Making the right choice regarding a new family car is an important decision which should have the end result of you and your family feeling safe with peace of mind at all times. The perfect family car should maintain a balance between safety, practicality and entertainment to keep everyone happy. The first thing you will need to do before even searching for the car is to investigate into your finances and set aside a budget to be used for the new family car, you should never go over the budget you set aside, it’s all about finding the perfect car within your price range.

The next thing you will need to consider is whether you will be going for a new or used car, this entirely depends on your budget and requirements, for safety and peace of mind a new car could be beneficial. Next you will need to consider what type of car you will require, again this can be down to preference if you have less than three children, and there are extremely spacious hatchbacks and saloon cars on the market these days. If you have more than three children you will need an MPV, estate or a 4×4 with 5 seats in the back. You need to make sure there is enough room for everyone and the cars with adjustable seating are very handy for busy families. Lots of storage is also a must for everyone’s belongings and everything the children will need when travelling.

Safety should come very high if not right at the top of your list when considering purchasing a new family car, new cars usually come with an EuroNCAP star rating for safety based on many aspects such as the body work, airbags, seat belts and it’s overall safety features. It’s important to choose a car which has a high star rating for safety to ensure your family is as safe as possible. Another bonus of choosing a safe car is that it usually means you will receive a lower car insurance quote. Make sure that the car has enough airbags to cover the whole car to ensure the safety of everyone traveling in the car. Seat belts are another important safety aspect, make sure they are reliable and have the shoulder part to all belts including the middle seats which more often than not only have the abdominal belt which can cause serious injuries in an accident. It’s also a good idea to make sure the car has child locks on the doors and windows to prevent any unfortunate incidents.

You will also need to keep the kids entertained, so features such as DVD players and a CD player are advantageous as they help keep your children entertained and stop them from hassling you whilst driving, if these features are not in the car they can easily be purchased separately but remember to bear in mind the price.

If you get the balance between safety, comfort and entertainment correct, congratulations because you will be in for easy journeys with the whole family as not only will the children be happy but so will you.

1. First things first – Create a budget.

You can make better decisions if you know where your money is going. This would help you save money quite easily. At the beginning of every month, draw up a budget taking all your expenses into account. Take charge of your finances by determining your expenses and deciding where your income should go. After listing out all your regular expenses, you can set aside some money for entertainment and eating out. And always stash away some money for emergencies. Overall, keep your living expenses low.

2. Reduce your debts

Analyze any debts you may have. Pay off those with the highest interest rate first – usually your credit card expenditure. Pay a lump sum on your credit card or close the outstanding amount, and reduce any other loan repayments.

Always give higher preference to closing the higher interest rate loans first. If you have a good credit standing with your bank, try to bargain with your bank to reduce your interest rates or to adjust EMIs so that they don’t pinch you. If your bank refuses to do either, look out for alternatives. Several banks offer transfer of outstanding amount on credit cards or loan transfers.

Bear in mind that loans like Home loan actually have Income Tax benefits associated. So, do some savings-vs-expense analysis before closing that loan.

Always put money away for a rainy day and make sure you have a cushion of cash savings. Do not dig into this entire amount to pay off your existing loans – it is in your safety to have some money stashed away.

3. Cut your spending

Make this a priority. Think whether you really need that new flat-screen TV now. Maybe going on your dream overseas holiday can wait one more year? Making sacrifices this year and living on a tighter budget will leave you much better off in the long run.

Cut down on frequent visits to the local Multiplex. Instead, rent a movie from your nearby rental store and watch it at home, rather than spending hundreds on a multiplex!

4. Slash your Mobile and Internet bills

Save on mobile phone usage. Often, your mobile connection plan might come with low-cost add-on services like – National Roaming, STD and/or ISD connection, GPRS etc. Analyze the services you really need and cancel off unnecessary ones – there is no point in paying monthly rentals for services you don’t really use.

Also think about downgrading your mobile connection plan. Do you really need the Rs.499 rental post-paid connection? Maybe you can switch to Rs.299 connection instead? If you are an user with a good-standing, you should not have a problem in getting your Service provider to make these changes for you – for free.

