How To Get a Free Car

Owning a car could be considered a luxury on its own. Some folks just use a bus pass or Uber or Lyft wherever they go. For those of us fortunate enough to own a vehicle, we know there is ongoing costs associated with maintenance or the occasional car accident. I want to dedicate an article into turning your vehicle into a cash cow. Let's see if we can monetize that vehicle sitting in your driveway.  You may even find yourself with a free car when it's all said and done.

COVID-19 is putting economic pressure on plenty of folks and standards of living rising up. If you were lucky enough to keep your 9 to 5 job during this crisis, it sure would be nice to add some supplemental income by making money with your car if possible. Consider offering vehicular services to earn some extra money. But how? I want to focus on several creative ways to make money with your car. Some will be more lucrative than others. Some are more demanding and challenging. In the end you will still be making that extra buck if you live in an area with opportunity and are able to execute on a game plan. When it comes to offering vehicular services consider what service suits you and blends well with your way of life.

How To Make Money With Your Car

Here is a list of a few creative ways of how to make money with your car ...

On-Demand Transport Services

This vehicular service involves leveraging a ridesharing app like uber, wingz or lyft to drive people from one place to another. Basically, you get customers / passengers through the app based on your location. The map in these apps connect prospective customers / passengers to nearby drivers. Usually you receive your payments through the app. Keep in mind a dedicated percentage might have been deducted for service charges etc. Usually the profits of each journey is not determined by you but by the travelled distance measured. This is a hot niche right now. On-demand transport services are one of the most creatively common ways people make money with their car. Keep in mind you will need to be tech savvy enough to use the apps properly on your smart phone. Also your vehicle needs to meet certain specifications and requirements set forth by the particular app / service you are working for. The big convenience here is that you usually can set your own schedule of what hours you want to punch in. Convenient yet profitable.  Depending on where you live, you can certainly earn enough to cover the monthly payment or lease on the vehicle, essentially earning free car status.

Cash in with Food Delivery Services

Apps like DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats allow you to use your car to deliver food to customers. These have an advantage because they do not require any vehicle requirements or specification. As long as your car can move it can deliver food and become a money maker. The money you receive is also collected through the app after each successful delivery. Basically, you go through your food delivery app, search for nearby customers, go to the restaurants to fill out their order and then deliver. This service type is almost the same as driving passengers around but the only difference is that you’re driving food this time around. It is an active way to make money and is usually done during food breaks or prime eating times. Once again, you have the huge advantage of setting your own schedule with food delivery service apps. You will need to familiarize yourself with how these apps work and be techy enough to operate them.  Once again, depending on demand in your area, there is ample opportunity out there to cover the costs of a monthly payment or lease, earning free car status.

Profit from Car Advertising Services

This service allows for passive income flow. You don't have to fill out orders, drive customers around or deliver anything at all. You just need to wrap your car in advertising vinyl or apply decals. The number of miles you travel daily has no effect on this type of service. Go about your normal business as usual in your car adventures. The only difference is your car may resemble a race car with advertising plastered on the side or on the hood. But hey, it's cool, you are making extra cash. In the winter I drive an older vehicle to keep miles off my "better car". I am seriously considering participating in the advertising wrap programs.

Let's examine what these vehicle advertising wrap programs are looking for ...

Wrapify

Wrapify claims that you can profit up to $400+ a month with their services. Not everyone will rake in that amount. That is on the high end of their earning potential. It is realistic to make an extra few hundred a month with them though. They seem to have a decent amount of advertisers to choose from, and the process is managed and tracked via the Wrapify app. For example, you will need to drive around town with their free app activated to see if you qualify for a campaign.

Carvertise

This is an established car wrapping company that has been around for close to 10 years. Drivers must drive at least 30 miles per day, possess a clean driving record, own a car newer than 2008, and have a factory finish paint job to qualify. Options include a partial wrap or a full wrap.

FreeCarMedia

FreeCarMedia is another option for advertising wrapping on your car. This company has some smaller options like a rear window advertisement that pays around $50.00 a month. If you choose to wrap your entire car, you are looking at around $400 per month. This can be substantial cash! We are talking free car payments here.

