It seems we have a little bit of rebellion in the ranks lately. Possibly even some from the Quartermaster herself. Little purchases seem to keep slipping in and it's making me nuts!
We still have baby powder drifting through the house. It just seems to keep coming from nowhere in particular and dusting our lives. I wipe off the dresser, it reappears in the morning. I wipe down the ceiling fan, it's back again with in a few days. I guess it's just going to have to work itself out. But, it doesn't make the housekeeping any easier.
Sometimes, I find myself teetering at the brink of full blown chaos. The baby powder just seemed to give me a good shove towards the abyss. Behind the master bedroom door, a white stripe has appeared along the wall and gathered fluffy white dust bunnies. I am afraid the white stripe is going to be our cheese in the suitcase if not our giant fork and spoon nailed to the wall. The references I am making is to an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond that I love entitled Baggage. Actually, its one of the few episodes I've seen all the way through. Debra and Ray are both ignoring a suitcase filled with cheese because they both believe the other one should unpack it after a trip. It goes on for a really long time and they find out Ray's parents have a giant fork and spoon nailed on their kitchen wall for similar reasons. Am I going to have a white stripe behind my door forever?
Then tonight, when I came home for dinner there was Fast Food! I couldn't believe it! We were supposed to have fish sticks and fries. Yeah, I know it's not exciting, but the kid is 3. He loves fish stick night! And, the excuse for getting Fast Food? He was cleaning up baby powder! Hey, I don't think we get to use that one anymore! And, when I looked before I went back to work, the white stripe was still there! Argh! To be honest, the price of a cheeseburger would've been worth someone else cleaning up the baby powder, if that would be the end of the baby powder!
Hopefully, the stripe is now gone, the urge for fast food is gone and we can get back to our No Buy ways. I hope so. It's very discouraging to have to continually post that I didn't make it for a $0 day. It kind of takes the winds out of my sails. We potentially have big plans for Hoot's 4th birthday, and that's gonna take a lot of wind.
Overheard in the bookstore:
Do you have the Encyclopedia Britannica on audio?
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Sometimes, it just doesn't pay to buy in bulk. Sure, I love my giant buy twice a year box of commercial paper towels. I love it when it comes out cheaper to buy 900 rolls of toilet paper. The savings is a large part of that love. Not having to continually go to the store is the other. I love that I haven't bought shampoo in years. (Though, yikes, I'm almost out!) Bulk items allow me to have more days when I don't spend a dime. I like those days. I've had three in a row this week.
No place was safe. Not my bed.
Even poor Don Quixote (or Donkey Oty, as DS calls him) wasn't safe. He got his booty dusted.
He even attempted to make "snow angels" as I took pictures. Boy, you can bet these pictures will re-appear when he least expects it. Maybe prom night!
So, when is it not cool to buy a giant container of something? Well, when your son gets something he shouldn't, if it's Jumbo Sam's Size, the mess is well, Jumbo Sam's Size.
We'd had such a nice morning. I was getting things done. Hoot was playing nice. Then, I left him on my bed with his tub of Mr. Potato Head parts and went to make lunch. I was gone just over five minutes. Two minutes to microwave leftover chicken. One minute on pasta. Two minutes for frozen corn. I made lemonade and set the table while waiting for the microwave. Then, I heard the giggles. As I opened the hall door, the first thing that hit me was the smell. If you are a J.R. Ward fan (she writes delightfully edgy, trashy vampire romance novels) you will get me when I thought "Do we have Lessers in the house?" Ah, the sweet smell of baby powder. Well, my baby sure got powdered!
No need to adjust your monitors, folks. That's just fall out. In truth, I wasn't so too terribly angry when it happened. I knew I had to grab the camera. I knew I had to have photographic evidence of the crime or no one would believe the magnitude.
