Category Archive

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 ($4 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.)

We have monthly staff meetings where the boss provides lunch.  They are not mandatory, but I think they are strongly encouraged.  My department is really trying to cut back all time charged to overhead, which is why they are held over lunch.  We are to consider it our lunch break.  It is good business sense–I’m sure 1.5 hours of my time billed to overhead costs a lot more than a sandwich, drink, and cookie.

The annoying part is, they are scheduled for 1.5 hours.  I take a half hour lunch each day, maximum, so I have to stay at least an hour later than usual to make up for this.  I really shouldn’t complain about “free lunch”, but they should either keep them to an hour or actually present useful information for the whole time.

Company culture here seems to promote 2 hour meetings as the standard, with everyone showing up several minutes late.  For my first few weeks (ok, even now sometimes) I was always awkwardly early/on time.  I just don’t understand lateness.  If I ran my company, everyone would be prompt to meetings, and whoever was running the meeting would be a few minutes early to set up.

Anyway, from my quick internet research, it seems the check engine light is often nothing to worry about and even if it is an intermittent problem, it won’t shut off until you read the code.  I’ll head to Autozone after work to see what they say.

P.S. - Just received confirmation that I’m registered for sailing class starting the last day of March!!

On my way home from work tonight (at 8:30 due to my class) my check engine light popped on. It has been awhile since my car has needed repair (brakes in the late summer, I think, for about $300) so I suppose it is due for repair.

I hate dealing with this kind of crap. My dad took car of any car issues for me up through college, and it has been a pain to deal with this stuff on my own now that I’m in the “real world” and a zillion miles away. T is quasi-helpful and knows a thing or two about cars, but not enough to actually repair it or anything. He doesn’t have a car here, so it isn’t as though he can recommend me a trusty mechanic. Besides, he is completely buried in finals this week. I hate to be all girly about it, but I’m simply not interested in cars and never want to be.

My first step, I think, is to take it to Autozone to see what “Check Engine” means for free. Last time it meant the gas cap wasn’t screwed on tightly! I hope I’m so lucky this time. First I’ll have to verify that the Autozone locations around here offer the same free service of hooking your car up to the computer. Their website doesn’t explicitly state it, but I assume they do. Still, there probably is a real problem (gas cap seems secure), so then I’ll have to deal with the mess of finding a mechanic to work on it. I really don’t believe in taking it to the dealer–much more expensive. Ug.

Regardless, I’m glad I have an emergency fund.

Wednesday was not my day. Well, it was better than Tuesday, where in a meeting full of my new coworkers I somehow knocked the “master” outlet and shut down the computer during a (admittedly quite boring) presentation. That was slick. I was so embarrassed I could have crawled under the table (where I could have had a nice nap, because I was extremely tired and trying not to fall asleep, which probably caused the whole incident in the first place).

Moving on. This gas station I drive by all the time is consistently about $0.20 cheaper than anywhere else, including the station just a block or so away. On their signs it says “EC Unleaded” and “EC Unleaded Plus”. I have no idea what the EC stands for, and Google did not help me. In Iowa, the gas contained ethanol and was cheaper, but these pumps don’t say anything about ethanol. Is it the same? If so, why does it designate that it is “EC”? Anyway, so still mystified, I decided to put the gas in my car anyway. Except they said their would be a .45 fee on my credit card. Weird, right? Then it asked for a pin. So it turns out, they don’t accept credit cards at all, so I had to go down the street and paid $.20/gal more for the gas. However, due to the cheapness of their gas, I may start getting cash just for that purpose. Or maybe buying a gas card from them. (Ok,Google to the rescue. It is an ARCO station, and it supposedly gives you worse gas mileage, but that may be a myth. Now I’m more confused.)

Next, I tried the post office. I had four letters I wanted delivery confirmation on, because they are for rebates and the company seems sketchy. The lady in front of me got delivery confirmation on a small package for $1.65. The man told me for letters, I’d have to use certified mail for $2.65 each. I know it was a difference of $4, but I said screw it, and just stuck on four stamps and crossed my fingers. Which incidentally were the forever stamps that I paid (I think) $0.41 for. Stamps would be a good investment–they are up 7% for the year, the S&P is down. (Joking, of course, but take a look at historical stamp prices.)

In other bad news, my package of drawer organizers for my dresser still weren’t here, and I feared them stolen as packages are just left at my door. The company responded to my inquiry, and said they should arrive tomorrow. I’m doubtful, as the tracking number provided shows them to still be in Kansas, but… we’ll see. They were ~$30 (including shipping) for two sets, but the happiness they will provide to my socks/underwear drawer is well worth it.