Car-Bucks

Car Bucks might be for you if you aren't interested in the daunting task of vinyl wrapping your entire vehicle. Car Bucks offers custom 3, 6, and 12 month advertising plans for drivers to participate in. The ads from Car Bucks will only be placed on your back window rather than a full vehicle wrap. This is a low risk low reward option. Car Bucks pays out $1 for each hour of driving. This can accumulate up to $20.00 per month (short-term contract) or $25 per month (12-month contract). This option isn't for getting rich, but it's nice for the equivalence of a courtesy tank of gas per month.

Conclusion

It is possible to make money with your vehicle if you are literally driven to do so. If you are a hard worker with some free hours, you can essentially turn your car into a money maker, earning enough to slim down that monthly car payment or even essentially get a free car or a profitable car depending on demand in your neighborhood. Get your side hustle on and drive your way to a pay day!

How To Reduce Your Cable TV Bills

Are you searching the internet to gain the upper hand against Comcast or Verizon because they have raised your bill? Then you have come to the right place. No doubt you are familiar with cable television. Cable TV is commonly known as "pay television" and that price can be sky high - especially after your contract expires. The service is meant to keep you updated with local and international news as well as quality television programs such as sports, cooking, home improvement, movies, sitcoms and more. Some of the major providers include Cox, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum, and Verizon to name a few.

You know the drill. You get lured into that sweet cable package contract with a low rate that is good for about two years. Then what?  After the contract expires the price gouging begins. The pain is sharp when you open up the bill on that 25th month. Right around then is when you start Googling for an article like this. Good thing we wrote this article for you.

On average, Cable TV can cost up to $1,000 per year. That is shocking when you think about it. When the bills get too high, cord cutting cable might look like the next reasonable action to take. You have some options before you take drastic measures. Let's have a look at those options. Below are a few ways you can lower the cost of your cable TV quickly ...

Downgrade Your Package

One great thing about paying for television is that one size does not fit all. There are usually multiple choices to suit your viewing needs. In the event that you are better off without some channels, trimming or changing your package plan can be a very good idea. Typically a customer only watches about 10% to 20% of their total subscribed channels. See what you can do to trim the fat here.

Negotiate with Customer Service

Don't feel timid to negotiate with your Cable Television provider. Instead talk things out with them. Try to request a discount if you can. Give them a clear picture of your needs and budget altogether.

Switch Providers

It doesn't hurt to shop around for another television provider that supplies to your home. Cancellation fees most often do not cost that much in this space, so it is easier for you switch to another provider and still get access to your favorite channels or shows if you feel the need to. The issue is many times it can be hard to find more than one or two TV providers in a town.

Downgrade to One TV

This is a power move if you don't need more than one cable box. That will surely cut costs. Now can you convince the wife and kids that only one room needs this service? Good luck with that sales pitch.

Drop the Internet

This may be an attractive option if you have a phone plan with unlimited data. Perhaps you feel you can just go full blown cell phone usage for your internet needs instead of requiring your internet be supplied from your cable provider. This is one way to slim down the bill. Although, if you do this method, you definitely want to check how good your cell phone reception is without WiFi because you are probably won't have WiFi if you choose this option. Another choice may be to drop the phone service. Again, if your cell phone is delivering all the phone service you need, you will have to consider this option wisely. Look into an "ObiHai Obi200" to replace your more expensive phone service with something much cheaper. I was able to do this in my home and reduce my cable tv bill by $30+ a month.

Monitor Your Bills Like a Hawk

Keep a track of your bills as they come through the front door. Sometimes these Cable TV providers may experience a "glitch" in their system that can incur cost of services that you weren't expecting. It is important to always keep a tab on your plan and your bills from top to bottom.

Comcast Most Effective Negotiation Tactic

I saved the best for last. Do you want to know the most effective negotiating tactic for reducing your cable tv bill? This specifically works for Comcast and possibly it works with others too. You need to prove to them you don't need them. Strategically plan a month where you go without Comcast after your contract expires and they hike up your rates. Call and cancel with authority. Go to your brother's house or your sister's house or your parents house for this month of cable tv fasting. This is exactly the strategy I used. Comcast caved after like 2 weeks. They sent me new offers in the mail begging to win me back as a customer. It was very effective and satisfying.

