A Wake Up CallWritten by Helaine Iris
A Wake Up Call Helaine Iris © 2004“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver Last week was one heck of a week! It all started with what I thought was a toothache. After a few days of building pain, I reluctantly went to my dentist to see what was problem. I was hesitant because I was convinced outcome was sure to be expensive. I Probably needed a crown or, gasp - a root canal. My dentist told me there was clearly no problem with my tooth. I was relieved and confused. What was causing extreme pain I was in? We kicked around possible ideas and I went home to wait and see what would develop. Within twenty-four hours what developed was a fever and pain had escalated. This time I went to my doctor and he diagnosed me with an acute sinus infection. It felt great to have an answer and some antibiotics. I went home to bed and collapsed. Days later I still felt lousy. I was still in pain, unable to eat solid food and, more challengingly, I was getting very frustrated and impatient with how long it was taking to recover. I have a life to live, clients to tend to and a business to run! My mind was starting to visit places like - what if there’s REALLY something wrong with me? What if this becomes a chronic condition that I have to live with forever? These were undoubtedly not thoughts that encourage rest and healing and I certainly knew better than to let myself go down that slippery slope. But down I went.
| | HOW TO BUY A BMW ON A HYUNDAI BUDGETWritten by Tukshad Engineer
UNDERSTANDING THE UK CAR MARKET - Traditionally, purchasing a new car in UK has always been an expensive pursuit. Manufacturers have been able to restrict means by which we buy new cars in UK - they have been able to dictate who can sell a particular brand of car to you and where they can be sold. While in recent times prices of new cars in UK have been falling, they remain well above those in other European countries - this means that it's possible to save a lot of money on cars if you're prepared to do some research and buy your car from a source outside UK. This may seem like a hassle, but with several thousands of pounds to save it can prove to be more than worthwhile - and if you have a thing for travelling then buying from abroad can help satisfy your wanderlust while saving money on your new vehicle. WAYS OF CUTTING THE COST OF YOUR NEW CAR - As we saw above, we can really save some cash by purchasing our new car from Europe - an option that we'll investigate in more detail shortly. However, first we'll take a look at ways to cut cost of your new car within UK itself. Research - Approach purchase of your new car as you would if it were a home. If you were going to buy a new home you would probably consider several different ones, perhaps in different areas before making your choice. Similarly, you may have a preferred make and model but do not stop yourself from considering other models. If you are on a budget ask yourself what t is that you're looking for from your auto - is space important because you have a family? Whatever your requirements write them down and then list all makes & models that fit your criteria. You'll probably notice that there may be savings of a couple of thousand between 2 different cars that both fit your requirements. When researching which is cheapest & best possible option for you, this process of identifying close substitutes to your preferred choice is vital. You will need to investigate car's "platform", compare to its rivals and then make a choice based on this. So what do we mean by looking at cars "platform"? Simply a platform is very basic structure upon which car is structured - core upon which fittings and body are structured. Many different cars are actually derived from same platform. For example Ford uses Mondeo and Fiesta platforms to produce a wide variety of individual cars from Puma to Probe and much more. So lets say you really like look of Ford Galaxy - you should then investigate other similar cars built on same platform. Once you have done this look at offerings of your rivals - get hold of some car magazines and see which cars are listed next to your preferred choice. There may be some big price differences that you can expose to your advantage. Tip - Avoid paying high prices for "special editions" - this is rarely little more than different seat covers or some other small changes. What you're actually paying for here is "exclusive" factor. Buy An "Ex Fleet" Car And Make Some Serious Savings - The Ex Fleet market in UK is huge and certainly worth considering if you wish to make some significant savings. Ex fleet cars are commonly sold at http://www.global-ebooks.com/UKGovAuctions.htm , car supermarkets, and used car dealerships. Typically, mass sellers such as Ford, Vauxhall, Nissan, Peugeot and others all sell to ex fleet market. Buy A Pre Registered Car & Save Money - Pre registered cars are classed as "sold" by manufacturers, mostly to make their sales figures look better. Usually cars have only a few miles on clock but because they are classed as "second hand" they tend to be much lower in price. In effect you will enjoy a car that is practically new at a seriously reduced cost. Franchise dealerships and car supermarkets are places to find these gems. A lot of pre registered cars also come with a manufacturers warranty which makes deal all more sweet. Buy A Car From A UK Auction - Thousands of cars are sold at very low prices through auctions that are held in UK. This includes liquidation sales for companies that have gone bust as well as government held auctions where all kinds of items including cars are sold off at very low prices. For more details on auctions try http://www.global-ebooks.com/UKGovAuctions.htm
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