The TSLA stock zoomed out of the gate, but is Tesla itself going to stay afloat? Image from Flickr.

This morning, the tech-heavy Nasdaq stock exchange added TSLA. Tesla Motors, a seven-year old electric car company, launched its IPO this morning. The stock opened and is trading above expectations, but will it be enough to keep the company afloat?

TSLA launches IPO

Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Tesla Motors launched its initial public offering on Nasdaq today with a $17-per-share price. Already today, more than 13 million shares have been sold. Original estimates put opening bids for TSLA stock at between $11 and $13 per share.

IPO helps Tesla get money now

Tesla Motors is a company, founded in 2003 that is focused on making high-end electric vehicles. TSLA has released a few vehicles, but the price has been of concern. The company has never been profitable — it lost more than $200 million just last year. In order to continue development on the planned sub-$50,000 electric sedan, Tesla needed cash quick. With the IPO of TSLA, Toyota Motors invested $50 million in the company. The U.S. Government has also given Tesla a $465 million easy cash loan.

Growing competition in the electric car market

When Tesla Motors was first founded, the competition in the electric car market was mostly theoretical. Tesla Motors has garnered some very high-profile support with its $109,000 electric roadster — but the company needs a mass-market vehicle to be financially solvent. While they are hoping that the Tesla Model S will clock in at about $50,000 after tax credits, it will not be the only affordable electric vehicle. The Nissan Leaf gets one-third the expected range of the Model S, at only 100 miles. At half the price of the Model S, though, Nissan is already selling out pre-orders. The Chevy Volt is an electric car that has a gasoline back-up and is expected to go for about $25,000.

TSLA stock expectations

With a high stock price at the IPO and high expectations of performance, some investors are drooling over Tesla’s stock (as well as its cars). The company has made great strides for electric vehicles in the past seven years, but as an investor, it might be important to sit back and take a close look at the company. Growing competition and high start-up costs, as well as a niche market vehicle, mean that TSLA may be facing an uphill battle to profitability.

Why would I do hard when it's so easy to do easy?

Have you ever been so broke that you couldn’t afford a free deal? If you live from paycheck to paycheck like I do — and you scrape the bottom of the barrel each pay period — you know what I mean when I say that sometimes it takes money to get something for free.

A neighbor of mine owns a nice vacation home on the beach. This morning he offered to let me use the place for the weekend. With payday still almost two weeks away, I didn’t have instant cash to buy gas for the two-hour drive, but I fixed that little problem in five minutes flat by apply for a small installment loan for bad credit.

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Why would I lie? Easy Cash Loans really are easy

Before I got my easy cash loan, I hadn’t borrowed money in years. I used to have credit cards, but I was always astonished when I got the monthly statements. Credit cards were just too easy to over-use and too hard to pay off. I don’t even know what kind of credit rating I have anymore, but credit scores don’t matter when you apply for easy cash loans. No matter how low your score, you can get money when you need it because it’s easy to find loans for people with bad credit.

This weekend I’ll be living the easy life, thanks to an Easy Cash Loan

I have a job I love and a paycheck to prove it – I work for peanuts. But I can manage to get by after paying back a $200 easy cash loan next payday. The payment gets deducted automatically from my account, so I don’t even have to remember to write a check or go online to pay. Why would I do hard when it’s just so easy to do easy?

Apply HERE for Easy Cash Loans

Sometimes you really do need an installment loan to make ends meet. But an easy cash loan isn’t the only way to round up extra cash. Here are some money-saving ideas that might help you save cash now and make it easier to manage your expenses.

Keep moving and don’t touch

According to an article published by Joann Peck and Suzanne B. Shu on the Chicago Journals website, touching an object or even staring at it for too long increases the psychological sense of ownership. This isn’t news for retailers, who have long known the benefits of window dressings that stop passersby in their tracks and table displays that encourage shoppers to handle the goods. Staring and touching make it harder to resist buying. So tread lightly.

Be a happy shopper

Don’t go shopping when you’re in a lousy mood. According to a study published by Jennifer Lerner on the Harvard Kennedy School website, people who feel depressed when they shop are willing to spend 30% more than consumers who shop in a better frame of mind.

Don’t get started

According to marketing research published on the Stanford GSB News, for most people, buying the first item — however unremarkable it may be — opens the purchasing floodgates. The researchers called this the “shopping momentum effect” concluded that the phenomenon has important implications for how stores are laid out as well as for understanding individual shopping behavior.

A big cart can lead to big spending

Don’t make it easy

The easier it is to shop, the easier it is to overspend. Unless you intend to stock up on supplies, use a shopping basket instead of a cart. In fact, if you’re wandering around without a clear shopping agenda, don’t use a basket at all. If you aren’t willing to carry it, you probably don’t need it.

Write it down

According to MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, making your spending limits concrete by writing them down or even telling them to someone else can help you maintain self-control when shopping. When you walk into a grocery store with a list in hand, you’re far less likely to make impulse purchases. If you stray from the list and make one impulse buy, the “shopping momentum effect” can take over.

Indulge yourself a little

Research published by Columbia University marketing professor Ran Kivetz on the American Marketing Association website suggests that occasional self-indulgence is a good thing. If you’re too hard on yourself and don’t splurge occasionally, you’ll end up feeling deprived. Deprivation fosters regret which in turn tempts you to splurge on something big in an effort to feel better.

Don’t overtax your willpower

According to Roy F. Baumeister, Kathleen D. Vohs, researchers and authors of Handbook of Self-Regulation: Research, Theory, and Applications, you have only so much willpower to work with. If, for example, you’re trying to lose weight and also trying to cut back on spending, give yourself a little slack on the spending front. Losing weight will save you so much money in the long run that you can probably afford those deeply discounted shoes now.

Pay in cash

According to a study published on the NYU Stern website by joint researchers at New York University and the University of Maryland, consumers spend less when paying in cash and spend more when using credit cards, gift cards, or gift certificates. Additionally, consumers are more frugal when they estimate expenses in detail. The authors concluded that “treating [non-cash] tender as play money leads to overspending.”

Use coupons

Coupons can yield big savings if you’re not too proud to use them. But don’t quit your day job to become a full-time coupon clipper, and use coupons only for items you would normally buy.

Save on homeowner insurance

Check with your homeowner insurance carrier about ways to reduce your premiums. Loyalty discounts for long-term customers, increased deductibles, combined policies (home and auto for example), and installation of dead bolts and security systems can help lower your premium payments.

Small houses make wonderful homes

Move to a smaller home

If you’re struggling with a huge mortgage, now is a great time to consider downsizing. Home prices in many markets appear to be bottoming out and mortgage rates are low right now. Or if the interest rate on your current loan is higher than prevailing interest rates and you plan to stay in your home for a few years, consider refinancing now.

More money-saving ideas

Find more ways to save cash until payday by reading Cut Your Spending | Part I and Cut Your Spending | Part II.