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If you drive an older car (or any car at all), I highly recommend checking out Car Talk’s suggestions on how to make your car last forever, or at least through this recession.
(Image by Danilo Prates)
They are all great suggestions, but I’m going to highlight just the final one: Be Proud!
Owning an older car should be a source of pride. You’re showing that you’re sensible, not swayed by the latest models and capable of keeping your car well maintained. Who knows? That sort of no-frills common sense can be very appealing to members of the opposite sex. It might even land you a date! After all, who wants somebody who’s always got his eye on a new model?
Even if it doesn’t score you the babe or hunk of your dreams, owning an older car can offer you something else: a truly liberating experience. You no longer care about scratches, dents or bird droppings.
And, best of all? It’s paid for!
So who cares what your neighbors think? Shoot them a broad, smug smile the next time they eye your jalopy puttering down the street.
I don’t think anyone who lurks around pf blogs needs to be spreading any more smugness (hehe), but I’m certainly not ashamed to be driving a car that is nearly 10 years old. A new car is on my list of goals, but it is a far lower priority than both an efund and sufficient funds for traveling and fun.
… one at at time. As they get nails in them, go flat, and become unrepairable. Seriously!
I got a flat tire on my car this weekend, my third in the past year (the 5th if you count the two I got in rental cars). The first one was due to a nail, the second was a failed repair of the first, and this weekend, it was another nail. Or rather, a giant bolt/screw. I have no idea about the rental car ones, but at least I didn’t have to deal with them at all.
That means $150 has been deducted from the car fund, and $125 allocated for the month, so a loss for the month. (I also got an oil change and paid $40 to get the protection plan for all my tires. Generally protection plans are not worth it, but in my case… I won’t have to pay for another flat for 5 years.) So much for growing my car fund into enough for an actual car!
Other expenses this weekend:
- Went to Hollywood Friday night, $33. I go clubbing like once or twice a year, so I don’t feel guilty about that. One drink for me, one for T and one for a friend.
- We went out to eat twice breaking our general once a week rule. I paid $32 towards that. T paid, hmm, $15 or so, and also bought some gelato while we waited for my car. And bloody mary ingredients.
- I also wasted a lot of time and am not on the ball with school yet. What is wrong with me? I guess I’ll be doing homework tonight, instead of watching Gossip Girl. (Or, in addition to watching GG…)
This won’t be an entertaining story, as nothing entertaining happened related to personal finance. That is, nothing entertaining that I feel like sharing on a blog!
Our first day in Vegas we were going about seeing the hotels. We had discovered the night before that even though two hotels may be right next to each other, they could still be a 20+ minute walk due to them being absolutely GIANT. We opted to take my car, due to the heat. If we didn’t have the car, we probably would have taken the shuttle.
We drove to New York New York to ride the roller coaster, but opted out when we discovered it was $14 (well, I knew this and already planned on not going). We decided the rides at the Stratosphere tower would be much coooler (and they were! Go at night!). We toured around a bit, then walked back to the parking garage, where we discovered my passengers side front tire was completely FLAT!
Oh, remember how I got my tire repaired a few weeks ago? Same tire! The repair had failed (probably due to the extreme heat + long car trip)! I offered to call AAA (still under my parents), but the boys said that was silly and put on my spare for me.
I used my trusty GPS to locate a tire fixing place, and called the number to verify the location and hours. You wouldn’t beleive how many times I’ve showed up at an address to a place that had moved or closed, especially restaurants. (Life lesson? Remember GPS maps are often a couple years old and verify that places still exist.) They said to come on over, and they immediately recommended a new tire, due to the location of the nail hole.
Being me, I had no clue what tires cost, but they told me it would be $80 for tire and installation. I asked T if I should get a second tire, so I don’t have one new tire and 3 older ones, but he said no. Turns out the store only had one matching tire anyway, so we bought it.
It makes me annoyed that I paid $17 last month to repair a nail hole, when I could have just got the new tire then. However, it makes me glad that the flat happened in the parking lot, not while we were driving through the Arizona desert miles from anywhere that would fix the tire.
Personal finance lesson? When it comes to tires, be sure to ask whether or not the repair actually is the best option. My car fund is really pathetic, considering it isn’t just for repairs, but also for (someday) a new car. I don’t think $300 is going to go far. As soon as the year is over, I need to reevaluate that goal.