Cable TV Alternatives

Possibly you never go back. In the event that you would prefer cord cutting rather than lowering the costs, there are several attractive alternate options that will save you a lot of money and still allow you to enjoy watching television. Perhaps you do not know of other pocket-friendly options out there for you? Let's introduce you to them.

Some alternatives require a one-time purchase of an antenna. Others may require internet and streaming services. Whatever alternative you consider, ensure that it suits you and your family's needs.

For the alternatives that require internet or streaming services, you can consider Netflix, Hulu, Redbox, Philo, Disney Plus, and Sling TV for example. These alternatives offer the best services at extremely cheap rates even for premium plans. This definitely saves you money in comparison to traditional cable. Most of these offer access to plenty of movies and TV shows until the end of your subscription. These alternatives usually range from as low as $5.99 per month to as high as $54 per month (which still is likely lower than cable tv costs).

Saving Money In a High Conflict Custody Battle

My new girlfriend was involved in a high conflict custody battle. I joined her legal battle in progress. I can certainly say I learned many lessons during that hell of an event. I'm here to share some lessons from her legal battle from a frugal standpoint so that you can possibly benefit financially from my experience and save big money in the process. I'm not a lawyer and I am not qualified to give legal advice - but I have seen what the battlefield looks like. Learn from my lessons (or don't).

My first suggestion is to seek outside legal consultation - and I don't mean from the lawyer you are hiring. Seek consultation from another lawyer on the other side of the state if possible. Why do this? Because the lawyer you pick will likely try to sell you instead of telling you the actual brutal legal landscape in front of you. There's a lot in it for your lawyer if you pick them. The retainer fees and the hourly fees will add up. However, I can honestly say both lawyers my girlfriend hired ripped her off royally. Not to say that they didn't do their job, but their estimates on the cost were woefully inaccurate. Maybe they underestimated the hours it would take. Maybe they naively thought the other parent wasn't high conflict. Maybe they knew all these things and wanted to run up her bill anyways. I'm not sure their exact reason, but I can tell you that the total cost came in 5x higher than what my girlfriend anticipated at the start.

I would suggest a web service like rocketlawyer.com or clarity.fm to speak to a legal expert.  Choose someone that is definitely not going to be your lawyer to assess the situation.  This way they can give you an unbiased professional opinion on what you are truly up against. I would also be searching every article I can find for "how to win a custody battle" if I were you. You need every competitive advantage you can get, and although I will highlight several good tips in this article, it is important to do your own due diligence before hiring a lawyer. Google searches are free and court cases are anything but free. If you have to pay for 1 hour of consulting from a trusted legal professional it will likely save you thousands throughout the process before you even get started.

My girlfriend decided to hire the rockstar lawyer at the beginning of her custody battle with her old boyfriend before I ever appeared on the scene. She had no idea it would cost 5x more than what she initially budgeted. Looking back, I wish she had never made this commitment. Not to say that her lawyer didn't perform like a rockstar at times, because he did. However rockstar performances demand rockstar fees. The legal bills get out of control and quickly. 

If you have some legal experience and you can master all details of your own case, I would definitely consider pro se. I would have done pro se if it were my custody case, but not all people are comfortable doing that. There are some other options that most people don't consider. You can possibly find a lawyer that will work on your case unbundled. Unbundled means there is no retainer fee. When you need a document filed for the court or you need representation during mediation for example, you pay your unbundled lawyer to assist you. This is a great way to keep retainer fees to a minimum. Retainer fees can get super large. Ultimately it is up to you if unbundled legal services are right for your case or not. Do further research on unbundled legal services. It is possibly an option to save a lot of money.

Another choice is to find a lawyer whom will agree to handle your case on a flat rate basis. Lord Almighty I wish the lawyer my girlfriend had chosen previously would have been a flat rate for her court case, but unfortunately I didn't get to be that lucky. If you can come to an agreement on a flat rate (which is an agreed upon sum to cover the entire case) definitely consider that option and get it in writing for your own benefit.