Do the same for your Internet connection. Think if you can downgrade your Internet plan – or find a cheaper service. If you are going in for a new connection, compare all services available and bargain to get the cheapest deal available.

5. Save on Travel

Whenever possible, use public service for travelling. If that is not possible due to the infrequent/inconvenient public services, you can try various alternatives. Does your company provide commutation to and from work? Opt for it. It could be way cheaper than driving your car to work each day. Plus there is a hidden positive to it – you can rest during the drive, rather than fight the traffic!

If using Company travel is not your cup of Tea, why not choose to Carpool or share a bike to work? Splitting costs even two-way would cut your expenses by half!

Save on Fuel – If you have been putting off on getting the LPG Conversion kit for your car, now is the time to do it. Change from Petrol to LPG version and see for yourself how your Fuel expenditure reduces drastically!

By the way, take that walk from the Bus stop to your home rather than taking an Auto-Rickshaw. It’s not only free, it’s also healthier!

6. Save on Electricity

This is another money-guzzler particularly since the scorching summer is here and it is impossible to stay without the AC. So how can you save on your Electricity bills?

Turn off lights and fans whenever you leave a room. Turn off your computer when you are not working. Use Water Heater (Geyser) and Microwave Oven minimally – both are high-power devices that draw a lot of power. These small savings will slowly – but surely – add up.

If you are planning to buy an AC to beat the summer, choose one that has a certified Star rating for low electricity consumption. If you already have an AC at home, have it serviced regularly. Did you know that cleaning the AC filters would do wonders to improve the efficiency of your AC? You can do it yourself, but if you don’t know how, have a certified service professional to do it first. Watch and learn so you can do it yourself the next time.

Turn off the main supply to your TV when you are not watching the TV. Most of us turn off the TV with the Remote but that does not turn it off completely – your stabilizer would still be drawing power all night. If you have not it yet, now is the time to change those old incandescent bulbs and start using energy-efficient lights (CFL).

7. Save on Food expenses

Reduce your expenditure on eating out. Trust me, it can be fun to have the whole family take part in cooking on the weekends! Try out new dishes right at home with your spouse and kids – not only will it be fun, you would also end up saving more than half the money! If you do eat out, check for early evening offers, buffet deals, new restaurants with specials and hotels that offer discounts.

Oh, and start taking your lunch to work. Not only would this save you money, it is a much healthier alternative!

8. Shop right

When you go shopping for Groceries, plan your meals, make a list and shop to the list. If you stick to your plan and your list, you won’t spend money on all that food (particularly, junk food) that looks good but that you don’t need.

Avoid disposables, and use re-useables instead – disposables are a waste of money. Instead of paper towels, use washable cloth dish towels. Instead of paper cups and plates, just use your regular dishes. Use cloth handkerchiefs instead of buying tissues. Spend a few minutes to think about such small changes that you can make to your shopping behaviour that can save you money.

Look for good deals before you go out for Shopping. Online Resources like DiscountsVu can help you find the best deals in the market.

9. Avoid using Credit Cards

Lock your credit cards away, and fight the temptation to use it. It would certainly be tempting and easy to use Credit Cards when you are short of cash – but it is a fact that you lose track of your expenses when you use credit cards. Use cash instead. Go to the ATM, withdraw some money and set that aside for household expenses. Try to limit your expenses within that amount. And when you find yourself short of cash, do NOT use your credit card – go to the ATM again. If anything, all these extra trips to the ATM will be a deterrent and might actually reduce your expenses!!

10. Save on Gifts

Always be on the look out for good deals. Save by buying things under sale – for example, while shopping for yourself, choose a ‘Buy 1 Get 1′ offer on Clothing. Keep 1 for yourself and gift the other on your friend’s birthday!

Create a collection of original gift ideas. Present your dear ones with hand-made gifts, a personally embroidered handkerchief, fresh homemade pickles etc. They will appreciate your skill as well as efforts and you will save a lot of money.

The Recession may not be the easiest of times to live through, but with a little planning and disciplined saving and spending, it needn’t be as bad as you think!