Pay for Article

I used to dream about the time my five children would all be grown and married. Having the house to myself was my longed for luxury. I would have an extra bedroom, decorated, clean, always looking good. No more rock star posters stuck to my walls and doors, I would have a sewing room or an office that belonged to me. I would always have extra AAA batteries. Everything would be in its place, and the house would stay clean.

Finally, an empty nest. Oh, sweet dreams. We do have our fantasies, don’t we?

Well, the oldest married and left home. It’s a good start. My second did the same. My third said he liked to live at home, and thought he may stay for a few more years. My fourth married and things were looking up. All right! By the time my fifth child married and left home, my fourth moved back in with his wife and baby.

Now, that was the sweetest baby you could ever hope to see. She didn’t like me though. She cried whenever I held her. She cried when I didn’t hold her. She cried in the daytime and in the middle of the night. “Don’t worry, it’s only colic,” they were told. “She’ll be better when she turns two months old.”

Yeah, Doc, that’s great; but I think it’s contagious. How long will it take for me to stop crying, and get back my sewing-room/office, finally decorated, clean room?

Well, the fourth finally got it together and moved out again. Things were moving along pretty well. My second had given me my first grandson. He was wonderful! He liked me! I loved to keep him for the few hours his mother left him. She always picked him up when she said she would, and he never spent the night. Well, actually, he did once. I believe he was around two years old. His mom had forgotten to bring along his blankie, and he and I discussed it for, oh, ten hours or so. He decided he wanted to be a stay-at-home kid.

I enjoyed taking him and Miss Colic places when they were a few years old. They always went home when the day was over. Things were not too bad then. I still had number three at home, but he had met a likely match, and I had hopes.

Yes! number three is married, they have their own house and everything.

Is everybody gone? I don’t remember. Let’s see now. Yes, I believe they are all gone. By this time number five had a daughter. He married a step-son when he married his wife. So, there are two more grandkids to eat my ice cream and cookies.

Now, number three’s two kids dearly love their grandma. They would spend everyday with me if they could. They love to spend the night too. The beautiful extra bedroom is now the play-bedroom for the grandkids.

Number four, the father of Miss Colic, now has a son to be proud of. This small child loves to visit grandma when his mom and dad have to go out for dinner or things. They have to do something every week. Remember, they have two children, so they need a break. They would like to take the children, but, you know, the children would have much more fun with grandma. Oh, sure. This grandma wasn’t born yesterday, kiddos!

After a few years of this, number three gave me another grand-daughter. Oh, she is truly a sweetheart, and doesn’t she have good lungs! A couple of years later, bet you can’t guess, also a new grand-son.

Twelve grand-children. Where is the Calgon? I want to be ‘taken away’ to a beautiful, quiet place. A waterfall would be nice too. Now!

A note to my readers. Update: My first great-granddaughter just had her first birthday!

Please don’t blame me if you become confused about which child is which. I know who I’m talking about, and I’m still confused. When they’re all here at once, I don’t know which one is chasing the cat between my feet and out the back door. It’s a circus. I love the circus, I just don’t want to live in one.

Harriet has written many newsletters and articles on the subject of novice writing and reviewing with common sense and encouragement. Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/storytime
She is an author, Moderator and reviewer on
Writing.Com ( http://www.Writing.Com/ )

As a certified personal trainer and editor of a popular fitness site, Fitness Gear 101, I’ve heard every excuse in the book when it comes to why people don’t exercise. However, the one that takes the, pardon-my-pun, “fitness cake” is lack of time.

A day doesn’t go by without one of my clients professing that they simply don’t have time for exercise. Well, I’ve seen people who want to loose weight badly enough. They will restrict their diets, exercise rigorously for an hour a day and even swear off alcohol – gasp – and chocolate – double gasp! So, don’t give me that bull!

People shy away from exercise because they think they’ll have to spend hours in a gym. To maintain good health all you need is a healthy diet and a daily walk that can be broken up into increments throughout the day.

Still don’t believe me? I’ll show you how easy it is to fit brief walks into your day:

1) Is Sex and the City a rerun again? It breaks my heart when that happens. Why not go for a 30-minute walk. If it’s a new episode that you simply can’t miss, jump rope during commercials or run on the spot.

2) Does carting the kids to hockey or baseball cut into your exercise time? Take some inspiration from Jr. and stay on your feet during the game. You’ll get kudos for being the team’s best cheer leader, and your butt won’t expand to the size of the soccer field.