Ok, one more story! The second night at the grand canyon, there was a huge storm. You might have heard of hikers in the Canyon being airlifted out! That was not us, we were on the rim. I say I miss midwestern thunderstorms, but not when I’m in a tent! At one point, when the storm was at its heaviest, a bolt hit somewhat nearby, and T exclaimed “Woah! Did you see that!” From under my sleeping bag, I replied, “No! I’m hiding!!” We moved to the car when the rain tapered, and another round of lightening came and went. We awoke to an incredibly muddy campsite, but our tent kept us nice and dry. Did you know that there are monsoons in the middle of the desert? I didn’t either!
Personal finance lesson? A $50 tent can keep you dry! (We did have a tarp on the ground to help.) With that in mind, we are still shopping for a nice 4 season lightweight backpacking tent.
I haven’t really felt like writing about money for the past couple days. I feel like I learn a lot from blogging (or rather, from reading other’s blogs and thinking about what you all have to say), but I also think that I’m stagnating in my personal finance knowledge. Would it be a better use of my time to find a new area, outside of personal finance, that I don’t know enough about, and start focusing my energy on that?
I think almost anyone, particularly those just out of college, can benefit from writing a personal finance blog. I have learned so much being part of the community, about how others spend their money and about how I want to spend mine. I never had a spending or debt problem, but I also didn’t focus on my money. It went where it chose, not where I directed it. But now what?
This isn’t to say I know all. I have budgeting down, and I understand how to set and meet realistic goals as they relate to money. I know how to allocate my money to spend in line with my priorities. However, there are a lot of areas I haven’t touched on. Real estate. I’m pretty weak on investment knowledge. Taxes. The the “drugstore game”. International money issues. Money as it relates to sociology. I could always learn more about career development. I don’t know. I don’t think blogging is work. T says he could never blog because he isn’t disciplined enough. But I’ve seen him study his work for school for hours on end, and he’s never been unprepared for a test or class. I don’t think it takes discipline to blog (unless you want to have a really professional blog), it’s just something I do. It takes time though. Is this the best way to spend my time?
On to money updates…
Car repairs were just $40 for an oil change and a nail removal from my tire. I think it is pretty amazing that you can get a nail in your tire and the tire is essentially just fine. The check engine light is still on, but I’m feeling hopeful it will go off soon. We’ll see. I’ve been lucky this year. The car place said they charge to read the code, and it took 2 hours to read it. That is insane. I’ve done it at autozone (free), and it took 5 minutes!
Don’t be too impressed by the existence of a $400 car fund, by the way. In theory, that money is going to eventually grow into enough for a new car, so it isn’t all tagged for repairs. With that in mind, $400 is quite pathetic.
After the repair, I stopped at Target to get a couple little things for T. Our anniversary is coming up (4 years!). We don’t do big and expensive gifts (though a little bigger on Christmas), but I did want to get some small, useful things. I’m a little embarrassed to say exactly what, because it sounds unromantic and lame… It was workout shorts, junior mints, and I plan to get champagne and we’ll go out to eat. And maybe wear something special, but that I already own. I forgot to get a card, but I think I’ll just make one. He’ll be happy with that, and with the low key gifts. The best part of a card is what you write on it anyway. We are saying that our vacation in August to Vegas and the grand canyon as part of the celebration, though really, we would have gone anyway. Only three more weeks! I’m very excited!
My check engine light is back, and I’m pretty sure I have the gas cap screwed on tightly this time (the most common cause of check engine lights coming on). I’ll double check that (by screwing it on and driving for about 50-100 miles), then bring it to Autozone for a free reading of the code. I learned that check engine lights, while not trivial, generally don’t have to be fixed immediately unless they are blinking. Within a week or so, sure, but not within an hour or day.
I (ok, my boyfriend) also found a nail in my tire, so we (he) added some air and I’m getting it removed tomorrow. I also need an oil change, stat. I think I’ll just get the oil change done at the place that is removing the nail. An oil change there is a little more than elsewhere at $25, but not unreasonable. I don’t know how much the nail removal will be. You’d think not much, but… you never know.
I’m not going to the place that gave me a great deal on my muffler problem, but somewhere closer and more convenient. If the check engine light turns out to be less than trivial, I’ll bring it to the guy that referred me to said muffler shop (after he checked out my car for free). Not to be specific about my exact location, I will only disclose that I found him on yelp and he had great reviews, so you can do the same for locations near you.