No place was safe. Not my bed.Even poor Don Quixote (or Donkey Oty, as DS calls him) wasn't safe. He got his booty dusted.He even attempted to make "snow angels" as I took pictures. Boy, you can bet these pictures will re-appear when he least expects it. Maybe prom night!So, I just decided it could wait until after lunch. So, we had a nice lunch together and then dug out the vacuum. God Bless Hoover! But, I ended up having to use the wand attachment with the brush on the end. Yep, the entire back of the house with a two inch brush. And, I had to be at work in under two hours. Let's just say we did the best we could. Actually, I think it took hours just to settle. It seems to be kicking up again every time someone walks by a crime scene. Honestly, it could take days to get it all back to normal.
So, baby powder in giant bulk container: NO
Vacuum bags in giant bulk packages: YES
Overheard in the bookstore:
The conversation was about Billy Ray Cyrus:
Yeah, but wasn't he really good looking back then?
We were all good looking back then.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Routine of the Quartermaster
It seems like I've been out of my routine for weeks and weeks. We had the trip to my parent's house for Easter. I was on vacation the next week. We had the big garage sale. Then, it was my first week back at work, which is always surreal, ending in a trip to the circus. What a crazy couple of weeks it's been. But, I think it's starting to settle down a bit.
Yesterday and today, I had two $0 days in a row. This makes me very happy and helps things seem calmer. We've gotten a good routine going at home and it's just easier when I'm not spending money. Of course, DH would probably beg to differ. He keeps coming at me with things he wants or, in his words, "needs." Yes, I know he needs things for work. He supplies his own welding gloves, helmet, jacket and tools. I get that. However, I also know he knew he only had a few pairs of gloves left last month. I simply asked him to review his equipment before the end of the month so that I could budget it all into my No Buy exemptions. Is this too hard? He began to refer to me as "Quartermaster." I laughed it off, but there was just a little something I couldn't make out as he walked off and mumbled it again.
In the US Army, the Quartermaster Corp supplies the troops with equipment and provisions. I am sure that this is what he meant. However, a quick Wikipedia search later and I learned a lovely little tidbit I can't wait to share with him:
Pirate quartermasters
Through a historical oddity, pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy elevated the rank of quartermaster to much higher powers and responsibilities than it had aboard any merchant or naval vessel.
Pirate quartermasters, like pirate captains, were usually elected by their crews. The quartermaster ranked higher than any officer aboard the ship except the captain himself, and could veto the captain's decisions whenever the ship was not chasing a prize or engaged in battle. The quartermaster also was chiefly responsible for discipline, assessing punishments for crewmen who transgressed the articles. It was generally also the quartermaster's responsibility to lead the pirate boarding party when coming aboard another ship. Several quartermasters, notably Calico Jack Rackham, succeeded to command and became captains in their own right after the previous captain was killed or deposed.
Yep, I highlighted the lovely part in red. Think I'm gonna print it out and stick it on the fridge, too. Maybe make out a lovely Excel spreadsheet supply requisitions form. Make him submit it in triplicate by the 28th of the month previous to when he'd like supplies.
Honestly, he has made several comments about how much less stress there has been in the house since I started the No Buy routine. But, the man is just a spender at heart.
On the home front:
I am sad to say that I have not seen the opossum in about a month. I am choosing to believe he ran off with the silver opossum and that little babies will be around soon. I am not choosing to believe he was on the side of the road "playing" in traffic.
In the bookstore:
OK, I've had the "Where's your Non-fiction?" question two times in the last week! What's the deal? It happens, we laugh about it, but seriously, twice in the last week?
Yesterday and today, I had two $0 days in a row. This makes me very happy and helps things seem calmer. We've gotten a good routine going at home and it's just easier when I'm not spending money. Of course, DH would probably beg to differ. He keeps coming at me with things he wants or, in his words, "needs." Yes, I know he needs things for work. He supplies his own welding gloves, helmet, jacket and tools. I get that. However, I also know he knew he only had a few pairs of gloves left last month. I simply asked him to review his equipment before the end of the month so that I could budget it all into my No Buy exemptions. Is this too hard? He began to refer to me as "Quartermaster." I laughed it off, but there was just a little something I couldn't make out as he walked off and mumbled it again.