3) Are you dying to get your hands on the next best-seller? Buy it as a book-on-tape and take it walking with you. It might have you extending your stroll to finish a chapter.

4) Instead of a sumptuous brunch with the girls, try a brisk 30-minute walk with your BFF. Catching up on all the latest gossip can be just as delicious during a walk – plus it won’t tempt you to cheat on your healthy eating plan.

5) Remember when people used to “run” errands? Well many of us still take that term literally. The next time you need a quart of milk, walk to the local grocer.

6) Use your lunch break as an exercise break. I go work out and then eat lunch at my desk. A brisk walk around the block will leave you more refueled for the afternoon than that third cup of coffee.

7) Do you complain about how slow your apartment elevator is? Take the faster route – the stairs. You’ll burn calories in the process.

It’s always ironic that those who circle the parking lot looking for the closest spot are often the most overweight. Park farther away where there are spots o’ plenty. You’ll burn extra calories lugging your groceries back to the car.

9) Have you ever heard the phrase “hurry up and wait!”? Well it’s not just a humorous observation it’s a great way to stay moving. The next time you’re waiting in a long lineup don’t take a chair, pace the floor or do a little stretching.

10) If you have no time to exercise, chances are you don’t have time to clean the house either. Housework – such as dusting, vacuuming, shoveling and raking – is multitasking because it counts as exercise.

Anna Fleet is a certified fitness instructor, and the face and voice behind fitnessgear101.com – an awesome website with extensive information about workout routines, fitness tools, stupid fitness ideas and more.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be boring when you focus on bright, colourful meals. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colours, you’ll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus. Not everyone has the rime or the patience to count calories, but assessing the colours on your plate is something anyone can do - and it only takes an instant!

Why Colour Is Important

Many fatty and caloric foods, such as dairy products and startchy carbs, are beige or brown. When there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost certain.

That’s because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories….but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you’ll get more enjoyment from eating when there’s a variety of colours and flavours on your plate.

Although these ideas may sound whimsical, they’re grounded in scientific fact. Dr David Heber, renowned nutritional expert from UCLA’s Centre for Human Nutrition established the role of colour in his book, ‘What Color is Your Diet?’ So, next time you visit the refrigerator, think colourfully. And remember to mix, not match!

Kim Beardsmore M.B.A. (H.R.M.), B.Sc. (Biochemistry) is an independent Herbalife distributor, weight loss coach and creator of the online weight loss & fitness magazine Weight Loss Health. For a free weight loss consultation, newsletter and resources to help you lose weight and keep it off forever, visit http://weight-loss-health.com.au Online Herbalife store at http://weightlosshealth.herbalcoach.com Herbalife home business opportunity http://free2liv.com

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. Hebrews 12:1-2a NLT

It is so easy for us to lose focus. There are so many things that are vying for our attention that we often don’t finish tasks that we begin. However, finishing projects are much more important than beginning them. When we first begin an endeavor, we are often very excited and ambitious, but as time wanes we lose our focus by concentrating on the wrong things, concerting our efforts in the wrong direction, or centering our energies in the wrong way. The writer exhorts the Hebrews by laying out a plan for them to finish the course of faith they had undertaken. The previous chapters allowed us to examine the lives of saints of old who had persevered for the cause of Christ, letting us know that we can also finish what we’ve started by laying down weight and sin that hinder us and impede our progress. God has laid out a race that we can win if we keep our eyes on Jesus—in essence, stay focused!

I am reminded of the day I gave birth to my oldest daughter, Eboni. When I began to go into full labor I told myself a few things. Although there were several other people in the room, I began to internally talk to myself. I reminded myself that (1) there was nothing I could do about being in this situation but to deal with it—(2) I was in labor and the baby had to be born—I had to focus on the fact that there was a task before me that I needed to accomplish. The pain would be there regardless so there was no need in screaming and acting a fool (like the lady I heard in the next room!), but rather I needed to focus. My husband, God bless him, was beside me trying his best to help by quoting scriptures! Well, you can imagine what I really wanted to say to him! However, I focused only on the task God had blessed me to accomplish—to bring a life into the world. If I had concentrated on the pain, the fear and all the other emotions women feel during childbirth, it might have delayed my progress.

We often get sidetracked by concentrating on the wrong things—we allow other things to kick us off the track . If we are trying to lose weight, we get sidetracked by the donuts and the cookies. When we say we’re going to be active in ministry, we get sidetracked by negative comments and criticism. If we want to grow spiritually and desire to go to Bible Study, we get sidetracked by the mall, the television or _______ - you fill in the blank. Whatever the task that shows up in our walk—we concentrate on the wrong things and get sidetracked! The Lord tells us to do something and we concentrate on what others might say or think, or how inadequate we feel in getting it done.

