Miss Thrifty

The car got stuck on ice – or rather, I got the car stuck on ice. I was driving to a meeting in my hometown, screwed up the one way system and ducked into a cul-de-sac to check my road map. (I have lived here for three years and still have to do this; I’m not sure if it says more about me or the town planners.)

I wasn’t thinking though: this was a downhill cul-de-sac.  I drove in – but damn it, I couldn’t drive out again. Much of the snow has cleared here in Yorkshire, but the roads are icy something rotten. In the end I parked up and walked (well, slid) the rest of the way.

It’s not the first time this has happened. Last week I parked up at work and, when it was time to go home, found that the car wouldn’t budge. Nonchalant wheelspins: yes. Motion: no. I had to tear up the car window cleaning cloth with a kitten heel and shove it under the front tyres before I could move off. It was not a dignified exit.

Gentle reader, it is my fervent desire that such irksome situations do not befall you as they have me. So here is the budget-friendly solution, comprehensively researched and validated by yours truly…

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As the proud owner of the 24-year-old Thriftymobile (above), I was naturally interested – nay, excited – when the UK Government announced a “cash-for-scrap” car scheme in the recent Budget. The scheme aims to plump up the wilting auto sales industry; in a nutshell, cars aged 10 years or more can be traded in by their owners, who will then receive a £2,000 discount off the price of a new car. Of that sum, £1,000 is contributed by the government; the other £1,000 is contributed by the car company.

Much as I love the Thriftymobile, a £2,000 discount is not to be sniffed at. However, the first seeds of doubt were sowed in my mind when car ads began appearing in the newspapers, touting the new initiative.

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My family tease me horribly about my 23-year-old Thriftymobile. Comments range from “OMG, it’s still running?” to “But is it safe?” and “Wouldn’t you rather have a nice car like mine?”

So here is the automobile latest:

Brother’s Fancy Renault: at the scrapyard, after failing its MOT on multiple counts.

Mother’s Spendy Hyundai: at the menders, following a cataclysmic tussle with the kerb. (Pah! How feeble.)

Father’s Vauxhall: currently fit for “super-local trips” only, after various parts of its engine and chassis disintegrated.

Thriftymobile:  running like a dream!

HA! Guess who’s going to be chauffeuring everyone around, come Christmas?

So you want to win a car, huh? Well, Citroen is hosting a competition to win one of its new-fangled C5 models. You can enter for free online, by going to this page of Citroen’s website.

I’m no Jeremy Clarkson – you’ve seen what I drive - so here’s the official blurb:

The new C5 is as dynamic as it is distinctive and this is your chance to win the C5 2.0 HDi Exclusive Saloon. With half leather and heated front seats, alloy wheels, air conditioning, laminated side windows & an acoustic noise filtered cabin this prize will delight one lucky winner.

Here is a review and specs.

The winner’s car will be taxed for six months and – best of all, in my shallow opinion – you can choose your colour. The competition is open to UK residents and the closing date is 19 January 2009.

The Welsh Tourist Board (aka Visit Wales) is running a competition to win a Honda Civic Hybrid. All you have to do is click the button above, download a tourist brochure and enter your details.

The competition is free to enter, and is open to all UK residents, All entries must be received by 31 December, and the draw takes place in January.

I remember getting a free entry into a Seat car competition when I renewed the Thriftymobile’s car tax disc earlier this year. Which was all well and good, until I worked out that with 32 million cars on the road in the UK, I was more likely to win the National Lottery. (Good marketing on Seat’s part, though.)

As decent, bona fide car competitions – ones that don’t cost squillions to enter – are few and far between, I’d recommend giving this Honda Civic one a punt. As beautiful as Wales is, I don’t think the odds are going to be that outlandish. 

