Comments for Real Women. Real Life. Real Value.

Comment on The value of a new (used car) to feeling like a grown-up by Nan

Nan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:54:22 +0000

How many cars have I owned? Let me count them…#1 – in Seattle in the 1970s I bought a used Mazda for $1000, which was my first grown-up loan. I was terrified owing so much money – how naive I was! I drove it back east, and it died on I95 in CT when the timing chain broke. Next I drove a green Chevy Nova of my boyfriend’s, and later some big white car, I can’t remember. Both highly used, the white car’s brakes died and weren’t worth fixing. My father says if the cost of repairs exceed the value of the car, it’s not worth repairing. I’ll come back to that. Then I bought a Celica, my dream car, used from a private person. I can’t remember how much – maybe $2000? It lasted a few years then started breaking down. I HATE when that happens, and finally bought my first new car, another Mazda, with nothing in it, manual everything, for $8000, in the 1980s, and drove that for 7-8 years when it too started breaking down. I traded my Mazda for my mother’s Honda when only had 40,000 miles on it even though it was 10yrs old – she’s a little old lady who only drove it to the grocery store and gym. The Mazda went to my brother’s family. He has three girls who all took turns owning it until it really died. My brother sold it (without going through the nonsense of changing the title! The car was used in the commission of a crime,and my brother was contacted by the police…but that’s another story…) The Honda lasted a couple of years. There was serious rust from harsh Michigan winters, and the clutch broke on the parkway driving home from work on a winter’s night…then something else broke on the parkway on the way home from work on a winter’s night – you see the pattern here? When the rear bumper was coming off I started shopping for a new car. Dad said “new cars don’t break down”. I went online and looked at my newest dream car, a Chrysler PT Cruiser, found one at a nearby dealer, drove it and bought it for $14000 with $5000 down. It was a 2003 and I bought it in 2004 with approximately 14000 miles on it. Now in 2009, the animal is paid for, it has almost 75,000 miles, and guess what? It needs major repairs. j Recently a fan blade broke, which caused the water pump to die,which caused serious overheating…$1600 later, all was fixed and while they were in the innnards we changed the timing belt and did all kinds of stuff while the engine was disemboweled. Earlier this year I spent $1200 on wheels and tires. The car is worth about $2500, and I have spent $2800 on repairs this year. Cost of repairs exceeding the value of the car…oh heay, but I’m out of work and wouldn’t qualify for a loan. Also, I’m attached to this car – I can haul a lot of stuff around, and I sell my home goods at crafts fairs and shows. I have a store at http://www.customdesigns4ubynan.etsy.com, if you’re interested.
And that’s my car saga.

Comment on Get more done in less time — here’s an efficiency makeover that works! by College students burn the day on both ends « Kayleigh Z's Blog

College students burn the day on both ends « Kayleigh Z's Blog — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:42:08 +0000

[...] Plan, Refocus and Review: The night before plan out your day, by doing this you will be more prepared throughout the next day. As the day progresses take five minutes to refocus on your work. This can be done while walking to classes classes or by taking a break from the library to take breath outside. Finally, at the end of the day review everything you accomplished that day. You will feel much more rewarded for all the work you put into the day. [...]

Comment on The value of a new (used car) to feeling like a grown-up by dailysavingsfromallyou

dailysavingsfromallyou — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:09:19 +0000

Bethany! I was never embarrassed of my car until I moved into a house… it was fine in the city, where you don’t want a nice car, cause that invites someone to break in to it.

Did I mention that our old car literally died the day we got the new one? So despite buying the car with the worse gas mileage, we are indeed being green drivers, since the other car just sits dead in our driveway.

It’s good to know there’s someone else out there who feels like the new car thing everybody buys into is a little bit like the emporer’s new clothes… do we all really need shiny new cars all the time? If our car hadn’t totally died on the inside (with the upholstery and the ceiling and the plastic parts coming off) as well as mechanically, I would have kept right on going with it.

