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How to estimate the correct auto repair bill?

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Every time you fix your car problem, you wonder if you are actually billed correctly. You must understand your auto repair bill to avoid any auto repair scams. An auto repair bill typically consists of two components: parts and labor. I would like to elaborate on common fees associated with these components.

  • A flat fee refers to a service that is not itemized into parts and labor (e.g., wheel alignment and tire balancing).
  • An inspection fee is charged for testing the basic parts, such as the engine, battery, tires, and mufflers.
  • A diagnostic fee can be added when the technician uses his/her shop’s equipment (including computer equipment) to detect the source of the car’s malfunction.
  • A hazardous waste disposal fee is required by environmental law regulating the disposal of motor oil, brake fluid, and other harmful fluids. This fee may vary in different states, counties, and cities.
  • A tire recycling fee can be added whenever the repair shop installs new tires.
  • A flat or itemized fee for shop supplies, such as solvents, rags, brake cleaners, and the like, can be added to your bill.

The followings are simple tips for avoiding auto repair bill scams.

  • Be aware that no repair shop should do any repair that you did not authorize.
  • Suspect the overcharge if the final repair price is more than 10% higher than the estimate quoted by the technician, although the estimate is a ballpark figure.
  • Familiarize yourself with an extended service plan. Vehicle warranties often cover repairs and replacements for manufacturing defects or malfunctions resulting from the car’s design or an installation error that happened in the factory.
  • Understand the average hourly labor rate for car repair. As of 2020, most local repair shops in the US charge between $80 to $100 auto repair labor rate per hour, with an average cost ranging from $45 to $170 per hour, whereas dealerships charge between $95 to $125 per hour.
  • Know how many hours are needed to complete a repair.
  • For detailed repair bill estimate, please check the websites of Napa Autocare repair estimator (https://www.napaonline.com/en/auto-care/car-repair-estimator) or Kelly Blue Book ( https://www.kbb.com/auto-repair/).

Simple ways to relieve your stress

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In today’s world, you rarely hear good news. Still lingering COVID-19 pandemic, the skyrocketing cost of living, growing fear of job loss, and an increasingly uncertain future. Nowadays you often feel overwhelmed or down with increasing stress. Although stress is part of our daily lives, we always wish we could find a way to deal with it better.

Here are simple steps to manage your stress according to some medical doctors and health experts.

Exercise physically

Physical exercise reduces your body’s stress hormones (including cortisol) while stimulating your body by releasing endorphins and endocannabinoids that help block pain and improve mood and sleep.

Get sleep

Lack of sleep adds to your stress level since insomsomnia can cause a vicious cycle of stress. To sleep well, you should develop the following habit:

  • Maintain a regular sleep cycle
  • Maintain a comfortable temperature (e.g., 65 F degree)
  • Avoid eletronics that emit a bluelight 30-60 minutes before sleeping
  • Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine
  • Keep bedroom lights dim or dark
  • Avoid large meals before bed
  • Try meditation at bed time.

Try square or deep breathing

Dr. Michael Hunter, oncologist, suggests the following steps:

  1. Breathe in as you count to four slowly. Feel the air fill your lungs.
  2. Hold your breath for four seconds
  3. Breathe out slowly through your mouth four seconds
  4. Hold for four seconds
  5. Repeat these steps until you feel centered.

ABCs of Automotive Maintenance

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The automobile is our lifeblood since we cannot live without it. Thus, it is important for us to keep our car run properly. However, today’s typical automobile is comprised of more than 20,000 parts. Considering this complexity, we won’t be able to read the entire owner’s manual and figure out exactly how to maintain all of the vehicle parts. Regardless, getting the lowdown on upkeep can save you a consider amount of money and keep you free of troubles.

Having said that, the following is a list of things to do to keep your vehicle safe and avoid any disastrous car problems.