We also concert our efforts in the wrong direction. Many times God will tell us exactly how to do something, who to approach (and sometimes even who not to approach) to assist us. We, however, try to be people pleasers and seek the approval of others about the tasks that God has mandated for us to accomplish.

Finally, we center our energies in the wrong way. Sometimes the task seems daunting or impossible—we lose vigor and even interest and begin centering our energies on something else! We drop the ball, jump the ship, whatever you want to call it—we move on without completing the task. However, the writer to the Hebrews gives us the prescription for staying on task—keeping our eyes on Jesus! In Him our faith depends from start to finish. If we begin with Him and keep our eyes on Him, we will end with Him!! It is not in our strength that we accomplish the task.

We must remain focused. Put down the donuts, don’t listen to the criticism, get out of the mall and STAY FOCUSED! God has a job for each of us to do. Watch out for the weight and the sin of unbelief that will take you off the track! Run! Run! Run! You can do it because God has already made provisions for you to succeed! Stay focused, my sister, and don’t give up! ©2004

Candie A. Price is the editor/founder of WOW! Women of the Word emagazine. Candie is Ministry Director for WOW! Women’s Ministry at the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL where her husband of 15 years, Rev. Arthur Price, Jr., is pastor. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Eboni Paige and Amyna Janel. WOW! emagazine can be found at http://www.wowemagazine.com For subscriptions contact Candie at ssbcwow@aol.com

So you have been busy writing lately. You may have had more work than you wanted and were not in short supply of clients, which is great for you and for business. Now, all of a sudden, the well seems to have run dry, things may have slowed down quite a bit, so now what? What do you do when your writing projects seem to literally dry up?

The first thing you should know is that you shouldn’t PANIC, it’s bound to happen and things will bounce back, sooner or later. I have been running my writing business for twelve years now and there hasn’t been one year when I didn’t experience at least one slow down. For me, things usually slow down around holidays, expecially around Christmas. It’s understandable that people are wrapped up in shopping and the festivities of the season and are not likely to move forward with projects. I also experience a little lull during summer months when people enjoy the outdoors or are on vacation. As I said, it is expected, especially if you run your own small business, but usually doesn’t last very long.

The key to taking advantage of these slow times in business is to stay busy. Keep focused on your business. It’s not the time for you to slack off. So what can you do to make the most of your downtime? Here are a few suggestions that may help you use this time productively.

1. Organize your office. Use the time to do tasks you couldn’t keep up with during peak business times. Things like filing, cleaning and organizing your office space. Catching up on correspondance and so on.

2. Review your business plan. If you don’t have a business plan, learn how to create one or have one created for you. If you don’t have a plan, you won’t know where you are coming from and certainly won’t be able to get where you would like to go in business. You should check your business plan yearly to see if you are on track and to make any changes that reflect changes in the way you do business.

3. Learn something new. Take online classes or classes at your local college and learn a new skill or hone an old one. Learn a skill that will be beneficial to your business in some way. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

4. Expand your business. Maybe you will need to hire more personel to help with additional work or maybe you will need to purchase equipment/tools or software to automate things. In any event you should always plan to expand your business at some point. After all, you are in business to make money and expansion of your business is a good way to generate additional revenues to grow your business.

5. Catch up. Touch base with clients you have done work for in the past but have not heard from recently. You never know when you may get additional work from them. Sometimes they may be planning to get in touch but something keeps them from it, so they may need a reminder that you are there to help them. It’s a good way to rekindle relationships with former clients and drum up a little extra business in the process.

6. Get with the program. Maybe you can outsource some tedious administrative tasks by hiring a virtual assistant. This will free up time to market your business more agressively and generate new opportunities.

Whatever the reason for a slowdown in business, take it with a grain of salt. Know that it won’t last forever and things really happen in cycles. You can’t stop the slowdown, but you can make the most of the extra time on your hands, by doing something productive that will pay off in a big way, in the long run.

