- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
What is better? Van hire or Van leasing? Before making any decision on the matter, it is important that you understand the differences between them and which of the two would suit your requirements. Let’s take a look at your options:
Van leasing
Van leasing is very similar to car leasing, where you pay a fixed monthly cost for the use of the van. The advantages of this arrangement are:
- Reduced capital – You only pay a fixed monthly fee.
- Ownership – Depending on the contract, you may be offered the chance to keep the van at the end of the contract.
- No depreciation risks – The leasing company owns the vehicle for the duration of the contract, and will continue to do so if you choose not to buy it outright at the end of the period.
- Upgrade – At the end of your contract you can always take a new one out on a newer model.
- Maintenance – Some companies offer regular maintenance in their contracts.
The disadvantages of taking out a leasing contract for a van are:
- Mileage – The cost of leasing a van is based on the anticipated mileage that the vehicle will undertake while in your possession. You should think about this before signing any agreement.
- Tied in – Once you have signed the agreement you are bound to its terms. If you feel that you may not be able to keep up with the payments, then purchasing a second hand vehicle outright may be a better solution.
Van Hire
Van hire is a temporary rental agreement that allows you to use a van for a limited period of time for a specific purpose, e.g. a house move. The advantages of this arrangement are:
- Convenient – No long term contract, just use the van for what you need it for and return it.
- Size – Choose from several different size vans to suit your needs.
- Expense – No need to invest in a vehicle if you only need it for a few trips.
The disadvantages of a temporary rental agreement are:
- Short term – This is not suitable if you are looking to have a van at your regular disposal.
- Inexpensive – There are plenty of van hire providers out there, giving you plenty of opportunities to find a good deal.
So to sum up, your ideal type of van rental is dependent on your needs and circumstances. Are you a small businessman who requires a reliable vehicle for everyday usage? Or are you someone who needs to move equipment or belongings on a one-off basis? If the former is true, then van leasing is for you. If the latter applies then you should consider short term van hire.
One of the most difficult aspects of city living, once you’ve got past the businesspeople who push you out of their way in stations, the loud noises all night and the crazy crowds on the tube, is trying to find enough change in your wallet to keep yourself in sandwiches and coffee. Having lived in various big cities in my time (London, Brighton and Glasgow being just three examples), I thought it might be handy to write a quick guide to saving money whilst living in the centre of a city.
Mixing and Matching
You’ll find when you move to a city that a lot of people will give you different (and often totally contradictory) advice. Who do you listen to? Everyone. Take bits and pieces from all those who are willing to offer you tips, and work out for yourself what the best way through life might be.
A great example of this is where to buy your food. You’ll find loads of people who tell you to buy local; that it works out cheaper and is far more ethical anyway. You’ll also find proponents of the basics-range diet, who rely on ten pence noodles and very cheap tinned vegetables.
However, often the best way to navigate the aisles is to chop and choose. Where I live at the moment, for example, there is a very cheap butcher just around the corner, a very cheap farm shop in the marketplace, and a very cheap vegetable shop just down the road. But if I want to buy cans, coffee or dried foods, I head to the big supermarket up the hill and stock up on their own-brand stuff when I’m short of cash. This means I can make nice food for myself and Husband (and any guests who arrive on our doorstep) without spending a fortune.
Make Your Own
Lots of people seem amazed at the amount of stuff Husband and I create for ourselves. Bread, pizza bases, pies… many things that you can buy for three times the price. Yes, it takes a bit of effort, but a bag of bread flour might set you back 75p and make three loaves, whereas three loaves from the shelf – even cheap ones – will probably cost you at least three times that amount.
If you’re really savvy, and if your city borders some countryside, you can also find out what kinds of things there are to eat in the countryside. Elderflowers, blackberries, apples, nettles and dandelions abound in England, and are so much cheaper when you pick your own. If you’re by the sea, go fishing for mussels. Use your imagination.
Walking
Yes, I know, it’s a pain if you have to walk to work. Or so they tell me. Actually, since I’ve started having to get the train (my office is about sixty miles from my house), I really miss the morning walk. If you’re going just up the road, walk it instead of taking the bus, car or metro. If you have somewhere to go which is in the city but quite far from where you live, why not make it a day trip? Yes, really. Walking to that place you have to go that’s five miles away might take you half a day, but if you present it to yourself as something interesting rather than a chore, you might be surprised at how enjoyable it is. You can still get the bus back, but you only have to pay a single fare, and you arrive home with enough calories burned to be able to allow yourself some chocolate. Happiness all round.
Going Out
Admittedly not something I do very often, being more of a sitting-down-drinking-tea person, going out still doesn’t need to be so expensive. Find some nice little local places – probably independent ones rather than big chains – and frequent them. Take your friends there. Get to know the people who run them and the people who work behind the bar or counter. You’ll find that businesses are often willing to give you discounts (or even freebies!) if they know you’ll be driving more business their way, and if they like you. In a world of large corporations and Facebook rather than face-to-face, it’s easy to forget that companies are run by human beings. The face you see at the desk isn’t made of cardboard. Talk to people, get to know them, and you might be surprised how much pain it saves you.