In the US Army, the Quartermaster Corp supplies the troops with equipment and provisions. I am sure that this is what he meant. However, a quick Wikipedia search later and I learned a lovely little tidbit I can't wait to share with him:
Pirate quartermasters
Through a historical oddity, pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy elevated the rank of quartermaster to much higher powers and responsibilities than it had aboard any merchant or naval vessel.
Pirate quartermasters, like pirate captains, were usually elected by their crews. The quartermaster ranked higher than any officer aboard the ship except the captain himself, and could veto the captain's decisions whenever the ship was not chasing a prize or engaged in battle. The quartermaster also was chiefly responsible for discipline, assessing punishments for crewmen who transgressed the articles. It was generally also the quartermaster's responsibility to lead the pirate boarding party when coming aboard another ship. Several quartermasters, notably Calico Jack Rackham, succeeded to command and became captains in their own right after the previous captain was killed or deposed.
Yep, I highlighted the lovely part in red. Think I'm gonna print it out and stick it on the fridge, too. Maybe make out a lovely Excel spreadsheet supply requisitions form. Make him submit it in triplicate by the 28th of the month previous to when he'd like supplies.
Honestly, he has made several comments about how much less stress there has been in the house since I started the No Buy routine. But, the man is just a spender at heart.
On the home front:
I am sad to say that I have not seen the opossum in about a month. I am choosing to believe he ran off with the silver opossum and that little babies will be around soon. I am not choosing to believe he was on the side of the road "playing" in traffic.
In the bookstore:
OK, I've had the "Where's your Non-fiction?" question two times in the last week! What's the deal? It happens, we laugh about it, but seriously, twice in the last week?
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Big Top Budget Buster
Tonight, we went to the Circus. It was our Family Fun outing for April and we've been looking forward to it for months. We've spent many bedtimes reading Circus McGurkus by Dr. Seuss and today, DH & Hoot used their afternoon quiet time to watch Dumbo.
We attempted three times to buy advance tickets at the local Appletree supermarket, but their booth was closed twice (once a four in the afternoon!) and this morning, the tickets had already been picked back up. Because we'll have to buy them at the gate, we're already a little off from my budget. But with the free child's ticket, it's still only going to cost $32 for the three of us.
When we arrive, we pay our $5 for parking and slog our way from the oh, so soggy parking field to the front gate. We're pretty impressed by the big top and there is a menagerie area just inside the gate. There are elephant, camel, and pony rides just begging to be bought. There is also a semi-petting zoo where you can buy feed to give to goats, llamas, and a donkey. We met this lovely lady there:
We attempted three times to buy advance tickets at the local Appletree supermarket, but their booth was closed twice (once a four in the afternoon!) and this morning, the tickets had already been picked back up. Because we'll have to buy them at the gate, we're already a little off from my budget. But with the free child's ticket, it's still only going to cost $32 for the three of us.
When we arrive, we pay our $5 for parking and slog our way from the oh, so soggy parking field to the front gate. We're pretty impressed by the big top and there is a menagerie area just inside the gate. There are elephant, camel, and pony rides just begging to be bought. There is also a semi-petting zoo where you can buy feed to give to goats, llamas, and a donkey. We met this lovely lady there:
Her big smile caused Hoot to do a little jig!
And immediately, I'm wondering how much llama food costs! But, I push the impulse aside and we eventually enter the Big Top itself. We bypass the clown selling programs at the front door, but stop at the concession trailer as we had promised Hoot one of those elusive sodas he likes so much. So, there was another $2.50, but hey, that's okay. We're only up to $39.50 out of our $50 budget.