Lorraine Cote is the CEO and Owner of The Write Touch 4U, Copywriting Service. She is also a published freelance writer who has written over 100 ebooks on various topics for clients as well as all types of other written materials. She also has 16 years experience in the corporate world as a Trainer and Business Writer and is an Internet Marketer as well. Visit her at http://www.thewritetouch4u.com or visit her blog at http://writetouch4u.blogspot.com

Stats are through November 20

CHICAGO BEARS: The Bears have created some excitement this season in Chicago. They lead the NFC North Division. Thus far it has been a major turnaround from last season. They were 5-11 SU and 7-9 ATS. This season the Bears are 7-3 SU and 6-3-1 ATS. The Bears are definitely playing with a high level of confidence. Of the three teams behind the Bears I don’t expect any to challenge for the top spot in this Division. The Bears for the most part have not posted overly impressive numbers on offense. This unit has scored an average of 16.9 points in 10 games. The Bears had one big game where they scored 38 points. The defense has been the key to their solid start this season. The Bears have allowed an average of 11.0 points in 10 games. They have allowed 10 points or less in six of those games. Will the Bears continue this winning roll?

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: The Seahawks have created playoffs hopes in Seattle. They have a nice lead in the NFC West Division. I don’t expect any of the three teams behind the Seahawks to challenge for the top spot in this Division. This is another team that has made a turnaround from last season. They were 9-7 SU and 5-11 ATS in the regular season. The Seahawks lost in the first round of the playoffs. This season the Seahawks are 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS. The offensive unit has been the key to their success. The Seahawks have scored an average of 27.2 points in 10 games. They have scored 30 points or more in five of those games. The Seahawks have allowed an average of 18.7 points in nine games this season. As the season progresses and this team continues to play well on offense and the defense improves going the distance in the playoffs is possible. How will the Seahawks play down the stretch?

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: The Colts currently appear to be in a league of their own. For the most part they have played a game of domination against the opposition this season. The Colts have a solid lead in the AFC South Division. I don’t expect the team behind the Colts to compete for the top spot in this Division. Last season the Colts were 12-4 SU and 8-8 ATS in regular season. The Colts lost in the second round of the playoffs. This season the Colts are 10-0 SU and 7-3 ATS. For the most part the Colts have been fine tuned on offense. The Colts have scored an average of 30.5 points in 10 games. They have scored 30 points or more in six of those games. The defense has played well in most of the games. The Colts have allowed an average of 15.2points in 10 games. They have allowed 10 points or less in five of those games. Could this be the season the Colts win it all?

Ken A.

Ken Angland is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Ken_Angland.htm

It is my opinion that men and women start
to become great when they begin to listen
to their inner voice, their intuition.

When you begin to use it regularly and
systematically, there is virtually nothing that
you can not accomplish.

You may experience your intuition as a gut
feeling, as an inner sense of what is right
and wrong for you.

Sometimes your intuition manifests itself
as a hunch or an inspiration.

Often, it comes as a flash of insight. Your
intuition leads you to new ideas, concepts,
and breakthroughs.

And even sometimes an intuition insight will
enable you to see a problem from a new
perspective and allow you to solve it on a
completely different level.

There are two major forms of imaginations
both of which require the highest use of
intuitive powers.

They are synthetic imagination and creative
imagination.

Synthetic imagination is your ability to
assemble existing pieces of knowledge and
information into new forms.

It is much like taking all the pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle, having a clear idea of the picture that
you want, and assembling the pieces into a single
finished product.

Creative imagination is a higher power of
imagination resulting in completely new and different
ideas and concepts to solve your problems and
achieve your goals.

This power of imagination is at the core of all great
breakthroughs in science, technology, art, music,
literature and medicine.

It has been estimated that you need between 20,000
and 50,000 bits of information at your disposal to be
successful in any field of endeavor.

We live in the information age, and knowledge is the
raw material of production in this age.

Your intuition is your direct pipeline to a power of
intelligence that is completely beyond your conscious
brain. It is accessed by your subconscious mind,
which is controlled by the thoughts you think and
the beliefs you hold on your conscious mind.

The more often you affirm and visualize your desired
goals in your conscious mind, the more readily they
are picked up by your subconscious mind, and the
more rapidly you intuition or creative imagination is
triggered.

You can overcome any obstacle, solve any problem,
or achieve any goal by tapping into the incredible
powers of your mind and by trusting your intuition.

Once you begin to develop and use your intuition,
you will become more alert, more aware, smarter
and more effective in everything you do!

I hope you start TODAY with listening to that small
still voice in the back of your mind. If you make
it a habit to listen to that small voice, I GUARANTEE
you will never make another mistake again!!

You never know what one idea could be worth!

Listen to your guiding voice and take Action!!

By Shelby Collinge

Do More With Less

Learn to Harness the Power of Leverage in Your Business!