Vouchers and Coupons and Blogs, Oh My!
Of course, there are those things which are just very expensive. Going to the Sea Life Centre isn’t going to be cheap. Taking the kids there is going to be a nightmare. Sometimes you just really need some artichoke hearts, and you can only find them in the expensive aisle. Oh no! What to do? Vouchers, coupons and certain blogs will probably be able to help you out.
You know that local paper that drops through the door and moulders as more and more people use it as a replacement doormat? Pick it up. Flick through it. Find the pages with coupons on them, and cut them out. Even if you’re not particularly interested in the one you’ve found, someone else might be, and perhaps you could swap yours for theirs, like you did at school with pogs or matchbox pictures or Pokemon cards.
Supermarkets will also do coupons, loyalty cards and special offers, which are worth looking out for. If you have a lot of small, independent shops nearby, there might also be a loyalty scheme going on that you don’t know about. Some places club together and give you points for shopping locally for food, which you can then use to buy pretty shoes from that lovely little shop off the high street.
And of course, don’t forget the blogosphere. Search for your city in a blog directory, and you’ll probably find at least one person who spends their life digging out special offers and telling people about them. Bookmark it, check it often, and use the things you find.
So, how about you? Any tips for saving money in the city?
This is a guest post from Scarlett on some ideas as to how to save money whilst in a big city.
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I like it when companies use a bit of initiative and produce excellent research pieces. It’s probably fair to say that actually easyCar have done a fair good piece here on how couples argue.
I would like to think that the majority of arguments are stemmed from some kind of financial issues, and indeed these count for a high percentage (41%). Luckily, however, this research piece seems to point towards the fact that a lot of arguments British couples have are due to problems behind the steering wheel.
Apparently:
37% of couples argue whilst driving abroad – a figure one can only imagine would be higher is the sample size was larger. Total Sample of 4,173 adults
According to leading psychologist David Moxon, ‘drivers need to simply recognize their driving habits and adapt them accordingly to suit the other members of the vehicle’.
Drivers motoring traits become more pronounced when travelling on unfamiliar foreign roads and the top driving irritants for loved ones are poor map reading (48%), driving too fast (28%) and not understanding road signs (21%).
Professor Moxon has identified four key types of UK drivers when abroad: the SatNavvies which make up 43% of the population, the Planners (37%), the Road Signers (19%) and the Freewheelers (13%).
SatNavvies are characterised by their reliance on the shiny piece of equipment adorning their dashboards. So attached are they to this piece of electronic wizardry, they are unlikely to believe it’s capable of any inaccuracy until they’re bonnet down in a ditch. The downfall of this type is that 69% end up arguing with their passengers when driving abroad because they believe the machine is all-knowing. The number one tip for partners of SatNavvies is to relax and enjoy the ride, not a lot can be done to fight the machine.
Doesn’t it infuriate you when you sit in a car with one of these types of people? They seem to rely so heavily on a ‘gadget’ that they forget that when driving a car it’s paramount that you use the initiative you have been giving and in certain situations you do indeed, ‘follow your heart’.
The next most frequent driving type is the Planner. Drivers in this category like to organise all routes in advance of heading abroad, often using three different advisor sites to plan their journey down to the last comfort break. This approach leads to significantly less disagreements with just half (54%) arguing with their passengers. Anyone finding themselves stuck with a planner can rest assured they’re in safe hands as they’re the most likely of all types to end safely at a prescribed destination.
My dad is one and indeed anyone whose parents were born in the period between the 50s/60s will probably fit this category. I never want to be a true planner, plus I never want to rely solely on an out of date map… You tend to find that people who fit the planner category of driver are the ones who believe they are always right!
The third largest driving type is the Road Signer (19%). These drivers are impatient to start on their adventure. They dismiss map reading and shun SatNav in favour of relying heavily on road signs, regardless of whether they can actually understand them. Unfortunately this is not the most diplomatic approach and like the SatNavvies, 7 out of 10 Road Signers end up quarrelling behind the wheel. The top tip dealing with this type is to research the route in advance in order to gently guide in the absence of road signs.
This ties in nicely with the idea I put forward that “these people rely solely on out of date maps”. Of course there is nothing wrong with reading signs to direct you but, mix that in with being in a foreign country and not understanding what the actual sign means; then you have situation where you are bound to get lost…
The final and smallest group at 13% of UK adults is the Freewheeler. This type drives through natural instinct alone, not bothering with the hassle of maps or SatNavs, they trust they will instinctively know which way to turn when they come to that all-important crossroad. It may be a great life philosophy, but one in two (54%) Freewheelers still end up in driving disputes. Top tip: miraculously discover a map in the glove-box.Thankfully I have never had the pleasure of an extended driving session with a true Freewheeler – apart from one time, which of course didn’t last very long as we quickly took his privilege away! And thank goodness we took that privilege away as we were using a van rental service and it could have been disastrous if we had broken or smashed the van up!
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