So much good stuff I could just burst!

Saturday afternoon. Let's get the important stuff out of the way first: go here and vote for Dave and Abby. I don't care that I got my hat handed to me in the BoB awards, but these are my adorable baby kitties and they simply must win! Might I suggest "Those are the most adorable kitties I've ever seen?" or, perhaps, "Their mama sure is lucky!"? Thank you in advance for your support!

Now, for the boring, humdrum stuff. I got a new car.

Thank you - good night!

What? You want to hear more about the new car? Ohhhhh. Okey doke. Well, it's a 2005 F0rd E$cape XLS, 4-cylinder, automatic (my first automatic car!), sort of a midnighty blue color, cruise control, an alarm, nifty chrome wheel thingies (what are those things called? The things that go inside the little tire thing? I have always called them hubcaps, but I know that's not right), LoJack car recovery service, an alarm, and - this is my favorite part! - a Garmin GPS in-car navigation system. Oh, yes, my friends, we may have seen the last of Denise's navigationally challenged detours!!! They threw it in for free because it's President's Day weekend and I was so chuffed that I clapped my hands in glee. (If you're wincing as you imagine what a terribly naive car buying customer I am, you'd be right on track. Fortunately, it's one of those no-haggle dealerships where the salesmen don't work on commission, so he didn't try to up sell me or anything. Gosh, I'd have been lost if he'd done that!) I very nearly cried as I said good bye to my old car, but then I just forced myself to hold it together so that I wouldn't look like a fool in front of everyone at the dealership. Good for me. I very nearly cried as I called my mom to tell her that I'd gotten a brand new (less than 5 miles) car all by myself for the first time ever.

Now, of course, I am looking at my monthly budget and getting scared, but it's just going to be a matter of being really strict about what goes out of pocket and scaling back a few things.

* No store bought lattes
* No dinners from my prepared meal provider. I'll do $4 Lean Cuisines instead (about $40 a week cheaper)
* No more brow waxing. One last appointment and then I'll start doing my own maintenance
* No more salon highlights. As a matter of fact, no more highlights at all. I'm going to use the special brunette shampoo with color enhancers and hoping for the best.
* No more than $60 a haircut, including tip - this one will be tough!

Some of this can be added back after I've put some concerted effort behind cutting my credit card debt in order to reduce my monthly required payments. Whatever "extra" money I get - tax refund (I hope!), profit sharing, stock sales - is all going to go toward paying down that credit card, because it's just killing my budget with the addition of the car payments.

Ahhh...I think I'll go and inhale some New Car Smell now!

Comments

betsy said…
Happy new car day Denise! I LOVE THAT NEW CAR SMELL! Bottle some up and send it over to me! (I dont think that would clean out the dog smell in my car though...)
Congratulations!

And I think they're called "wheels" (you know, the rim/hubcap part inside the "tire"). Whatever, I still call them hubcaps, but husband rolls eyes everytime I say that..heeeheeehee..
Flo said…
Denise, you are going to love that car. I've had an Escape for 4 years (I got one of the first ones) and I still absolutely adore it. It's the best car I have ever owned. Enjoy yours and that new car smell :)

Florence
Anonymous said…
Congrats on the new car! Also, nods on the budget setting. However, had to laugh over your $60 haircut restriction... if I pay over $20, I kick myself. Hee hee.

Whenever I have gotten my brows waxed, it has been a disaster. I like a full look, and that is never what I end up with. I'm trying to grow my brows back after the last "well maybe this time it will be different" session.

My eyebrows are super important to me. I hate, hate, hate unkempt brows. I'm more likely to pluck my brows than put on make up if I'm running late. :) So, this growing out phase is making me crazy!

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