which also brings to mind another quote that money is the root of all evil. 

Sort of makes me wonder if Gene Roddenbery (sp) thought of that issue as he created the Star Trek series.  In his future, people didn't earn money, if I remember correctly.  They just worked for the good of each other.  Lol yeah like that would actually work in todays world.

mmm..such a healthy breakfast choice.  My arteries are hardening just thinking about it....

1) Why did you even start talking with a sales person if you weren't intending on buying a vehicle?

2) If you knew that your credit was so poor, why did you waste her time?

3) If you had a bad feeling about her from the start, why did you continue conversations with her?

Dude, grow a set and back out of conversations that are going nowhere.  You gave her the impression that you were in the market for a vehicle even though you knew you couldn't buy one.  So, who was misleading in that exchange?

 

Well considering the fact that money runs our lives for the most part, it is the root.  Her desire to sell us a car and not listen to us was a major issue.  I wanted to talk, she wanted to sell. 

We saw a thing on TV about their sale event going on at the local community events center.  Mainly we like to look at the camper trailers and just snoop around.  We've done this before and got a good kick out of it and decided to go again.  ALthough here it was both a camper trailer sale as well as a car sale.  The show is not intended for people who only are looking to buy, but for anyone to come on in. 

Like I didn't try that?

er not. 

We went there solely to look at the campers as in the first place, we don't even have anything that is powerful enough to haul the damned things. 

Second, we told her outright we werent looking for a vehicle.  We did mention something about our current car and its high mileage, but that we were NOT looking.  She then tried to cram us into a jeep with worse mileage as a better alternative (even though we test drove one 2 years ago and it was craptastic).  After that, she then showed us a WRX which was in need of repair as it sat there and was a stick which the wife doesnt know how to drive.  Somehow she felt we wanted to downgrade from a SUV crossover to a dinky sporty car.  Well the jeep has crappy mileage and the WRX can haul a banana on wheels behind it so she clearly wasn't listening to us. 

Her goal was to sell us a car and not build up a relationship to the customer or talk abotu their needs or even much less appear to listen to our concerns and requirements.  When we lived in our previous town, we had a great salesman who listened to us, let us test out a few vehicles (I think two, possibly three).  He didn't rush us, didn't even talk to us as he rode along with us.  He let Marcie and I argue and let us drive a car without him.  He was open, honest and worked hard to answer all questions that we had, and even asked us some rather deep questions ourselves that made us think about what we really wanted and other stuff.  He did not give us a timeline, or did he ever rush us into purchasing it.  And we bought from him.

This gal on the other hand could have been replaced with a yorkie on a sugar rush that had to go pee and I would have gotten the same effect that I would have with her. 

No cows over here in the area and the antelope are too quick; and the deer have fun by having a staring contest with the headlights of oncoming traffic, and losing. 

My family needs a second car. I've never been to a car dealership to look for one, because I might buy one and make a crappy financial decision. So I do other things instead of going to car dealerships. I hear those car commercials and think, "Hey, maybe I should check that deal out." Then I remember that cars cost more than I have, so I do not check them out. It's easy to NOT go shopping, I think. It's getting me to actually go buy things when we do have the money that is the problem.

Huh?

Ziggystyles, what in the world are you complaining about? You went to a car dealer and how dare they think you wanted a car????? Yeah, you really showed her, told her who's boss.

I'm just curious why you didn't walk away? I guess you wanted more info, but honestly, the best way to do that would be to go online. You can look on Blue Book and find all the info about any vehicle you might be considering and then from there look around online to find out prices.

We won't buy anything from anyone who pushes us or makes us feel rushed. A salesperson's job is to facilitate your purchase and anyone who isn't willing to listen and show you what you want isn't someone you want to buy from.

Haha, when I bought our SUV I went to the dealership with my financing already arranged (which is like cash to the dealership since they get a check) and I went in with VIN numbers of vehicles I wanted to test drive. I wasn't going to let them show me what they wanted me to buy. I knew exactly what I wanted.

But like I said, if you aren't looking to buy and were just curious about some info, definitely research it online first. Going to a dealership or a show is bad news.