Should we just discard any expensive lawyer just because they are expensive? Consider this strategy. If you want superstar legal representation I suggest saving the heavy hitter lawyer for the very end. The trial is more costly than all other legal proceedings. Get some quotes on that from real lawyers if you don't believe me. What is the lesson here? You need the money for the end and you need the best representation at the end. A vicious child custody battle is a war. A common war strategy is to deplete your enemy's resources (that includes financial resources) so that they tap out and give up. In a high conflict case, you very well be dealing with an opponent that will file frivolous motions to run your legal bills up. Know that this can happen before it becomes a reality for you. That is why it would be better to represent yourself pro se at the start, or go unbundled for a while, or begin with el cheapo lawyer until the trial is on the immediate horizon. This is based on my own experiences with high conflict child custody battles. Your experience may vary, but if this sounds familiar, you can probably relate. If the other side is blatantly lying about you in their motions and filings, it is no mystery. You are indeed in a high conflict case. If the other side is richer than you, prepare for this to be dragged out until you tap out because your finances are depleted to nothing and the richer person can outlast you.

Here are some additional tips to save you money in a heated legal battle. Collect all the documentation that is humanly possible to defend your side. Do not leave this up to your lawyer to collect the evidence. You should be collecting all proof and then your lawyer can determine what evidence you have in your possession is relevant or not. A smart phone can be your best friend in this scenario.

Do not run up your credit cards. That should be avoided at all costs. Instead, take out personal loans at interest rates much lower than credit cards to save you from astronomical accumulating credit card debt. This was one thing I did do correctly with my girlfriend's case with her ex, thus saving her tons of money in the long run. There are personal loan options like Discover Personal Loans, Payoff, Upgrade, SoFi to name a few. Shop around and see what interest rates you can get.

A smart financial strategy is one of the biggest keys to winning any legal battle.  Win the war!

The Spectacular $5 Frugal Night on the Town

I'm going to show you my own invented frugal hack for students, bachelors, singles, and anyone else that wants a fun night out on the town. You can do this for the extremely low cost of $5. I personally do this $5 Night on the Town often. I can endorse it as very effective and I have been doing this for about a year - although with COVID-19 the fun definitely gets interrupted. It is time to share this brilliant game plan with the world. Let me show you how this is done.

This frugal night on the town strategy came to me when my local casino opened up their sportsbook. That's right, my extreme el cheapo Friday and Saturday nights involve a casino and a sportsbook, but I'm not insane, this works.

My local casino is within 15 miles. Calculating for fuel cost, round trip in a vehicle that gets under 30 miles per gallon at roughly $3 for a gallon of gas will get me to the casino and back with $2 remaining. How am I going to get bang for my buck with only 2 bucks remaining?
This hack is made for nights when a lot of sports are on the television. When Major League Baseball (MLB) or the National Football League (NFL) or the National Basketball Association (NBA) are in season, this hack works big time.  The key is going out on a night with a full slate of games being broadcasted. Many games on television maxes out this frugal hack to full potential. For the avid sports fan, this is a darn near perfect plan, as you will see.

I have the DraftKings app on my smart phone. This same technique will work for Fanduel if you prefer that app. Both are available on iPhone and Android. Before I get in the car, I enter into a $1 tournament in DraftKings for tonight's games. For the next three hours or so, I have a contest to cheer for featuring multiple games in a $1 tournament entry. I leave my townhouse with a destination of the local casino featuring a sportsbook.

Parking is free at the casino, so I don't have to pay for parking. There is no door cover cost at the casino, so I don't have to pay to get in the door. I have zero intention of ever placing a bet tonight to be honest. My bet is already in. I put in my $1 DraftKings tournament entry. I have live action. Show me to the bathroom and then to the courtesy soda pop station.

I swing by the courtesy soda pop station where soda is free. Now this is surely one catch. I don't drink which is a huge money saver. If you want to consume alcohol at my particular casino where I am a patron, they do charge for alcoholic drinks. Ahhh but they don't charge for soda. Free drinks for me all night. Clearly this is a money saving advantage for those who don't consume alcohol.

The sportsbook has a wide array of lounge chairs and pub tables. I set up shop in a lounge chair which are surprisingly comfortable. The environment is electric here. I'm seated by folks whom have $1000's of dollars on games in the sportsbook and they get loud and rowdy. Sometimes it's more fun watching people with big money on a sporting event than it is even watching the sporting event itself. There are giant high-definition televisions on every wall. Many sporting events are being broadcast here. I have all I need. I never intend to place a wager in the sportsbook or even play a table game on my frugal night out. To be fair though, I bring friends along who do those things and spend big money - but I don't need to be the one spending big. I'm there to enjoy the dozens of games on the television, get in some fun conversations with new people around me, and see if I can win my $1 DraftKings tournament entry!