Copyright (c) 2006 Limitless Possibilities, Inc. All rights reserved
Feel free to publish this or pass this on in it’s entirety. For more information or to contact Shelby you can call (800) 680-4438 or please visit: http://www.shelbycollinge.com

Shelby Collinge

Do More With Less

Learn to Harness the Power of Leverage in Your Business!

For more information or to contact Shelby you can call (800) 680-4438 or please visit: http://www.shelbycollinge.com

It is an established fact that having a price list with individual or packaged prices is very useful in helping customers to make up their mind. There are circumstances that come up that need executive decisions on how they will be handled. Have you ever been to a restaurant and requested an extra entree or dessert with that take out meal? This request has three choices on how they handle the situation.

1) ‘The menu, not what you want’ Foolish! You were willing to pay more to get more, but, if you got refused, they lost money and probably a repeat customer.

2) ‘If you want more, we can sell you an entire second dinner.’ This also is not what you wanted and will probably cost them money, short term and long. (’The customer is always right’)

3) ‘Sure, we can mix it up any way you want.’ Not only have you pleased them, and made more money, you have greatly increased the chances of repeat business. Take care of the customers! I know a business where the owners really don’t care about making lots of money. What they care most about is taking great care of their customers- and they make more money then they can spend and have to turn away customers. I once bought another used Volkswagen because of two German mechanics who not only were good and honest, they sometimes fixed little problems for free! They expanded twice and couldn’t handle all the work they got, and they didn’t even advertise! Sometimes you charge extra for extra, sometimes you don’t. Usually you can look at a repeat potential customer and give away some little ‘labor only’ work. But, not only will people pay more to get more, the extra margin income is all net; the overhead was covered in the original order.

There is a way and a time to ask for an upgrade sale, but, when they ask for extra, reach out and you establish that ‘open spirit warm fuzzies’ with them by giving them at least what they wanted, and, if it includes going out to there car, for free, to put on a new decal. you do it for theml This attitude is the cause of most business increase over an extended period of time!

Daniel Wadleigh is a nationally published marketing consultant and has programs for start-up and existing businesses including effective web sites, e-mail/database, other non-internet ways to drive them to your website, and low cost ways to get more new customers.

Go to: http://www.more-new-customers.com to get free copy of ‘Marketing to Men vs. Women- the 8 different responses’ and a Free copy of ‘Market Research- 7 Questions to Ask to Start-up and 7 to Ask to Improve Any Business.’

A franchisor must be concerned with their proprietary and confidential methods of doing business in business secrets. The confidential operations manual must be guarded and kept away from competitors in the marketplace, who will he immediately use such knowledge to hurt up to franchise system and team. It is for this reason that you should pay special attention in the franchise agreement with regards to proprietary and confidential information. In my franchisee company by chose to insert a special clause, which I had designed personally, you’ll find a below;

3.19 Proprietary And Confidential Information

The System includes valuable confidential information. Franchisee agrees to not communicate or divulge the contents of our Confidential Operations Manuals, our Confidential Marketing Manuals, our Franchisee Forum intranet system or any other information related to the System or to the operation of the Franchise or The Car Wash Guys or the WASH GUY.COM franchise system to any person or entity except those Franchisor authorizes in writing to receive the information. Franchisee agrees that those contents and information are confidential. They are Franchisor’s exclusive property, and Franchisee may only use them in the Franchise subject to the provisions and duration of this Franchise Agreement. Franchisee agrees to fully and strictly adhere to all security procedures Franchisor prescribes for maintaining the secrecy of the information. Franchisee agrees to disclose information to their employees only to the extent necessary to perform the franchise business.

Franchisee will assure that Franchisee and all their agents, employees, consultants, partners, owners, officers, directors, and shareholders and other persons in their control, to whom any information is communicated, keep, preserve, and protect all confidential information.

Franchisee acknowledges that during the term of this Franchise Agreement, Franchisee will have access to, become acquainted with and have disclosed to Franchisee by Franchisor confidential information, programs, devices, methods, techniques and processes that are not generally known to the public pertaining to the promotion, marketing, operation and management of a business that offers the cleaning, washing and waxing of automobiles and fleet vehicle washing including the information contained in the Confidential Operations Manual and on the Franchisee Forum intranet system.

Franchisee will not, during the term of this Franchise Agreement or thereafter, communicate, fax, e-mail, post on an internet electronic bulletin board, divulge or use for the benefit or any other person, persons, partnerships, associations, companies or corporations any confidential or proprietary information, knowledge or know-how concerning our methods of operation of the franchised business Franchisor has licensed to Franchisee or any information Franchisor has communicated to Franchisee in written, verbal or electronic form, including intranet passwords, for the operation of the Franchised Business.