As we head towards the stadium seating, we notice a woman with a cash register is selling reserved "preferred seating" for only $4 extra. There is also "box seating" for $5 extra. The box seating consists of plastic lawn chairs right down front and center on the floor level. The preferred seating is just behind it and the seats have backrests. It's now almost 7:30 pm and I've been up since 5:30 am and those backrests are looking very, very appealing. Then I realize how much easier it would be to keep Hoot contained if we had back rests. I suddenly find myself wondering if I will choose $12 extra or $15 extra. Remember a few years ago, when an elephant went mad at a small circus? I can still play the video footage in my head. Okay, preferred please, I would like to have a buffer or two between us and center ring. And that's it. Our circus budget is blown by a buck fifty.
But, of course, it doesn't stop there! We're in our seats and it's almost showtime and the concessionaires are out in force with light up swords, fiber optic wands, and what we called "The Wand of Power" because we thought it had the power to keep Hoot entertained until the show began. It was a blue wand with a spinning globe of lights on top. When you pushed the button it made a zinging noise and the lights went crazy. Circus budget blown by $11.50.
Halfway through the show, we hit intermission. Or should I say, half-time capitalism? Step right up ladies and gentlemen! In ring one, the ever popular Pony Ride! Only $4 for a round! Now showing in ring two: The amazing Drape A Giant Snake Around Your Baby, What a Christmas Card This Will Make Photo Booth! Only $5 a photo, kids! And in ring three: Elephant rides, $6 a pop! Needless to say, I was quite happy we made it through intermission only spending $3 on cotton candy. The boys were totally eyeing those elephants!
The cotton candy was the last purchase of the night and we all had a blast. The budget was blown by $14.50. But, considering how bad DH wanted to get pictures of Hoot on a camel and an elephant, at least it wasn't shot out of a cannon.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Beginning of the month
It's April 1st and time for a clean slate. I like the first of the month a lot better than I used to, that's for sure. Before my No Buy and my Master Plan budget sheet in Excel, I dreaded starting over. *sigh* It was just another round of new bills. Didn't I just pay these people? Again? Really? Does it ever end?
April brings with it my 9th month of No Buy. My attitudes towards money, finances, and bills have changed so much. It's not a dreaded chore anymore. It's a challenge, and dare I say it, kind of fun. What has happened to me? I guess my inner planner has taken over.
This month has some different bills than usual. The Saturn's registration is due and the taxes on Tara are due (Federal income taxes). The "other bills" as I used to call them always sent me into a tizzy. What, like I didn't know cars got registered and tax day fell on April 15th? It used to seem more like random acts before my excel spreadsheet was born. When I hit September of this year, it will be even easier to plan for these types of bills. I'll have made a full 12 month circle on the spreadsheet and be able to look at last year's expenses.
We also have a bit of fun coming up this month. For our family fun exemption, we're taking Hoot to the circus on Friday. I know it's not very P.C. but I love the circus. It's even cooler because it's a real big top circus. His first circus is going to be under the big top! That's too cool. I even scored a free child's ticket!
Current reading: It's Not About the Money by Brent Kessel. I've just picked it up today and I've only made it through the introduction. Pretty interesting so far. I wonder if it'll be a Zen and the Art of the Bank Account Maintenance kind of thing?
April brings with it my 9th month of No Buy. My attitudes towards money, finances, and bills have changed so much. It's not a dreaded chore anymore. It's a challenge, and dare I say it, kind of fun. What has happened to me? I guess my inner planner has taken over.
This month has some different bills than usual. The Saturn's registration is due and the taxes on Tara are due (Federal income taxes). The "other bills" as I used to call them always sent me into a tizzy. What, like I didn't know cars got registered and tax day fell on April 15th? It used to seem more like random acts before my excel spreadsheet was born. When I hit September of this year, it will be even easier to plan for these types of bills. I'll have made a full 12 month circle on the spreadsheet and be able to look at last year's expenses.
We also have a bit of fun coming up this month. For our family fun exemption, we're taking Hoot to the circus on Friday. I know it's not very P.C. but I love the circus. It's even cooler because it's a real big top circus. His first circus is going to be under the big top! That's too cool. I even scored a free child's ticket!
