Chrysler-love

October 5, 2008

“She’s a beauty!” he whistled.

I looked up from the book I was reading, ready to give the husband an earful for shamelessly ogling (and worse, praising) another female. Imagine my amusement when I realized he was referring to the chrysler 300. Silver and sleek, the car is indeed a beauty. Forget ostentatious. The car is retro in design and all-American in its appeal. It’s a fresh take on the classic sedan formula - large, in charge, encased in provocative sheetmetal, and more importantly, attractively priced.

The chrysler 300 was introduced in 2005. The model the hub is drooling over, however, is the most recent one. The 2008 version comes with upgrades and they’re not minor ones, mind you. They have side airbags, an optional Sirius Backseat TV, softer surfaces, and a reconfigured instrument panel. There are other good things about the 2008 model, too. It has an amazingly roomy interior and a dramatic exterior. It provides good handling, excellent drive quality, and powerful acceleration.

So what’s the catch? Most good things always have a catch. In the case of the chrysler 300, we were able to spot only one: fuel consumption. Obviously, its powerful acceleration comes at a trade-off, and at a time and place where fuel costs an arm and a leg, that is a costly trade-off indeed.

Still, I’d have to agree with the husband. The chrysler 300 might not be avant-garde in design nor a striking, attention-grabbing red in color. But demme, she is a beauty!

Bills One, Bills All

October 4, 2008

Debt is debt, right? It doesn’t matter where you run up ginormous debts on or with - it’s still a debt, yes? The answer is no. If you have long-standing balances on, say, five credit cards, you pay a small fortune in interests and charges alone. Why not consolidate all these debts instead?

Debt Consolidation is the process of replacing multiple loans with a single loan. Simply put, you borrow money - thus putting yourself in debt - to pay off several debts. The good thing about debt consolidation is that while you would still be in debt to an institution, you only owe one entity. Then, too, you put yourself back in good standing with the credit card companies you used to owe money, too. Most importantly, you get to save on interest charges. Debt consolidation loans come with lower interest rates and longer payment periods.

Make no mistake about it, however. Consolidating your bills does not wipe them out for good. Rather, you simply lump them together under the best terms you can find given the circumstances. The good news is that most groups that offer debt consolidation loans also provide counseling. So, on top of getting a loan, you can also get expert help in becoming debt-free someday. Now if only there is also such a thing as stress consolidation, life would be just peachy.