Me: I need a van! I don't have a way to haul 7 people to Kansas City!
Bob: ya know with your big raise we could afford the payment on a new one.
Me: I'm NOT buying a NEW vehicle
Bob: With all the rebates it's not that much more and we can order it exactly like we want it
A couple days later we go out for dinner WITHOUT the kids, we stop by the dealership on the way to pick up the kids (DH has a dealership key;) Then we go sit in some vans and jeeps, cause I'm not quite ready to admit that I need a van! Cause seriously I do NOT need a van! I insist I need to drive an Acadia before I can make up my mind. Only one on the lot is being worked on. Bob shows me the cool touchscreen radio with 2 DVD players and it's own hard drive! Can't get that in the Acadia. I decide I NEED this VAN.
On Tuesday I test drove the 2008 van to KC, help that my Mother in Law IS the dealer:) Found out my husband doesn't really know what he's talking about and the '08 is way cheaper than he thought. It's not his fault he gets that from his Dad. A few more texts as I'm letting my mom drive home.
Me: Ya know when ur driving ya can't really enjoy much of the cool features of the van and I'm gonna be driving usually if we get it.
Bob: Yeah. LOL
We agree that if we're gonna do it we should sell our car then if the '08 is still there buy that one, if not it won't be hard to find a different one. I drove my Pacifica a long distance today and I think it's more comfortable. Then Bob tells me that there is ALREADY some one interested in buying my car! Now I have to decide fast! I think I'll sell the Pacifica, pay off the loan and then refuse to get another loan and drive our old van that is a little less than reliable:) Shhhh.... Don't tell my husband! I'll just let him think I'm buying a van, maybe. I at least got to drive it for the day that I really needed it:) He'll probly talk me into it still, he's not really on board with the Total Money Makeover.
Here's the van I drove:
Breathe, honey!! It's going to be hard to work through this one when one spouse is thinking TMMO-like and the other isn't, but try to remember that it isn't just about the PAYMENT you can squeak by with, but about what you can actually afford to buy. Living within your means doesn't mean stretching yourself as close to the breaking point as possible.
ReplyDeleteDo you NEED the van? Probably not. Would it be a heck of a lot more convenient? Absolutely! Also, don't forget that there will never be the ONE van for you. There are tons of choices out there and the last thing you want to do is get your heart set on a certain vehicle and then over-extend yourself. Perhaps it might be a better idea to discuss a few different model options with Bob and then start saving up toward it.
And just to squeak out the full extent of my two cents, try not to get so hung up on the bells and whistles like touch screens and DVD players. Yes, they're awesome, but try to resist the temptation of jumping into something you're not really ready to buy just for the "toys" it comes with.
Feel free to smack me if I've butted my nose in too far!
Thanks SO much Sarah! I think telling my MIL that I'm not really ready for the van and increasing the loan will help a lot, since she is the one that will be trying to find it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly all those bells and whistles were a huge pain in the butt when I was driving down the highway. Trying to figure out how to use it was one thing, but then trying to explain to someone else how to get them to work was even worse. It was very distracting while driving. I'm perfectly happy with my Pacifica that I can get paid off within the next year!