Current reading: It's Not About the Money by Brent Kessel. I've just picked it up today and I've only made it through the introduction. Pretty interesting so far. I wonder if it'll be a Zen and the Art of the Bank Account Maintenance kind of thing?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters
Yesterday and today, we had the long awaited yard sale. I can't tell you how glad I am that it's over. But, then again, if you've ever had one, you know. The clutter factor is not as low as it could be in the house, but I gained an entire closet and a bit of cash. Can't complain about that.
When pricing everything, I wanted to make sure it would move. I made the pact with myself that anything I did not sell would be donated. I swore it would be done before sundown tonight. So, I kept prices quite low. All baby and little boy clothes were fifty cents each. Cloth diapers were a nickel. Most toys were fifty cents, a quarter, or a dollar.
We had very few big ticket items. I sold two car seats for $20 each, one for $10, the baby swing for $20 and two barely working lawn mowers for $10 each. That's only $90. We ended up making $340.
There are some things I wished I had priced a little higher. Before we could even get open (dang car port! If I had a garage, I could've ignored the sharks that got here just after 7am on Friday) the dealers were all over us. I know that most of the people here before 8am have booths at the local flea market. The first lady jumped on the entire box of shoes and took it out on the lawn to check them out. They were all in great shape and went from first booties to the pair of Cars light up shoes we replaced just a couple of weeks ago. She didn't even attempt to haggle. Hmm, must have been a great deal.
I figured I had the car seats right when the dealers wanted to get me to take $10 for them. I suspected that it meant that they could sell them for $20 at the flea market. One lady was very, very mean about it. She thought she could intimidate me! Right on my own front lawn? Yeah, right. She finally backed down. I think she realized she was only amusing me.
The only other mean haggler we had was a woman who wanted to haggle over a fifty cent pair of short overalls from Gymboree. Um, hey lady, if you don't want them, don't buy them. I kept thinking I could get a lot more at Once Upon a Child or even eBay, but that wasn't all the yard sale was about.
This yard sale was also about lightening the load and letting go. Poor Hoot learned that when he peeked out the front window to see an old dinosaur toy being carried away. Now, he hasn't played with that dinosaur in ages, but he knew it was his. Oh, what a fit. DH kept him away from the house most of Friday.
For the longest time, we couldn't decide if we wanted to sell the Cozy Coupe play car or the Little Tikes table and chairs. Poor Hoot, he loves the Cozy Coupe, but he's so tall and his legs are so long, he never gets inside anymore. At 3 1/2, he's mentally into the car, he's just too big for the car! The table and chairs set he has never, ever sat at. He only used them to climb things and they kept going to "toy jail" because he began to stack the chair on the table to reach the ceiling fan chain. We decided to put the table set out, but kept the Cozy Coupe in the house. Alas, we didn't sell the table and chairs today. But, we had lousy weather today as we woke up to a wet, cold morning. I broke my oath of donating in both of these cases. I figure I can put them on Craig's List later.
A lot of shoppers bought bags and bags full of clothes. It was totally awesome. I had a big box of clothes in each size from newborn to 3T. (Great garage sale tip here: We had so many people rave that it was sorted by sizes!) When we packed up the clothes to donate, I only had 3 boxes left. As we were closing up, I packed a half of a box full of the best stuff and dropped it off at Once Upon a Child. I'll go back tomorrow to see what I get from them.
My biggest excitement was over how quickly those pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters added up! I made $250 on things priced a dollar or lower. Wow. It re-affirmed to me that it all adds up. Making money or spending money: Every single penny counts.
On the homefront:
Can I go back to work yet? I need a break from my vacation.
When pricing everything, I wanted to make sure it would move. I made the pact with myself that anything I did not sell would be donated. I swore it would be done before sundown tonight. So, I kept prices quite low. All baby and little boy clothes were fifty cents each. Cloth diapers were a nickel. Most toys were fifty cents, a quarter, or a dollar.