I hate my car sometimes, but paying these miscellaneous things is still far less expensive than a new car. Besides, any car can drive over a nail! I have about $400 in my car fund, we’ll see how much I need. My car probably is due (overdue) for a car wash as well.
The rattling in my car was due to something broken in my exhaust. The nice muffler shop had to weld it back together. The whole operation took less than a 20 minutes, and they charged me $20. I realize that is over $100/hr, but you can’t expect them to fix too much for less than $20.
I’m a happy girl. Looks like my car fund will increase this month after all.
I haven’t been thinking that much about my money lately. I have my budget and I’m working towards meeting it, and recording each purchase I make. The markets are up and down (mostly down) the economy makes me worry, gas prices are high, and I worry about my job. But for the most part, I just live my life, and the money mostly takes care of itself. This must be a benefit of having a plan.
My weakness this month has been groceries (already, again) but I’m making an effort to eat what I have. Despite my ban on groceries, I stopped by a new store the other night, but only because I was in the neighborhood (which is at least $5 from my neighborhood) and I wanted to see what it had to offer. It is a health food store of sorts, with a lot of organic products. I was mostly interested in their bulk food selection. I didn’t get much (less than $5) because I didn’t really need much, but I was impressed with the bulk bins and will be back someday, with a better plan.
I did purchase $1 worth of pastry flour, thinking it was something like bread flour and wanting to give homemade bread another go. It isn’t the same thing, not at all. However, I found a recipe to use it in since I had the other ingredients on hand. I don’t really recommend this quick bread, but if you happened to buy pastry flour and don’t know what to do with it, it is not bad. I also bought wheat bran (another $1) because I’ve been itching for some bran muffins. I’ve made these before and they were good. I did some Googling and found you could substitute a concoction of regular milk and vinegar for buttermilk, so I have all the ingredients I need for these too! (Except raisins, which I dislike.)
I’m still not entirely convinced that all this home baking/cooking really saves me money. Every bread I’ve tried has failed so far, so I am going to try actual bread flour. Yeast isn’t exactly cheap either. I need to find some yeast in bulk, those packets aren’t cheap. I should make sure they aren’t expired–maybe I have an excuse for my failures! At least I know exactly what went into my food, even if my pizza crust failed to rise.
Next week when I’m craving something sweet, I’m gong to attempt some Chinese steamed buns (Mantou) to eat with sweetened condensed milk (not the fried ones). I had them at Dim Sum once, and I looked up a recipe–there is almost nothing to them. They certainly aren’t a healthy dish (though here is a version that claims to be), but I can have them as a desert. I am making them partially out of nostalgia–I ate them on study abroad in Hong Kong. The cost of some condensed milk is small price to pay for a happy memory.
In other food related news, someone on my blogroll (forgive me, I can’t recall who) linked to Lynnae’s list of recipe’s for a month. She has selected quite a few recipes that are frugal and uses beans heavily. There may be a few new meals there to try out.
By the way, my dad gave my car a listen, and said I should take it to a muffler shop first, because he thinks it is in the exhaust. If it is the muffler, it will be much cheaper at a muffler shop. If not, I will take it elsewhere. He said I may simply need a new muffler (~$100) or it could be the catalytic converter (~$1000) or anything in between. I’m hoping for a muffler.
Last night I was heading home and heard an unusual rattling noise coming from my car when I accelerated. Hoping it was a fluke, I turned of the radio and accelerated several times. Each time, a metallic rattling noise rose up from the front of my car. Shoot. It was still there when I drove to work this morning.
My car is a 2000 with roughly 80k miles, so some repair work is not unexpected. Last fall I had to get new brakes and a new battery, but since then I’ve only had a couple oil changes.
I looked up some car repair shops on Yelp! and found one that sounded reputable and wasn’t too far away. I called and arranged an appointment for Thursday morning, and they confirmed there is a rental car place down the street. (In the Midwest, my car repair place gave me a loaner car to drive.) The car rental will cost about $30 each day. I hope it will just be the one day, but it might be longer. The diagnostic will be free. The repair work is TBD, naturally.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit this is the first time I’ve arranged a car repair all by my lonesome. I didn’t even call my dad (he doesn’t actually know that much about cars) or T (he’s busy with finals and would just tell me to take it in anyway). Of course it is part of being an adult, but I just don’t like things like this. “We’re adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop?”
