Resisting temptation....
Find a Conversation
| Thu, 02-14-2013 - 7:29pm |
Okay, first I have to vent about the boards. Ugh! How is it I can post here, but not on my own board I am the CL of. I will just have to keep trying. I don't want to give up on iVillage.
Anywho, my plan is to pay off my auto loan with my tax refund, which is on its way. So, of course I can't help but eyeball cars with better gas milage. Thus far, I have resisted temptation to get in over my head again, like I did 4 years ago.
I talked to a small, owner operater lot and it was quite frank with me about it all. He didn't try to talk me into test drving a car that was more than I wanted to spend, etc. etc. I am sure he would sell it to me (a Honda Accord that is pretty much everything I am looking for!) but I told him my goal was to trade pretty much straight across, and so we only talked about cars he had that we at least close. He makes his money on quick turnovers with low profit margins, so the good thing is he is always moving cars in and out.
Unfortunately, the last Explorer he had sat for 6 months, so......he only offered me what he could by my rig for at auction, which is about $1,000 lower than book. Sigh....
It will be challenging to find the exact car I want for $4,000, but hopefully if he budges a few hundred and I can spend maybe a couple hundred, it will all come together. Luckily I am not in hurry (although my car isn't getting any younger), but I did the math and I can save about $75 a month in gas going from 14 mpg to 20 mpg.
I have faith it will all come together!!! p.s. This is also the worst time to buy a car. Everyone is doing what I am doing with their tax refund. He said KBB goes out the window. He did say if someone came in looking for a 3rd row seat 4 wheel drive, the value of mine could go up. Oh, if I were to be so lucky.
Enough babling out of me for one post.....
Memeber Support
| Q: | Where can I change my password? |
| A: | Log in, go to Edit My Preferences, and click the Account tab. Make and save your changes. |
That would be so great to not have a payment on a car for you! Is the transmission loan for your rig gone yet? I would hate to be paying for a transmission I didn't even own yet but hey what can you do, I am sure if it isn't already gone you would knock it out as soon as possible.
So you have gotten more hours and are getting rid of a payment? Things are looking up for you, and I'm so excited!
Unfortunately the balance on the transmission loan is still around $2,000. If I paid off both loans, I would be broke with a maxed out CC and no cash on hand. And the absent car payment will only help me keep my head above water, it won't really be 'extra' to put towards the other debt.
By paying off the auto loan, I will be "saving" $176 a month and get the title to my rig. If I paid off the transmission loan, I would be only be saving $82 a month and would still have a car payment.
Although the $176 isn't really extra, my goal is to stop playing my CC game with sending in my minimum $300 payment and then having to use it to get by. I am not digging, but crawling out will be slow. I want to save some of my refund for quasi-emergencies like car repairs. I also need a new dishwasher. Etc. Etc.
Crossing my fingers that my $1,000 deductible is a non-issue this year. I don't know, we shall see....One tiny positive was that I was able to Schedule A my medical bills, they were so high compared to my income.
My shovel is still small, but it is slowly getting bigger. Thus far, not a lot of extra hours coming my way, but even one day makes a big difference.
I haven't even gotten my T4 and you have your refund already? Woah.
Your tite was tempatation to spend and that is where I am right now. But I am talking about frivolous and useless stuff...not like you with your vehicle plans. Reducing your dependancy on gas is a great idea and an investment. If you can do it w/o incurring any more loans than even better. I have faith it will come together too :)
If there are lots of buyers than after the buyers have bought, you should be able to get a good deal on something left over!
Chin up, you are making progress. Slowly but surely.
Dee