We had very few big ticket items. I sold two car seats for $20 each, one for $10, the baby swing for $20 and two barely working lawn mowers for $10 each. That's only $90. We ended up making $340.
There are some things I wished I had priced a little higher. Before we could even get open (dang car port! If I had a garage, I could've ignored the sharks that got here just after 7am on Friday) the dealers were all over us. I know that most of the people here before 8am have booths at the local flea market. The first lady jumped on the entire box of shoes and took it out on the lawn to check them out. They were all in great shape and went from first booties to the pair of Cars light up shoes we replaced just a couple of weeks ago. She didn't even attempt to haggle. Hmm, must have been a great deal.
I figured I had the car seats right when the dealers wanted to get me to take $10 for them. I suspected that it meant that they could sell them for $20 at the flea market. One lady was very, very mean about it. She thought she could intimidate me! Right on my own front lawn? Yeah, right. She finally backed down. I think she realized she was only amusing me.
The only other mean haggler we had was a woman who wanted to haggle over a fifty cent pair of short overalls from Gymboree. Um, hey lady, if you don't want them, don't buy them. I kept thinking I could get a lot more at Once Upon a Child or even eBay, but that wasn't all the yard sale was about.
This yard sale was also about lightening the load and letting go. Poor Hoot learned that when he peeked out the front window to see an old dinosaur toy being carried away. Now, he hasn't played with that dinosaur in ages, but he knew it was his. Oh, what a fit. DH kept him away from the house most of Friday.
For the longest time, we couldn't decide if we wanted to sell the Cozy Coupe play car or the Little Tikes table and chairs. Poor Hoot, he loves the Cozy Coupe, but he's so tall and his legs are so long, he never gets inside anymore. At 3 1/2, he's mentally into the car, he's just too big for the car! The table and chairs set he has never, ever sat at. He only used them to climb things and they kept going to "toy jail" because he began to stack the chair on the table to reach the ceiling fan chain. We decided to put the table set out, but kept the Cozy Coupe in the house. Alas, we didn't sell the table and chairs today. But, we had lousy weather today as we woke up to a wet, cold morning. I broke my oath of donating in both of these cases. I figure I can put them on Craig's List later.
A lot of shoppers bought bags and bags full of clothes. It was totally awesome. I had a big box of clothes in each size from newborn to 3T. (Great garage sale tip here: We had so many people rave that it was sorted by sizes!) When we packed up the clothes to donate, I only had 3 boxes left. As we were closing up, I packed a half of a box full of the best stuff and dropped it off at Once Upon a Child. I'll go back tomorrow to see what I get from them.
My biggest excitement was over how quickly those pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters added up! I made $250 on things priced a dollar or lower. Wow. It re-affirmed to me that it all adds up. Making money or spending money: Every single penny counts.
On the homefront:
Can I go back to work yet? I need a break from my vacation.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Justifying AAA Costs
In the last 8 months of my No Buy project, I have been continually going over our expenses and re-evaluating what we spend. One of my first impulses was to do away with AAA. However, I began this new lifestyle in August, about three months after I had renewed my AAA membership, so I had almost a year to really evaluate the service.
I first became a member of AAA courtesy of Tee. I was six months pregnant and about to drive a thousand miles to Walt Disney World with my other sister and my 12 year old niece. I was a little apprehensive about driving so far being pregnant and my sister has multiple medical conditions that would make her unable to assist with even changing a tire. Tee stepped in and gave me a gift membership to AAA. It gave me great peace of mind for the drive, and we didn't use it at all.
The next time my membership came up, I had an eight month old baby and routinely took day trips to Houston. It was totally worth the $55 for peace of mind. For the next two renewals, it was just a bill that came in the mail, so I sent out a check. I had never used the membership for anything other than discounts.
So, during the first few months of No Buy, I decided I wouldn't renew the membership. I just didn't see the value, but alas, I was soon to learn.