Good news is, despite the gloomy weather, both Thursday and Friday are looking better. Thursday is recruiting day, so I don’t have to bring a lunch, I get to look at resumes, and I get to talk with some other younger employees. Thursday night I should get to spend some time with the boy, and he’ll probably provide dinner at his place. Oh, and it is payday.

Friday, my dad may be coming into town to “sign the books” which has something to do with him being in a union and the fact that he and my mom may be here for a few months to work. I don’t really know what books these are, but whatever. If so, I said he could use my car while I’m at work, and asked if in return, he’d get my smog check done so I can license my car in California and become all legal and stuff. He agreed, and I secretly think he might fill it up with gas to be nice. We’ll see.

After that, it is the weekend–it looks like the worst is over, provided I can refrain from derailing any more meetings.

PS - If you have an opinion on how much you think a blogger (ie, me) should write posts, please comment and let me know.

I spent about 45 minutes the other evening contemplating life without my car. My car is not new. I own it outright, and is probably worth around $3000. I’m not a car person, I don’t love my car, nor do I hate it. It works. But what if I could do with out it? I decided to find out, what does owning my car cost me?

• Gas: $120/mo (estimated)
• Insurance: $90/mo
• Oil Changes: $15/mo (assuming every 3 months at about $45)
• Registration: $10/mo (assuming biannual smog check and licensing costs of about $130)
• Repairs: $40/mo (based on last years total of about $450 in misc repairs…)
• Total: $275/mo (I’m not including misc costs of “wear and tear” or depreciation of the car. I already paid for the car, it won’t really affect my cash flow.) Wow, that seems like a lot!

The next logical thing to calculate is, of course, what would the costs be if I didn’t own my car?

• For work, I could easily walk several blocks on each end to the bus stop and ride for half price through a work discount. Total cost? $15 each month.
• I looked into the option of a flexcar, which I probably would have to use occasionally for day trips or anything not accessible easily by public transportation. I assume I’d use at least $50 worth of it, which is one full day or 10 hours each month.
• My boyfriend lives about 7 miles away, which on the highway typically takes 15-20 minutes. In rush hour traffic, it takes about 45-50 minutes. To visit him, I could take the bus. He has taken the bus to my place before, and I think it is $1.50 each way. The major downside is that it takes an hour and a half in traffic, and probably 45 minutes at other times. Lets assume (conservatively) I’d take the bus two times a week. That is $6/week or $24/mo.

I think that would be the major dollar expenses. That only adds up to $89 each month, a savings of almost $200!!

However, what is holding me back is the time and convenience factor. Could I really live without my car? If I lived with (or really close to) my boyfriend, it would be more doable. Even then, I think it would take me an hour to get to/from work opposed to 15 minutes. Is an hour and a half each work day worth $13.75 each work day? It probably is. That doesn’t even include time saved visiting the boyfriend, getting groceries, or going pretty much anywhere.

I’ve been to Manhattan and I loved taking the Metro there. I lived in Hong Kong for awhile, which had the most amazing public transit system I’ve ever seen. I can do public transit. But in LA, the buses are slow, the trains just don’t go where I need them to, and everyone loves their cars. So for now, I’ll keep the car. However, I think I’ll try to cut back on unnecessary driving in hopes of reducing my gas budget.

Last week, it was the battery. It was about as old as the car (seven years) and cost 100 for them to diagnose the problem and replace it. I wasn’t too upset about this, as it was a minor repair and I hadn’t spent any money on the car in awhile.

Today, it was something more serious and expensive. Forgive me if I get this wrong, but I believe they said the brake shoe broke and needed to be replaced, and also the rotor got ground due to the bad brake. I had assumed it would just need brake pads, and was dismayed to find it would total $350 to fix.

I hate dealing with cars. I don’t know a lot about them, and I don’t have a mechanic I completely trust. It isn’t as though I think that my brake shoe didn’t break (who knew brakes wore shoes?), but I just don’t know if the price was $100-200 extra, or a fair deal.

Anyway, it hurts my savings goals a bit, but what is the point of having money in the bank if I’m still going to get bent out of shape about every unplanned expense?

Another new development that will detract from savings is. . . a possible trip to London in the next six months or so. I have a friend working there until March, and I’m toying with the idea of making it happen….

Strictly speaking, I “shouldn’t” go until I have done all the great financial things that people do: Have a giant e-fund, max out 401k and Roth, have a fund for a house downpayment. But I’m on the right track and travel is one of my top values, and I’m comfortable with spending my money on a trip. Anyway, this is still in the initial planning stages, but hopefully, more to come.