I also wanted to add (and I'm bad with money, haha, so take my advice for what it's worth) it's not a good idea to have your credit run for something you don't intend to use. It's bad for your credit score to have a ton of these credit checks pop up.

Right and when the conversation turned towards that, it didn't work too well, in her favor I figure.  She kept telling us we were getting the best price guaranteed, and was insistant we buy that day.  When I mentioned going home and online to compare to see, she reminded me of her guarantee which I didn't ask what it was worth to me as a customer.  She then also said they had an internet connection there for sucha  thing but last thing I want is to be pressured. 

And thats the thing, we said we wanted better mileage, she turned us towards something that got 15-21, 'but can get better' and in that 'but can' area is where we would improve, lol.  The first vehicle she turned us towards was something that got worse mileage. 

The second was a WRX which was something the mrs cant drive at the moment with no experience witha stick, and it had no towing power whatsoever, and that was also a large requirement for us.  Asked for milage, gave us worse milage, asked for towing, showed us no towing.  WTF.

I didn't know we were going to look at vehicles to the point of getting into talks with them...it just happened.  I agree to do lots of research and have cash or financing on hand when you go in.

 

The best way to SAVE money is not to spend it.

Sounds elementary doesn't it? But its not.

Early in our marriage we often went to the mall, every single weekend. We didn't go to buy things, we went to walk around, maybe have lunch and people watch.

If you asked us then, we'd have said, "We aren't really spending any money." But ya know what? We were. We HAD to be because when we decided to stop doing it, and going to the park instead, all this money started showing up in our checking account. hahahaha

How many times do you go to the grocery store for one single thing, like bread or eggs, and leave the store with JUST that item and not one single thing more? The opportunity to spend presents itself and wa la...suddenly a quick $1.50 for eggs becomes an easy $20-$30 in "must haves." Heck, theres a whole profession dedicated toward how to place things in stores so people will have to pass items and be tempted to buy them.

Seriously, you can't be tempted to spend money you don't have if you stay away from places to spend it.

Tova~

You're right on.  And that's where our budget gets fubarred.  We have a hard time planning our meals.  We figure that two weeks is probably okay for us as far as meal planning goes.  We try to cook every other night because neither of us really like to do it.  But if I plan seven meals and Zigs plans 7, it never fails that he's stuck in Crapdunk Utah for two or three days.  I think we just need to purchase some other cheapy things like soup for me to have when he's not able to do his damn share.

Another thing that's thrown us is my stupid diabetes meds and the new food requirements.  A 24 pack of mozzarella sticks here is over $8.  That's one of the few things on my "approved" snack list.  We buy the produce that's on sale.  I'm generally an apples and oranges girl, and the oranges are in season now, so that's good too.  I think we need to sit down with the store circular on Thursdays and plan out what we're going to eat for the next 14 days, and have some hamburger helper and soups on hand for when husband isn't home.  We're making headway, slowly but surely, so that's good.  Ry's stint where he was unemployed put us behind.  We're going to fix the plumbing on the trailer and hopefully rent the freakin thing out and that will help, too.

We're getting there.  We go to free things like the car and camper show because they're FREE.  We eat out like once every week or two.

Step one:  getting budget controlled.  Step two:  having a child that we can royally fuck up, right?

Yeah, but there is a reason they have these places do "free shows." It's called TEMPTATION. hahahaha

Marcie, you might wanna try picking one day a week, like Saturday or Sunday...and just cook up a storm. Bake up some chicken, prepare some rice, cook up some green beans, boil some eggs, cut up all the fixings for a huge salad, make some spaghetti sauce, chili, beef stew. Some of it you can freeze, but most of it you can put into containers and leave in the frig for about a week. When the munchies hit, wa la, the meal is already made, all you have to do is heat it up, maybe boil some noodles.

I know when I have something like baked chicken on hand, I am more likely to make a healthy meal. I keep a huge gallon bag full of salad made up almost all the time. It takes like 15 minutes to prepare it, and I can have a salad with supper every night, or chip the chicken up into it.