  1. Inspect tires’ conditions and check their pressures
    • Regularly check for wear (one-sided shoulder wear, two-sided shoulder wear, heel and toe wear), tear,cracking, embedded objects, exposed belt materials, bulges, and cuts.
    • Based on the factory-recommended air pressures for each tire, check the tire pressure at least once a month to see if it is correct. Incorrect tire pressure affects driving safety, card handles, tire life, fuel economy, car noise and vibration.
    • Check the car manufacturer’s sticker inside the driver’s doorjamb for the vehicle’s original tire size,load index, speed rating and cold tire inflation pressure.
  2. Check and replace nine fluids such as engine oil, coolant, antifreeze, transmission, power steering, brake and washer fluids, and air conditioner refrigerant.
    • Since the use of poor quality engine oil can void your car warranty, we advice you to use the synthetic oil that can be be changed every 10,000 miles. Though expensive, synthetic oil is usually slipperier than conventional/regular engine oil and thus can enhance fuel economy. Synthetic oil comes from many different sources and processes and provide enhanced performance as compared to conventional oil that primarily (80% of its volume) comes from base oil refined from crude oil.
    • Check the owner’s manual to determine the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) viscosity (thickness of oil) grade, specifications and standards recommended by the manufacturer for your car’s engine oil.

3. Replace wiper blades every six months.

4. Do not ignore trouble/warning lights on the dashboard.

5. Wax your car every three months to protect car paint.

How to save or earn money using your credit card?

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When used wisely, a credit card can be an indispensable financial tool that helps you save or earn money. Here is a list of ways to put your credit card to work for you.

  • Pay with a cash-back credit card.
  • Use a credit card for recurring expenses. If your card has a cash reward program you can set up your utility bill, membership, or subscription payments on a period basis and earn credit points automatically.
  • Transfer balances to reduce interest.Some cards let you transfer balances from other loans. According to CardHub, eight of the largest credit issuers let you transfer auto loan balances, and seven of these allow mortgage, auto loans, small business loans and student loans to be transferred.
  • Exploit sign up bonuses with a new card. By spending reasonable minimum on your card, you can redeem frequent travel miles or free hotel stays.
  • Extend warranties. Many credit cards offer a no-cost deal for automatic extension of warranties on purchases made with your card. A typical offer includes doubling of the manufacturer’s warranty for up to one extra year of coverage.
  • Lower cost on your loans by raising your credit score. Having open credit accounts and positive activity (e.g., always paying bills on time), can raise your FICO credit score and your eligibility for the best credit cards. For instance, the higher FICO score helps you save the monthly mortgage payment.
  • Save car rental insurance by booking with your credit card. Many credit cards such as American Express offer insurance against damage to or theft of your rental car, although coverage doesn’t typically cover liability, personal injury or damage to others’ property. To say the least, credit cards may cover the deductible for rental car incidents.
  • Protect the best price. Some credit cards such as Discover and MasterCard will refund the difference if your purchase goes on sale after you buy or if you find the better price within the specified time limit (e.g., 60 or 90 days after your purchase).
  • Manage your monthly spending by tracking your monthly expenses. Many credit cards allow you to sort your monthly statements by category or retailer. This information helps your budget planning.

For more details of similar benefits of using your credit cards, please check the credit card 101 https://www.thebalance.com/earn-money-credit-card-4036846

How long can you keep your food fresh in the refrigerator or the freezer?

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According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply in the United States.  National Institute of Health (NIH) also reported that Americans today wasted 50% more food than they did in the 1970s. In 2010, the US Department of Agriculture found that every year approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food was lost or wasted in the U.S. alone. Food waste often arose from untimely harvesting, over production, poor storage, confusing expiration labels, unnecessary (“super”) large portions for the restaurant meals, etc. Due to its perishable nature, it is difficult for you to avoid spoilage and subsequent waste. Food waste not only pollutes our living environment, but also increases our grocery bills. Single people living in America are spending hundreds of dollars a month on food. The average cost of groceries each month for one American ranges between $165 and $345, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

To keep you from eating unhealthy or spoiled food and better control your monthly grocery bills, you should understand clearly how long your food last in either the refrigerator or the freezer. First of all, you must correctly decipher what the product expiration label indicates.

  • Sell by: Tells the store how long it can display the product in the shelf. Although food may be still good after the purchase, its purchase before the expiration date is recommended.
  • Best if used by & Best before: The purchase by or before the designated date is recommended to maintain best flavor or quality.
  • Use by: The last date recommended by the manufacturer for use of the product while at peak quality.
  • Closed or Coded dates: Packing numbers for use by the manufacturer. These dates are rarely seen.