This night can last for hours without additional spending. I bet when many of you read this, you assumed this was for only an hour or so - but that's not true. I can watch all the games to monitor the performance of the players I picked in DraftKings. The televisions surrounding me in every direction make sure of that. What's not to like? A DraftKings lineup can have action for a full day depending on the tournament. Yes indeed, this $5 Frugal Fun Night on the Town can last for 6+ hours or more without issue. I don't have to worry about the parking meter running up my bill. The casino parking garage is free all day.

Now say you can't pull this off without an alcoholic beverage or two. Well, at my casino, beers are $2. So if you get 2 beers, you are still coming in under $10. You will find it very hard to beat this strategy (if you are a sports fan). I have read that casinos average making $150 from every person that walks through the front door. Not me! I got them boys beat with my $5 Frugal Night on the Town. A few times I have even made money with this frugal hack - because I won my DraftKings ticket. Not only can you save money with my game plan, you can actually turn a profit before the night is over if your $1 DraftKings tournament goes in your favor.

It should be noted, this same strategy technically works for any bar / restaurant / hangout where many sports games are being broadcasted at once. The keys are to find something local with free parking, free entry, fun people and many televisions broadcasting sporting events from every angle. I would also suggest a comfy chair to sit in for hours.

Do you have a $5 or a $10 Night on the Town strategy that can rival mine? I would love to hear about it. With your permission, perhaps you will allow us to post it on the website. Contact us and tell us about it.

The ONE Piano Light Keyboard Review

Are you or your child ready to learn to pay the piano? Then the ONE Light Keyboard is a must have. This electronic keyboard has piano keys that light up to guide the player which keys to press at the appropriate time. The device features 61 light up keys, but it also features an app for iPad / iPhone or even Android devices. The ONE Light Keyboard features 20 different tones built in. Some of these include grand piano, harpsichord, church organ, acoustic guitar, violin, and syhthesizer.

This special app - when activated - recognizes and grades you as you navigate your way through playing a song. In this way it is similar to Guitar Hero and can be thought of as having game modes instead of just plain instruction. The app features 4,000+ sheet music songs to learn ranging from classical to jazz, blues, pop and much more. Settings such as auto-play assist in learn the melody, or a setting such as A-B repeats help in practice mode. A cool feature is that players can record and share their best work on Facebook at any time.

One detail to specifically pay attention to is the fast track for beginners mode. This mode is built to learn a new song in just a few hours. Follow along to the well-planned learning steps featuring hand gesture videos and section exercises. Do not be surprised if you can learn to play simple songs in less than 2 hours or a moderately difficult song in a day or two. That is the power that can be unleashed with this keyboard.

There is no doubt this is not the cheapest gift we have ever featured on Save Dollarz.  However, in comparison to a real piano, you may consider this an absolute steal.  You can find the ONE Light Keyboard for around $250 at this time.

This electronic piano can be plugged into the wall with the power cord, but if you want to take it on the go, you have the option to install 6 AA batteries.

Double End Speed Ball Review

This is the greatest gift that no one knows about.  Welcome to the Save Dollarz review of the double end speed ball.  At it's core, it's a boxing accessory.  But once you try it, you realize it is an addictive and valuable exercise machine.  

This is a great gift for the whole family to be honest.  I have injured my arm on the heavy bag before.  Thousands of punches on the heavy bag, and if you do it wrong once, you can hairline fracture your arm or wrist.  But you don't need to worry about that with the speed ball.  It is much more forgiving.  This device can build hand to eye coordination and possibly even make you ambidextrous.  If not fully ambidextrous, it will certainly strengthen your weaker hand.

To set this device up correctly, you need two bungee chords, a spot to mount this from the ceiling, and a weight to tie the bottom bungee chord to.  I would suggest a room with about 6 feet of space horizontally to mount this, as the speed ball will travel through the air about 3 feet in any direction if mounted tightly.

