3 Reasons to Browse at an Online Auto Auction

If you have never browsed a South Florida auto auction, you may be missing out on the car of your dreams. With online auctions, you don’t even need to live in South Florida to take advantage of the fantastic deals and opportunities to buy. Auto auctions allow people to check out vehicles online and then bid against other potential buyers.

The goal of the auto auction gets the vehicle you want well below market value. This will allow you to score a great deal on a personal vehicle or invest in a vehicle you can flip and make a profit. Regardless of your goal in buying, auto auctions provide an incredible opportunity for people who have the cash in the bank and who aren’t afraid to take risks.

Here are three reasons to check out online auto auctions: 

1. You can score a great deal

Auto auctions come with a certain degree of risk, which prevents many people from looking into them as a means of buying a new vehicle. The risk comes from not being able to test drive the vehicle or have it checked out by your mechanic before buying. Additionally, once you win the vehicle, you are stuck with it, so you cannot decide later that it isn’t worth what you paid for it. The auction company will provide all of the information they have available on the vehicle, but it may not be everything you need. There is a chance you will end up with a vehicle that doesn’t run and will take an investment to get running again. For all of those reasons, a lot of people won’t try to buy through auctions, which means you can score a great deal on a perfectly good car. 

2. You can experience the adrenaline rush of bidding on something you want. 

Bidding in an auction can be very exciting, especially if you want what you are bidding on. All of the risk involved in online auto auctions makes it even more exciting for those that enjoy risk. However, you need to be careful about how far you go. Sometimes people get so into the process of bidding against another buyer, that they end up paying more than they should have for the vehicle they wanted. Auto auctions are only a great deal if you stick to a budget appropriate for the vehicle you are bidding on. 

3. You can find vehicles you wouldn’t find at used car lots. 

These auctions aren’t just for cars. You can find trucks, buses, retired emergency vehicles, boats, recreation vehicles, and more. You may start out looking for a car and find the RV of your dreams, or a school bus you can retrofit into an RV. 

When buying through an auction, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, research the vehicle you are going to bid on. While you won’t be able to inspect the exact vehicle, you can study the overall value of the vehicle, common problems and recalls for that make and model online. 

After you have done your research, choose a maximum price you are willing to pay for the vehicle taking into account the possibility for repairs needs that you do not know about. It is easy to get caught up in the bidding, but you need to go into the auction knowing exactly what you are willing to spend on the vehicle you want.

Last but certainly not least, stick to your budget. Whatever your max amount is for a vehicle, do not go a dollar over it. It is tempting to bid just a little higher hoping your competition will back out but don’t do it.

3 Things You Should Do Before Buying a Used Car

Unless you’re in a city with some pretty robust public transportation (or you don’t want to wait 45 minutes after the train gets delayed yet again) owning your own car is almost a must. However, if you’re simply looking to get from Point A to Point B and don’t need the latest makes and models, you’re probably in the market for a used vehicle. While the process seems like it’s fairly simple overall, there are a few key steps you should take before you ever even take a test drive. Here’s what you need to know. 

Set a budget

This is going to be completely dependent on your income, your needs, and your overall wishlist. As difficult as it can be, it’s important to set a firm budget and stick to it. After all, there’s a reason that there are so many jokes about used car salespeople. It’s because they know how to sweet talk you into spending just that bit extra for something you don’t need. Then of course, you’re left with a bad case of sticker shock and early onset buyer’s remorse. 

When you’re setting a budget, it’s important to separate your wants from your needs. Sure, would it be incredibly handy to be able to connect your phone wirelessly via Bluetooth? You’re darn right it would. Would it also come at a premium price since it’s a fairly new feature for many vehicles? You’re darn right there, too. Think of the essentials. If you live in a hotter climate, that includes things like air conditioning and electronic windows. If you’re in a more moderate part of the country, you might be able to get away with a no-frills car that doesn’t come with any add-ons. Of course, determining wants and needs tends to be a bit subjective at the end of the day, but if you ask yourself “Will I survive without this?” and the answer is a resounding “Yes.” you might be able to get away with skipping out on a few of the fancier additions. 

Do your research

Now that you have a budget firmed up, it’s time to get a general idea of the cars that fall within your preferred price range. There are plenty of great resources online, like Kelly Blue Book, that can help you find current values for many vehicles. That way, when you’re looking up, say, a Toyota dealership in Manchester, CT or a Honda lot in Hoboken, you’ll be more informed when you see the prices listed on a lot’s site. This also lets you do a fair bit of cross-referencing. If a dealership is charging quite a bit more than a car’s estimated overall value, it’s a great card to have up your sleeve when it comes time to negotiate. If you’ve done your research, you’ll be able to ask more informed questions about the car’s condition and determine its worth for yourself.

