without paying an arm and a leg every month or year.

– Claire

[FYI: Looks like this app also has a UK version, as well as an Australian version too!]

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The Car Flipping Hack

I have a friend who flips cars as a side hustle, and the best time to flip and sell a car is around tax time. Great business model, and clears an extra $20,000 to $30,000 per year doing so. – Bryan

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The High Deductible Health Plan Hack

For those in good health and that have access to a high deductible health plan, I recommend getting into a HDHP and maxing out your HSA every year.

I have done this consistently since it was first offered and now have $69,000 saved specifically for medical. So far I have been able to cover all my medical expenses out-of-pocket, letting the HSA funds stay invested and grow. I expect to have $125K – $150K triple tax-protected saved by the time I retire in 5 years.

– Gene Roberts

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The Child IRA Hack

By putting $20 a week in a Child IRA from birth until their 19th birthday, never putting another dime into the account, that child will have over $2 million by retirement…

The problem is, the Child IRA as a retirement vehicle doesn’t exist yet. Lawmakers are calling for expansion, but under current laws, in order for minors to save, they need to have earned income.

– Chris Carosa MBA, Contributing Editor to Fiduciary News and author of From Cradle to Retirement: The Child IRA.

[I actually found this one in a press release, and was SO EXCITED to hear about the Child IRA until I realized it wasn’t a thing, haha… But of course you can still stash away money for your kids in your own brokerage accounts to replicate this idea any time you choose :) Or if they’re old enough to work and earn money on their own, help them open up their own Roth IRA!]

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The Motivational Milestone Hack

Since you share all the time, I wanted to share with you our latest milestone:

(1,700,000 NIS is about $469,251)

As you can see this is sent from myself to myself. I actually have an automated system which checks my google spreadsheet to see if a milestone is crossed, and then sends an email to alert me of it :)

Here’s a google doc I put together which explains how to set it up if you’re interested: How to get Net Worth updates like a boss

– Yaacov

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The New Camry Hack

This is not your conventional hack, but it’s working out for me. I drove a used truck for around 12 years. I put aside imaginary car note payments each month while I drove the truck. I was then able to buy a NEW Camry LE (basic model) May 2016. It was so NEW it was on the SHOWROOM FLOOR! In addition to a rebate (they were selling them like hot cakes with rebate) I haggled, paid cash for Camry. I have since recouped my costs. Camry only has 30,000 miles! My plan – if all goes well – is to drive the Camry for 12 – 14 years. – Shane

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The Smaller House Hack

Here’s one of my philosophies about home size: it is nice for everyone to have their own space, but the larger the house, the less integrated a family can be and the more stuff can accumulate. Smaller space forces more interaction between family members. People lived for centuries in very small spaces – the idea of everyone needing their own bedroom is a relatively modern (last 30-40 years) idea.

There are some good resources regarding smaller house size – and outfitting them with higher priced, thoughtful features: Sarah Susanka’s The Not So Big House book series and site (notsobighouse.com), and Carmella Rayone’s family of five complete with three boys lives in a 665 sf house (www.assortmentblog.com/assortment/665-sq-ft.html)

The smaller the house, the smaller the operating expenses and repair costs and the better the location you can afford. – Libby

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The Cottage Hack

Good luck on your house search! I wanted to share one thing I did! I bought about $200k more expensive than I could afford which had a cottage rental! I’ve rented the cottage all 20 years except 2 years when one of my daughters lived there while going to graduate school.

I’m now retiring, renovating and moving into the cottage and will be renting the main house for income. I’m in an excellent neighborhood and school district so the house is highly desirable. I love the SF Bay Area and want to travel, this way I can afford to travel and land back in this wonderful area I use as my home base.

I’m on a corner lot so the cottage is on one side of the lot and the main house is on the other. In fact, I’m now going to be seeing different neighbors every day because the cottage is oriented toward the side street. – Laurie

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The Sobriety Hack

My best hack I would call “The Sobriety Hack.” Not for everyone, but I have saved over $2,000 to date since July 2017, averaging about $25 or so per week! It’s a steady stream of passive income without question… that money would have evaporated if I still drank. Another upside with this hack? Productivity levels go way up too. – Shane

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And for all you parents out there…

The “How To Get More Sleep” Hack ;)

I pick up extra cash here and there doing research studies. While trying to figure out what treat I wanted to spend my recent $20 earnings on, I realized all I wanted was sleep. As in, I legit would pay $20–or more–to get more sleep.

I’m a single mom with teenagers and little kids and I NEVER get enough sleep. I offered my oldest the $20 if she made sure that everyone did their chores, packed their lunches, gave the youngest ones a bath, got them off to bed, and turned in the teenagers’ phones by 10pm.

I took a bubble bath and fell asleep by 8pm. Probably my most favorite way that I have ever spent $20… and you can bet your sweet booties that I will do it again.

– Wendy

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Got any secrets you do??

Pass them along and we’ll make you famous the next time around! :)

Here are 76 more hacks to consider in the meantime

• 17 Hacks to Reach FIRE Faster
• 10 #Money Tips For Ya
• 9 More Financial Hacks to Put In Your Pocket
• 40+ Ways to Save More Money & Optimize Your Life

[This post, 12 Excellent Money Hacks For Ya, was first published by J. Money on Elite Edge Money]