The following is a list of food with its typical freshness life span when it was refrigerated or frozen.

Food RefrigeratedFrozen
Eggs3-5 weeksNot to be frozen
Poultry (fresh)3-4 days12 months
Beef (fresh)3-5 days3-4 months
Pork (fresh)3-5 days4-6 months
Ham (whole or cooked)7 days1-2 months
Roasted beef, lambs, or pork3-5 days6-12 months
Steaks: Beef, lamb, pork2-3 days6-12 months
Bacon (fresh)7 days1-2 months
Sausage (fresh)1-2 days1-2 months
Lunch meatone week when opened, 2 weeks if unopened1-2 months
Hot dogsone week when opened, 2 weeks if unopened1-2 months
Meat, poultry casseroles3-4 days2-4 months
Fresh seafood1-2 days3 months
Lean fish (cod, trout, perch)1-2 days6 months
Fatty fish (e.g., salmon, tuna)1-2 days2-3 months
Salads with egg, macaroni, tuna3-5 daysNot intended to be frozen
Broccoli7-14 days8-12 months
Carrots1-2 weeks8-12 months
Cucumbers1 week8-12 months
Green beans1 week8-12 months
Margarine4-6 months12 months
Bread (fresh baked)1-2 weeks2-3 months
Mayonnaise2 months, if openedNot to be frozen
Soups and stews (vegetable or meat added)3-4 days2-3 months
Pizza (Leftover)3-4 days1-2 months

Sources: USDA, foodsafety.gov (https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts)

To figure out how long leftovers will last and when to throw them out, please check https://www.statefoodsafety.com/Resources/Resources/when-to-throw-it-out-leftovers.

How to claim investment losses on taxes?

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In times of uncertainty triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak, many of us are concerned about our financial stability. Especially, many business owners and investors are anxious to survive this horrible perfect storm. One way to survive is to minimize any potential financial losses resulting from this unprecedented natural disaster. One of the important logical questions to raise is “how can we reduce the tax burden if we suffer from the investment losses.”

Notice that we are eligible for tax breaks if we took a loss from the sales of your investment properties. In other words, your investment losses can be used to offset your capital gains.

Investment losses can be classified into a short-term and a long-term loss. A loss for an investment you owned less than one year before you dispose of it is a short-term capital loss. Its tax deduction is based on your income tax rate. However, notice that your investment loss must be realized, meaning that you must have divested yourself of the asset to claim the loss. For example, if your stock value dropped by $2,000 but you did not sell it, you cannot claim the loss. The amount of losses you can use each year to offset your gains is limited only by your total gains. You can deduct up to $3,000 a year in losses from your income. Although the maximum loss equals $3,000, it would be $1,500 if you are married but file a separate return. For example, if you had $1,000 in short-term gains and $3,000 in long-term losses, your net loss would be $2,000. If you don’t have any short-term gains, you can use it to offset a long-term gain. If your loss is more than $3,000, you can carry over your loss into future tax years and keep claiming your allowable capital loss deductions. For details, please refer to: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc409.

In particular, after witnessing stock-market melt-down in the wake of COVID-19 scares, many might have lost their stock investments. For more details about claiming your stock investment losses, please refer to: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/100515/heres-how-deduct-your-stock-losses-your-tax-bill.asp.

Another confusing fact is that when you sell your home for less than what you paid for, you are not allowed to deduct the loss on your taxes because it is regarded as the sale of property used for business and investment. The only way you can obtain a deduction is the situation where if you sell your home at a loss is to convert it to a rental property before you sell it. However, your deductible loss will be limited. Some lawyers indicated that you might claim the investment loss if you took a stock investment loss as a result of the negligent stock broker or financial advisor.

How to Pack for a travel like a professional?