If you happen to be buying the car from someone you found on Craigslist or in the classifieds, you would want to be extra careful in moving forward with your purchase. Craigslist and other listing-based platforms are notorious for scamming. Of course, it’s not impossible to score a good deal, but you need to do proper research into the seller. With resources like Go Look Up, this can be done with ease. Such tools allow you to people search for free, scanning millions of databases to find mugshots, arrest records, phone numbers, and so much more. By relying on such a tool, you can be in better positioning to determine whether the seller you are dealing with is honest and telling the truth, or has a criminal record and a history of scamming people for their money.

Request an inspection

Of course, you should never buy sight unseen, but you should also never buy a vehicle that hasn’t been thoroughly inspected. Even if it runs smoothly during a test drive, it’s nearly impossible to tell a used vehicle’s history just by looking at it. For instance, you might think it was nice of the dealer to throw in new car mats and seat covers, but that could be a direct result of a car suffering from water damage during flooding. Plus, it’d be a shame to drive your “new” used car off the lot only for it to die on you mere months later. Protect your investment and insist on a pre-purchase inspection.

Buying a used car should be an exciting process, but you always need to make sure you’ve properly prepared. After all, it can be a hefty investment and leave you with monthly loan payments for years to come. Make smart choices during the buying process and soon you’ll be riding in style. 

Weight Loss Tips That Will Get You Back on Track

There’s a lot of information about weight loss out there, so how do you know what works and what doesn’t? It is hard to determine which weight loss program is better for you, simply because no one body is the same. Everyone differs and changes, which means their diet should as well. 

With that in mind, there are a few weight loss tips that can really work to bring you back on track as soon as possible. While you may have to tweak each one to fit your specific needs, these tips are here to get you inspired and feeling great, in no time at all.

Drink water before meals

Surprisingly enough, our hunger pains and our thirst pains are the same. Our body usually cannot tell the difference between us being hungry or thirsty, so next time your tummy rumbles, take a long drink of water and wait a bit to eat. It is surprisingly easy to become dehydrated without knowing it, and it is easy to make it a habit of drinking a glass of water before each meal. This way you’ll stay hydrated, and fill your stomach up so you don’t overeat.

Eat off of a small plate

It is easy to heap your food on a larger plate, so nip overeating in the bud by simply choosing a smaller plate! This trick may sound simple but actually does work; a study done at Cornell University shows that those who eat off of larger plates served themselves 31% more than those who ate off of smaller plates. That’s almost a third more food than they originally would have eaten!

Consume spicier foods

Spicier foods contain a compound called capsaicin, which can reduce your metabolism. In addition, it also quenches your hunger slightly, which makes you feel fuller, faster. Fortunately, spicy foods are easy to incorporate into your diet — spices like chili and cumin are very versatile and work well with multiple proteins and side dishes.

Hit the pillow earlier

Your overeating and poor diet may be linked to your sleep habits without you knowing. While sleep is highly underrated, it is crucial for your overall wellness, so make sure to invest in your sleep! Try to get at least eight hours of sleep a night, or else you may wake up cranky, which leads to overeating. In fact, studies show that poor sleep is one of the strongest factors in becoming and being obese; poor sleep is linked to an 89% increase in obesity in children and 55% in adults.

Leave the bread for last

Bread is full of complex carbs that can make you feel like you are full, but in reality, all they are doing is spiking your blood sugar to make you think you’re satiated. Because of this, if you load up on carbs in the morning, the chance that you overeat in the mid-morning and early afternoon is exponentially higher than if you eat a filling breakfast with whole foods and tons of fiber. Not all bread is bad, but if you want to snack on some bread, keep it for later in the day.

Consider surgery

There are plenty of surgery options that can help you achieve your ideal weight and look in no time at all. Options include a gastric bypass, a sleeve gastrectomy, or a lap band. Each have their own pros and cons, so depending on your goals, speak to a doctor about which option is better for you.

When used in moderation, these tips can help you with weight loss. Try them out today! 

Health & Wellness Business Ideas for 2019

If you’re thinking of starting your own business, perhaps you’ve considered tapping into the health and wellness industry. The global wellness economy is currently worth over $4.2 trillion. If it continues to grow, it is a great idea to try to get in on that revenue. Not to mention, promoting health and wellness is an ethical way to make money.

There are many different sectors in the health and wellness industry, including exercise and fitness, weight loss, mind-body health, personal beauty, spas, and nutrition. With all these different avenues to flourish within the industry, you’ll never be at a loss for ideas.