You can use boxing gloves if you want to, but really any gloves will do.  A double end speed ball can be punched without gloves, but that may be a bit too hard on your knuckles, so instead just choose a comfortable pair of gloves to get this workout in. 

Once you get good at this, you can do tricks if you want.  I have done it blind folded before, but I have been doing this exercise for a long time.  That is an advanced technique!  Some of these speed bags are oval, and some are perfectly circular.  I prefer the circle one, but to each their own.

You will find kids love to do this drill - but adults should try it too!  It's a good workout and has a satisfying and soothing effect when done properly.  A highly suggested gift to someone who has everything.  This gift can be found on Amazon, Ebay or your favorite sporting goods store.  Some come with mount kits and those may be closer to $40.  But if you just need the double end speed bag, you can certainly get that for under $20, which is a great deal!

Lazy Bracket Phone Holder Review

This unique gift idea is called a lazy bracket.  I have bought these for the entire family a few years ago.  This mount is designed to handle all cell phones universally.  A large clamp on the bottom attaches to a night stand, a desk, a food tray, or a coffee table for example.  The smaller clamp secures the phone.  A flexible goose neck allows for adjusting the angle of mounting. 

I use this product pretty much every day attached to a food tray I set up near the couch.  This product will hold the phone while you are on the couch so that you can do other tasks, but also easily see if your phone is ringing or if an incoming text is coming in. 

It doesn't matter if it is an iphone or an android phone, this mount will securely hold it.  The lazy bracket has small pads on the clamp.  Expect these small pads to come off after extended use - but it doesn't matter - it still holds a cell phone just fine without the tiny pads.  Don't expect this lazy bracket to mount an iPad.  That is a bit too large of a device for this mount.  However, it could mount an iPod just fine if you desire that functionality.

Possibly the best part about this universal mount is the price.  You can routinely find this item under $20 on Amazon or Ebay.  Makes an excellent gift for the person whom already has everything.

Quickplay Indestructiballs Review

Baseball in the back yard is as American as apple pie.  But do you know what is super annoying?  It is annoying when the wiffle balls break in the wiffle ball game.  That's why buying wiffle balls that don't break are such a cool item.  Introducing the Quickplay Indestructiballs.

These indestructable wiffle balls are ideal for softball and baseball practice and good competitive wiffle ball games alike.  Kids can step on them, hit them with a bat, or bounce them off a brick wall without damaging the ball.  These are made from intelligent pop-back material that can take a crushing and very quickly return to shape. It's very cool that these balls don't crack, don't dent and will hold up to thousands of bat strikes over years of use.

As for the appearance, this particular brand makes two-tone balls that allow a baseball or softball hitter to observe the spin of the ball in the air better than usual.  This can be useful for both hitting and pitching.

Baseball and softball coaches may find these Quickplay Indestructiballs very useful specifically for running drills in practice, because these can be considered heavy duty.  They won't shatter after one practice.  In fact, they will last for many practices to come!

Kids immediately appreciate this tough toy to keep the neighborhood baseball game going smoothly.  You get a lot of bang for the buck with this gift.

Stomp Rocket Ultra Rocket Stunt Planes Review

Kids love to stomp on things and kids love toys that can fly. What better combination than Stomp Rocket Stunt Planes? Get out your stomping shoes to launch these foam stunt planes soaring through the air. This is a toy that does not require batteries. Bring back the excitement of the outside toy away from the television and the ipad. These air rocket launchers are perfect for active girls and boys that love playing in the yard. Just be sure not to launch these airplanes on the roof!

This package includes three Stunt Planes. They are called looper, glider and wildcat. A dynamic adjustable air rocket launch stand and an inviting launch stomp pad with an air hose are all you need to take to the skies. The looper plane attempts to perform giant loops. The glider plane is for long distance and height, with the capability to reach up to 100 feet. The Wildcat plane is designed to perform all kinds of crazy maneuvers and tricks. The foam design permits safe play, although the product does encourage use for ages 5 or older.

The adjustable launch stand allows for changing the trajectory. The wind will definitely effect how these planes fly, so keep that in mind if you live in a windy area. The stomp pad is larger than many would expect. Kids run up to the stomp pad and jump with all their body weight which forces air out of the stomp pad, through the tube and into the rocket. Air powered and kid powered fun!