— — — — — —

Obviously this is not something you should take lightly and you must contact a knowledgeable inexperienced franchise attorney to make sure your company and your franchisee firm is protected. I hope you will consider this in 2006.

‘Lance Winslow’ - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

Before you start shopping for a new car, determine your budget. Once you have decided how much money you are willing to spend, you are ready to start looking at automobiles. Don’t go to the dealership just yet. Consider the features you most want in your new vehicle. Look at cars on the internet and read some new car magazines. Keep a list of a few cars that interest you most.

Before you Visit the Dealership:

Obtain a copy of your credit report. Knowing your credit score will help you when it’s time to get the loan. Your credit score will affect the type of loan you can get and the interest payments you will pay. If your credit isn’t great, don’t worry. Unless you have had a recent bankruptcy, you are likely to get a loan. You just may end up paying a higher interest rate.

If your credit is decent, consider securing financing before you start shopping. Banks, credit unions and other loan sources all offer this service. Applying for your loan in advance gives you buying power and decreases the chance that they will play games with your payment. In addition, the best rates are not always available through the dealership. Having your financing before you visit the dealer helps you avoid some of the haggling.

Know the value of your trade in vehicle. Kelly Blue Book is available online and can give you a good idea about the range you can expect to get on your trade. On the website, you will be asked questions about the mileage and condition of the vehicle to help determine the value. Always trade your car when it is in decent running condition. That way you won’t feel like you must rush to buy a car. Rushing to buy because your car is about to die can result in you getting a bad deal on your new vehicle.

There are a few times during the year that are better for car shopping than others. Consider shopping during the Christmas holidays. Few people buy a vehicle at this time of the year. As a result, the dealerships are nearly empty. Since some dealers are trying to break their end of the year sales records, you may get a good deal. Another good time is the late summer or early fall. Dealers are making room for the next year’s model and often are motivated to get rid of this year’s left over models.

If you have your heart set on a particular model, color or features, call the dealership before you visit. Be sure the dealer has the model you want. Sometimes a dealer will offer to get the one you want from another dealer. Don’t do this. You may end up paying additional costs for towing. In some cases, when the vehicle arrives, it may not be exactly what you want. To avoid these issues, deal directly with the dealer that has the car on the lot.

Tips for Dealing with the Dealer:

Visiting a dealership and negotiating with the salesman is a situation that most people find unpleasant and stressful. Being prepared will help you get the most for your money and be satisfied with your experience.

Start by paying attention to your appearance. Shower and dress casually, but in nice clothing. You will be treated better than the person who shows up in torn jeans and an old T shirt. Bring a loan calculator with you and print outs of prices from the internet and ads from other dealerships. If they know you have been doing your research, they are more likely to treat you with respect.

Know what the dealer is paying for the car. You can find information on dealer’s cost, rebates and incentives by visiting new car buying websites online. Take some time to research the vehicle you are interested in purchasing. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to negotiate. Even some so called “no haggle” dealerships will negotiate with you. If not, leave and visit another dealer.

Don’t buy based only on the monthly payments. You may end up paying more. Concentrate on the cost of the vehicle rather than the monthly payment. Check the price to be sure all rebates are included. Some dealers will offer a discount but will fail to mention that rebates are included in the cost. This is not really a deal.

You will sometimes be given a choice between a rebate and a lower interest rate. The better choice depends on the price and term of the loan. This is where your loan calculator will come into play. Do the math and compare the monthly payments with each option to determine which is best for you.

With a little research and preparation, you can find the vehicle you want at a price you can live with. Once you have purchased your car, be sure to keep up regular maintenance, both on the mechanical components and the exterior finish. Many people overlook the headlights when caring for their vehicles. Look into a product called New Lite Headlight Cleaner and Restorer. Cloudy headlights look bad and are a safety risk, as you won’t be as easily seen by other drivers. New Lite will return the cloudy headlights to like new condition. Learn more about this product and order at www.mdwholesale.com

David Maillie is a chemist with over 12 years experience in biochemical research and clynical analysis. He is an alumni of Cornell University and specializes in biochemical synthesis for public, private, and governmental interests. He holds numerous patents including his recently awarded patent for headlight cleaner and restorer. He can be reached at M.D. Wholesale: http://www.mdwholesale.com