However, if you are at a loss and you want some fresh perspectives, keep reading for the top health and wellness industry ideas for 2019.

Tap into the supplement market

Supplements are extremely popular in the United States. As of 2018, 75 percent of adults take dietary supplements regularly to get more vitamins and minerals into their diet. That’s a very large audience that already exists for supplements, so there’s a high rate of success in the industry.

And the audience is varied in demographics. For instance, the customer who uses a collagen hair treatment supplement for aesthetic purposes and ingesting protein powder before high-intensity workouts may not be the same as the customer who takes fish oil to lower their blood pressure. In order to tap into that supplement market, you want to make sure your business practices are sharp.

Make sure you collaborate with a reputable manufacturer to ensure your private label supplements are of the highest quality they can be. Having a proven, high-quality product is a great way to set yourself apart in the supplement business.

Go au naturel with your products

Natural products, especially ones like essential oils with multiple uses and benefits, have blown up in the health and wellness industry. Integrating the sale of fine essential oils into your business can be a great way to keep up with the trends and appeal to wider audiences.

This is because oils, like pure rose oil for instance, have benefits both when applied topically to skin and hair and when ingested through other means. As a result, they can be marketed in different ways. Cosmetically, oils like rose, rosehip, and tea tree have been proven to fight acne and aging. Lavender oil has been used to reduce stress and aid in sleep.

Getting into the essential oil market can be a great way to open your business up to new audiences and keep up with the health and wellness trends.

Utilize tech to promote fitness

One last idea to kickstart or revitalize your business in the health and wellness field is to consider utilizing tech to promote fitness activities. The combination of personalized fitness and exercise with technology and smartphone applications is a proven method for engagement, with things like MyFitnessPal, FitBit, and even the Apple Health app.

However, you can capitalize on the lucrative personal trainer industry and address the issue of people not knowing the best ways to work out by introducing a virtual personal training application. This could be a successful way to promote fitness as it allows people the flexibility and privacy of having a personal trainer on their phone rather than in the physical world.

Whatever direction you take, there’s never been a better time to jump into the health and wellness industry.

How to Make the Most Out of Your Icelandic Vacation

A trip to a new country is not to be taken lightly. Whether it’s your first time abroad or you’ve been around the globe a few times, your vacation time from work and your savings money are valuable. That means you should make the most of your time — so why not Iceland?

In 2018, 2.3 million people visited Iceland, making it one of the most popular destinations in Northern Europe. Since then, the tourist boom has declined a bit, which makes now the perfect time to visit Iceland without any heavy crowds. If you want to have an amazing Icelandic vacation where you feel you’ve made the most of your time and money, keep reading for three great tips.

Decide which of the most popular things you want to do

There are lots of must-sees in Iceland, but if you have limited time or money, it’s a good idea to just choose one or two of those things to do. This means you’ll spend less time standing in lines, crowds, and paying out the nose for expensive tourist traps.

Some popular draws are the viewing points for the Northern Lights, the Blue Lagoon, and the Golden Circle. Just make sure you don’t drain your bank account or your patience by trying to do all of these in one trip. For one, it can make logistics rather hard, as some things such as the Northern Lights are only viewable in certain times of the year.

Additionally, if you spend all your time doing whatever is most popular in Iceland, you won’t have any time left for unique experiences and memories that only you will have. After all, if you leave one of these popular spots out of your first journey, you’ll always have a reason to come back!

Invest in adventure while you are there

While in Iceland, it’s important to have some unique and special experiences that other people may not have while they’re on vacation. That being said, you don’t have to seek these out all by yourself. Consider investing in an adventure tour of a seldom-traveled area. If you go to www.katlatrack.is, you can browse potential adventure experiences based on what you’re most interested in.

By using a service to plan your tours, you can visit ice caves, volcanoes, and other unique areas, all while having a seasoned guide showing you the way. You can even arrange for a custom tour to see only what you’re most interested in seeing. Or you can arrange a private tour for an extra special occasion, such as an anniversary or honeymoon. Seeing Iceland through the lens of outdoor adventure will give you trip a special uniqueness.

Eat and travel like the locals

A top tip when you travel anywhere is to do as the locals do. In the case of an Icelandic trip, that could mean renting a car to travel all across the country. This way, you can make the most of your time there by seeing as much as possible.

Another thing to consider is the local cuisine. Iceland is rich in farmland, and you should eat as much as you can from these farms. Many have restaurants, but even if they don’t, you can always stay somewhere with a kitchen so that you can cook like the Icelanders do. That way, not only are you leaving Iceland with tons of memories, you are also leaving with some new recipes to take home!