The actual 'cooking day' can be done in conjunction with laundry, washing windows etc. It doesn't have to be an all day affair. Since its just the two of you, I imagine you can cook up a weeks worth of meals in about two hours. Or if you like things that don't last long...make extra and refrig it.

Keep lean sandwhich meat on hand for lunches and when you "have" to snack between meals.

One of my favorite meals....black beans, rice, baked chicken chipped up, lettuce, corn (occasionally), sometimes avocado, and salsa. All those things can be made before hand and mixed and heated without tasting like "left overs."

 

I have a few bills that I divided in half and paid 1/2 prior to the due date and then 1/2 on the due date.  Mortgages hate when you do this because you will save so much on interest....

It helped balance my paychecks out a bit more and it worked so well that I started to pay other bills "before" they would be due.  At one point I was paying all my bills 30-45 days prior to the due date.  I just paid what I figured I'd owe and if I was off, well, I'd make a mini payment to make up the shortage if needed.  It worked out fantastic, especially when we didn't get paid for 30 days when the Army made an accounting error.  I didn't have to sweat the bills and by the time I started to get concerened....the cash flow was back on track.

Yeah, um.  All you have to say (trust me, I've bought quite a few cars) is this.  "I am not buying a car today and I am not buying a car from you.  If you do a decent job showing me something I like, then next Wed when I AM buying a car, I'll ask for you.  So don't be stupid...just show me the cars."  Works like a charm.

You can post any recipes you'd like on any of my threads, LW!



mmm... meals... now I need a snack. I don't even know what's for dinner tonight! But now I want that. Or chicken enchiladas.

We haven't checked our credit for about a year.  So we're probably okay.

We will be able to afford to pay the plumber, and we're going to pay off several other high-interest bills when my finanical aid from college clears.  20% or 2% interest?  I'd rather pay 2%.  And, other than educational debt, there will be no new debt added to it.

I talked to Ryan tonight about teaching summer school as well.  I applied for a Fulbright Scholarship to go to Japan this summer for 6 weeks (ALL expenses paid!).  I don't know if I have it or not, but even if I do get it, I think I'll forego it this year to teach summer school.  It's $40 an HOUR (which is crazy!), three hours a day, five days a week for four weeks.  So that's an extra $2400 before taxes.  That will help alot.  It's July 7th-like August 7th or something, so I'll still be able to go to Minnesota for the 4th of July and get my room ready for next school year.  Ry thinks I should go to Japan because it's the "chance of a lifetime," and that's true, but I think we have more pressing concerns for right now.

S...I don't know that I have you on my blacklist.  I'll check.  I don't know that I quite understand this newfangled JU yet.  And if I did blacklist you, it was back when you and Gid were on my case last.  I'm over it.  I'll see if I can figure this stuff out.  I guess I should have asked you if I was welcome back on your blog or not before I commented as well.

There's not much Ziggy can do, you can do, or Mason can do about closed interstates and huge snowstorms.  He is home every night unless there is no possible way that he can get home.

You should totally write a book.  I never thought of that.  Duh?  Thanks for the tip!

It's not just Ryan.  We made these choices together.  One thing is for sure...it's time for a new realtor.  This one blows.  It's not HER fault the trailer hasn't sold, but she certainly isn't too concerned about getting it that way, either.

Tova~

You've got some breat ideas, too!  I love chili and spaghetti and stuff, and that is perfect for when Ry isn't here.  The chili is good for the diabetes anyway.

Ryan's late tonight, and I had to eat something because I have some damn headache again today.  So I made a breakfast omlete with a spinach tortilla (that I usually have on hand anyway) and some eggs and cheese.  Eggs and cheese and the tortillas are semi-cheap, and they last a while, and it's quick to fix.  I like your "Mexi-bake" idea, too...that sounds really good!

THanks for the tips!

LH--That's a good idea, too.  We've gone from both being paid the same day once a month to me being paid twice a month and Ryan weekly.  So all our bills are kind of set up for our last year's payment schedule.  I think Ry is working on that so we can either reschedule the due dates or take your suggestion and break up the payments.