Stalled

Once more a big congrats to J and his upcoming bride.

So this looks like its going to be a disjointed post as my life is currently in a state of limbo. Which is always better than a drunken free fall, but not quite as exciting. Just as the need for a new car issue begins we also discover that the heat in my house has cashed in its 401k and headed to a warmer climate. So its double the fun right now. Man just writing that put me in a grumpy mood.

Which brings me to my latest quest….

Where the hell do I find money to pay for this crap…..

First off I refuse:

1. To take money from friends or relatives, (funds totaling more than $50)

2. To get any amount of credit card debt beyond what I can pay off in a month

3. To touch my retirement funds

So we need a car and it appears that we will need about $2,000 in down payment to cover. The last two friends who had heating issues averaged out to around $2,300 in repairs.

So lets game plan…

Priority (Car vs. Heat)

Not having a car sucks right now because:

1. Gas bills up 25%
2. Primary car now driven twice as much a day (depreciation)
3. 3 Hours spent in traffic a day due to carpooling situation

Not having heat right now sucks because

1. Its cold at night

Ok so clearly the heater issue can wait till the end of the month until we have the car situation worked out and before it becomes brutally cold.

Decision made, were getting a car.

Taking the hit…

So in preparation to lose 2 grand worth of disposable income:

1. Trim the fat; looks like I am going to give up smoking at work, and start bringing my lunches. Expected weekly savings: $22
2. Re-examine current contracts: Found a promotional discount for my sprint plan enabled immediately. Weekly savings $5

Suddenly you have an extra $100 a month

Now I am not going to lie and say that the non cig smoking and home lunch taking are definitely going to happen. But the point is the funds are there it just depends on what I am willing to give up.

Happy Wed folks don’t let the world get ya down.

~B