I currently have $307 in my car fund, with another $60 allocated to the fund for this month. I hope that the repair will be under $367, but it is hard to say. If not, I’ll pull from other categories in my budget and from my e-fund if needed.
This car fund is supposed to double for car savings and car repair. I hope it will grow over time and eventually be enough to purchase a new car. At this rate, I’ll be able to buy something new in about 25 years…
Gas is making me anxious. I won’t say I can’t afford it. My gas budget probably will have to increase $10 or $15 this month, which won’t break the bank. Still, it makes me very nervous to watch the price jump so much every day. Each day I consider how I’d get along without a car. Each day I conclude it would be too difficult for T and I to see each other regularly. One of us needs a car, and I guess it is me. I’m constantly rethinking taking the bus to work. It costs me less than $2 in gas to get to and from work, but 2*5*4 is 40 dollars. Busing would take $15, so I’d save $25. Is it worth the extra time?
In a way, I think higher gas prices make some sense, considering the impact driving has on the environment. It makes people seriously consider whether they need to be driving, if public transportation makes sense, if carpooling makes sense. This is a good thing. We have been driving without thinking for so many years. However, it is really painful.
When people compare US gas prices to how expensive gas is elsewhere in the world, I think it is an unfair comparison. Most (all?) of these other countries tax their gas heavily, and that’s what makes it expensive. Those taxes are put back into the country, the roads, the public transportation, and services for the people. Our gas may be cheaper, but we pay the price for cheap gas in other ways.
It makes me mad how little the fuel economy of cars has improved over the years. If standards had been raised, little by little, over time, we would have a lot more cars on the road that got much better mileage. Instead, our cars just became more powerful. I don’t need a powerful car, I need a car more like me: small, efficient and practical.
It also annoys me to hear big-wigs in my company talk about their hybrids, as if they are so environmentally friendly because they drive a Prius. (There was some sort of all-hands meeting, and three higher ups in the company were bragging about their hybrids to each other. How classy.) I don’t hate hybrids, but I still see them as somewhat of a luxury item. Green shouldn’t be luxury. If they told me they took the bus to work each day, then I’d be impressed. Telling me you bought a Prius doesn’t impress me (though it may make me a little jealous).
Will gas prices go down? Will they continue to climb, no end in sight? I don’t know. All I know is this is painful. I hope it pushes the country and the auto industry in the right direction.
I came to this state in January and have been driving around on my parents insurance with the car registered in my home state. I’m not certain that my coverage was legit–my dad’s name is on the title and registration with mine, but it is pretty much only my car and I haven’t been a dependent of theirs for almost two years. I didn’t crash into anyone, so we didn’t find out whether or not the arrangement was legitimate. Whew.
I got online in January and ran the numbers and proceeded to wait until this past Monday to pull the trigger and pay $505 for six months of coverage (including collision). My car is probably only worth $3000, so the collision was debatable, but I decided worth it. I have been stashing some money in short term savings to cover insurance, so this really isn’t a blow, but it still isn’t a fun way to spend half a grand.
My dad ever so kindly took it into the DMV for me, which was a huge help. The DMVs are open one puny Saturday a month and there aren’t any conveniently located near my workplace. He got a smog check ($48) and got the new plates and registration ($90) and possibly fixed my taillight (but I think he forgot). I will, of course, have to pay for this.
My car cost me $643 this month. Plus gas. OOOOOUCH. I really miss living in a city with world class public transportation. Hong Kong was six months of car free bliss. And bliss in so many other ways. It is amazing how much fun I had for so little money, even in a supposedly very expensive city. Maybe I need to move back, expat life has always appealed to me….
Also, I really really need a hair cut. I found a place that charges $25 for first time customers (plus $20 if I want them to blow dry it!). I’m brave and not picky about hair, so I’ll give them a try. I also have pretty simple straight hair. I want to dye it back to its natural color as well. I hope to get out of there for less than $60, but that is unlikely if I get it professionally colored.
Again, I hate this April. Except for mini-eggs. And the new episode of the Office on tonight! And Grey’s later this month! It isn’t all bad, but this month has been painful on my pocketbook. (And my knee. I think I’m self-banned from running and restricted to ellipticals for awhile.)
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