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During your trip, the crammed suitcase can create a lot of headaches and unnecessary hassles (e.g., exceeding the weight limit for your flight, extra charges for overweight baggage, unfit for your automobile or taxi). There are some tips for lightening your baggage. These are:

  • Choose a lightweight suitcase with conveniences (e.g., casters, divided sections, compression straps). Every pound of the luggage counts for the weight limit and an overhead bin of the airplane). For a full list of best lightweight luggage, visit a tripsavvy website https://www.tripsavvy.com/best-lightweight-luggage-4150127 or https://www.travelandleisure.com/style/travel-bags/best-lightweight-luggage
  • Use compressed bags or unstructured bags such as duffel bags to create space after removing air or eliminating empty space.
  • Minimize clothing space by rolling, folding, or bundling. Rolling T-shirts, jeans, workout attire, or underwear will eliminate wasted space. Likewise, folding dress shirts, woven skirts, or apparel which is prone to wrinkles can be folded to create space. Bundled clothes most likely to wrinkles can be positioned at the center of the baggage.
  • Make a priority list. Make sure that you can stick to a list that avoid unnecessary items (easily available from hotels or local shops at cheap prices that can be easily disposed of).
  • Consider a color palette. Stick to a strict color scheme that allows you to mix and match outfits with ease.
  • Prevent any (e.g., watery) leaks that can spoil your clothes. Take the top off liquid bottles and place plastic wraps (e.g., zip bags) as a protective barrier.


How to safeguard your personal information?

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In a digital age, there have been growing concerns about identity theft. The loss of your most important asset (identify) can create a series of problems including financial loss, crime target, and psychological stress. I would like share the following tips to protect yourself from the identity theft and scams.

  • Close your old e-mail and online accounts such as Netflix, Twitter, Groupon, eBay, Craftsy, or Etsy accounts that you no longer use. E-mail may contain a handful of your personal information that can be exploited by scammers. Other online accounts that you used for business transactions can still contain payment data that you may be unaware of.
  • Check your online bank and credit card accounts frequently for any sign of fraudulent purchases.
  • Recognize the sign of identity theft (e.g., bills for purchases that you did not make, debt collection calls, denials for loan application). For details, please refer to Experian https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/how-to-protect-yourself-from-identity-theft/
  • Change your passwords as frequently as possible. Though cumbersome, make passwords a mixture of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, while avoiding birth dates, phone numbers, family names, addresses, phone numbers, or social security numbers. You may also consider using a password generator for creative passwords.
  • Get your free annual credit reports from the three major credit bureaus on a periodic basis (e.g., every four months).
  • Do not overshare your personal activities with the social media friends. Do not post your personal activities (e.g., vacation photos) more appropriate for in-person conversation with trusted friends and family on social media outlets (e.g., Facebook).
  • Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet.  For more detailed tips for ID theft prevention, please refer to https://www.usa.gov/identity-theft
  • Consider using the ID Protection Services (e.g., LifeLock, https://www.lifelock.com/learn-identity-theft-resources-help-protect-yourself-identity-theft.html), if you can afford to so.

How to get cheaper car rentals?

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Car rental deals may vary from one site to another. By considering the following strategy, you can save a chunk of money.

How to start your home inventory?

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In the event of burglary, fire or other disaster (e.g., tornadoes, flooding), you may not remember all of your possessions. To help streamline your insurance claim process and verify losses for your tax returns and re-purchase of lost/damaged items, you need to create a comprehensive home inventory. The following tips will be helpful.

  1. Document your belongings.
    • Begin by cataloging your possessions in terms of their values, time of their purchases and serial numbers (Usually found on the back or bottom of major appliances and electronic equipment) if applicable.
    • While you’re making your home inventory list, check with your agent to make sure you have adequate insurance for big ticket items such as Jewelry, art and collectibles before there is a loss.
  2. Consider using the mobile apps (e.g., AAA.com/homeinventory, the Insurance Information Institute’s Know Your Stuff home inventory app –  https://knowyourstufforg.wordpress.com/  or others –  https://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/27/free-know-your-stuff-home-inventory-app-ending/ to manage your home inventory.
  3. Keep copies in a safe place (e.g., safe deposit box, lock box or cloud storage service).
    • Store a copy of your paper inventory outside the home (e.g., friend or relative’s home, office).
    • Make at least one backup copy of your inventory document and store it separately.
  4. Make visual recordings (e.g., pictures, video tapes)
    • Create a photo record of your belongings. Label your photos with what’s pictured, where you bought it.
    • Walk through your house or apartment videotaping and describing the contents.
  5. Save your receipts
    • Hold on to your sales receipts and store them with the inventory. Scan the receipts and then keep them on an external computer drive or online storage account