Comment on The value of a new (used car) to feeling like a grown-up by bethany

bethany — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:53:01 +0000

i come from the same camp — I’ve always bought used cars from individuals. I’ve always thought about reliability and what I needed to cart around. i bought a ‘89 Toyota Corolla wagon in ‘91 for $5k, drove it for ten years and sold it for $1k. I then bought a ‘98 Subaru wagon for $8k and am still driving it. It’s worth noting the person who owned this car before me commuted two states away regularly and that I drove it while writing a New England guidebook. However, I was never embarrassed about it until I became a mom and was suddenly in the company of more mainstream mentality on this subject. Sometimes I put the car seat in my less frugal husband’s newer car. I started getting my car washed, which I honestly rarely did before, and found myself feeding quarters into the vacuum cleaners at the gas station. I finally put a bunch of money into fixing some annoying things about my car a couple of weeks ago before going on a road trip which felt like a real commitment to driving it into the dust. However I’ve never really been sure when to call it dust. I held the vacuum up to a rusty spot above a wheel well the other day to catch a piece of paint and thwop! suddenly there was a hole in the car. . . perhaps foreshadowing a hole in my bank account? Will I be less frugal as a parent the next round? Maybe, but maybe we’ll just have one car.

Comment on How do you stay on budget? What do you struggle with, and what works for you? by bethany

bethany — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:41:12 +0000

We do the auto pilot and auto save thing and try to be sensible, and discuss large purchases. However, I still haven’t put my own credit card info on “share” on our money site because I wondered how I’d ever buy a present for my husband without him knowing what it was, lol.

Comment on How do you stay on budget? What do you struggle with, and what works for you? by Gillian Aldrich

Gillian Aldrich — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:04:11 +0000

Bethany — I love the sound of that… do you budget your everyday spending and write it all down? Or do you just do the auto pilot and auto save thing, and then try to be sensible with your spending?

Comment on How do you stay on budget? What do you struggle with, and what works for you? by bethany

bethany — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:19:13 +0000

We are using http://www.moneycenter.yodlee.com — you can enter in all your family’s different accounts (bank, credit cards, etc.) and whatnot and see them in one place. It makes it so much easier to see our big picture. We’re also bill paying automatically, too, and auto saving — sucking money in from a regular account into investment accounts. It’s just small amounts but I figure that way it’s doing the compound investment thing.

Comment on How do you stay on budget? What do you struggle with, and what works for you? by Julie

Julie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:32:08 +0000

Dear Unorganzized,

I too have struggled with disorganization for years. I seem to have it all together on the outside but my mind was usually a crowd of “have to’s” and “shoulds.” It is only within the past few months (and with my husband’s help) that I have been able to gain serious ground in my pursuit of the holy grail of order. I keep a simple notebook, not a planner or blackberry, a notebook. As I think of things, I write them down. When, by some miracle, I accomplish something then I cross it off the list. Just the simple act of putting pen to paper helps to ease my mind. It no longer is a looming worry but now it is something I can see and deal with when I am ready. The emotional rush of crossing a “to do” off my list is enough to keep me going to the next mission. Good luck!

Comment on How do you stay organized? by Kristi

Kristi — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:51:56 +0000

One thing that I do to try to keep organized is to create zones. We have a mail zone where we keep bills, stamps & address labels. I have a coupon zone (which for me is drawer in the kitchen) where I keep my coupon binder, uncut inserts, and various coupon mailers. My children even have a homework zone that has a box filled with notebooks, pencils, erasers, ruler, calculator & other items to help them do their homework. These “zones” help us stay organized and reduce the time we spend searching for this & that.

Comment on How do you stay on budget? What do you struggle with, and what works for you? by Kristi

Kristi — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:44:57 +0000

My husband gets paid monthly, so things can get pretty tight by the end of the month. One way to keep better track of how much we are spending on things like dining out is an envelope system. We place a set amount of cash in an envelope for dining out & when the money is gone, there is no more dining out!