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We’re in the middle of planning our week-long roadtrip (above). We’re getting there, but it’s a squeeze. So many miles, so little time.  I’m excited though; I love driving along a long straight road in the middle of nowhere, in a big ol’ American car. I like all the open space – we don’t have so much of that here in the UK. We’re going to spend a day in at the Arches National Park in Utah; on our way down to Phoenix we’re going to pop into Jerome, a mountainside ghost town turned artists’ colony.

I don’t know how we would have managed in the days before the internet, but this is how we have great roadtrips on limited budgets: (more…)

UPDATE: If you are visiting from MSN Smart Spending, welcome to Miss Thrifty! My passion for fashion knows no bounds, but neither does my craving for saving…  Bargains ahoy! I update my blog daily with all the latest frugal tips and red hot discounts. Please have a look around; if you like what you see, subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by  - Miss T.

David at MoneyNing has posed a question for his readers: would you do something immoral to increase your wealth if you knew you wouldn’t get caught?

A friend of his regularly phones the customer service department of a certain company to complain, because she knows that she will get a 15 per cent discount coupon every time she does this.

He writes:

In many levels, I felt that it was wrong but couldn’t exactly point out to her at the time why I felt that way because she did get bad service.  Was it because of her motivation for the call or was it more because it’s not the first time she’s done this?

I know what he means. When you’re paying down debts or piling up nest eggs, it gives you a great buzz and it’s very tempting to get carried away…

I like to stretch the boundaries, but I’m really careful not to cross the line. This is because I have learned that when you grub around for money like that, other people usually suffer. Karma is a bitch, huh?

Here’s an example: (more…)

I’m stoked that Introducing… The Thriftymobile made Editor’s Pick at the 142nd Festival of Frugality! I’m getting some great comments on that post, too – thanks, chaps.

The FoF is hosted by Frugal Babe this week; by the look of it, we’ve kept her on her frugal toes. There are a lot of great posts to wade through, so it’s hard to pick a favourite. But I loved J. Money’s tale, over at Budgets Are Sexy, about how he secured his mom a $75,000 payout! Nifty.

These sat-navs are beginning to tumble in price, aren’t they? I could really do with one – unless I know my routes back-to-front, I always end up taking detours or getting lost. Mind you, on the occasions that I have borrowed someone’s else’s Tom Tom I’ve felt really bashful using it – the gadget is worth more than my car!

John Lewis have Tom Toms on special right now: £129. Its a ONE XL (covers the UK) and comes with a year’s guarantee. If you order from the John Lewis website, delivery is free.  And Amazon are doing the same model for £119.99. Halfords are doing it for £125; the advantage of buying from them is that if you can’t get your head around the dashed thing, you can take it back to the store and they’ll give you a free demo.

Final note: remember NOT to enter your home address. Plump for somewhere close by, instead. That way, if your car and sat-nav get nicked, the thief won’t know where you live…

UPDATE: If you are visiting from MSN Smart Spending, welcome to Miss Thrifty! My passion for fashion knows no bounds, but neither does my craving for saving…  Bargains ahoy! I update my blog daily with all the latest frugal tips and red hot discounts. Please have a look around; if you like what you see, subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by  - Miss T.

Now this isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned this behemoth of the frugal motoring world, so I thought that proper introductions were in order. Please allow me to present to you…

(drumroll)…

The Thriftymobile!

It’s a Mazda 323 and it rolled off the production line in 1985 – so it’s only a few years younger than I am.

You may think look it looks like a little ol’ banger (and what’s more, it’s teeny-tiny by US standards). But trust me: this humble motor is one of the best financial decisions I have ever made.

Here’s why:

1.   It didn’t cost me anything to buy. Back before Chernobyl and the Oprah Winfrey Show, when this 323 was at the cutting edge of automobile technology, the car was bought brand new by my 77-year-old great-grandmother. Twenty-odd years later, she couldn’t drive it any longer and it began to pass down the family. It came into my hands in 2005, after I finally passed my driving test.

2.   Despite its age, the car was in pristine condition. When we climbed into it, it smelled new. Don’t believe me? Here’s the odometer now: (more…)