In January, DH had parked his Saturn in the driveway, blocking in the Bug. Somehow, DH had gone to get something out of the Saturn and Hoot had tagged along. I really have no idea what happened, but I know the keys were laying in the front seat and the doors got locked. Blame in on DH, blame it on Hoot. Doesn't matter. I tore up the house looking for the extra set of keys before I gave up and called AAA. I figured I might as well use the service I was paying for, right? Well, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly someone came, and in under 30 minutes, the keys were free. Hm, maybe I should look at this a little closer.
Earlier this month, when I was at the mall buying my glasses, I came out to the parking lot to find a flat tire. I almost dialed AAA again, but decided against it. Heck, it was only a flat and I have never taken more than 10 minutes to change a tire. So, 8 minutes later, I was tooling down the road on a donut. This did not make a great case for renewing AAA. The score was tied 1-1. However, I have to be honest, if it had been over 85 degrees outside, I totally would have called!
Last weekend, we took the trip to my parents' house for Easter. As we were a whirling mess getting out of town and arrived a bit out of sorts, it should have come as no surprise when I locked my keys in Penny's trunk. Now, it is really hard to lock your keys in a New Beetle. If the driver's side door is open, you can not lock the doors or activate the alarm. However, if the car is armed and you only pop the trunk, it can happen. It can also happen if you go in through the passenger side door, but the trunk was our issue.
Around 8:30 pm on Saturday night, I was out front fishing through the Easter basket supplies I had hidden away in the trunk. Hoot was in the house getting ready for bed, or so I thought. Then, the front door burst open and Hoot was dashing across the lawn. I scrambled to get things recovered and quickly shut the trunk. Yep. And I didn't even need to bother. He just peed on the side of the house and DH herded him back inside. (At 3, he just loves to pee outside!)
My parents live in Westhoff, Texas. It only has a flashing caution light on the highway and a post office. That's it. You can't even buy gas. It's so small, they don't even have a population sign. The nearest town is Cuero, fourteen miles away. If you want to go to the city, you have to drive to Victoria or one of the San Antonio suburbs. I thought this would be a great test of the AAA service.
I gave AAA a call and while I had to spell Westhoff twice and give the zip code at least three times, the agent assured me that it would be no issue. She gave me an hour window. We received the call from the wrecker service within 10 minutes. My mother spoke with the guy and gave him directions. He recognized the road they lived on because it is very long and stretches about 30 miles. She told him at least 3 times to not take Cheapside Road (yes, they live on Cheapside Road, but they used to live on Poverty Point Circle!) all the way to their house. He took Cheapside anyway and was 20 minutes late getting to us. Glad I wasn't in the middle of nowhere, oh, well, I guess I was, but at least I was at a house and not stuck in the car with DS.
So, Mr. Congeniality gets out of the truck, apologizes for being late, admits that he took the bad road, and says it will be no problem to get into my car. He uses his air cushion to pry open the door and is amazed that when he pushes the unlock button nothing will happen. Um, yeah, Volkswagen, alarm.... These are not friendly cars to steal. I like it that way. So, he tries the unlock button again and again. I kept thinking, "Good Lord, just let me do it" but you know.... So, I suggest he try the door handle from the inside. He pries and pries and finally, she gives. Boy, does she ever! Penny's door bursts open and this guy is put onto his back in the driveway. Her alarm is going crazy and in the back of my head, I remember the salesman telling me that if the car is breached and left armed for so long, the computer will shut down. I totally didn't even check on him. The trunk latch will not pop and the locks still won't unlock, so I dive into the back seat. It's full of car toys, blankets, and books for the drive, so I have to shove it all up into the front seat. Then, I have to throw the car seat out onto the driveway so I can put the back seat down and get into the trunk. I finally have the key and I shut off the alarm. Mr. Congeniality is still going on and on about how the door burst open like that and how crazy it was. I was wondering if he had ever seen a Herbie movie!
And just like that, AAA pulled ahead on the scoreboard. As our cars get older and we put more miles on them, the score will probably get even bigger. So, as I have been evaluating, it looks like I may raise rather than lower my AAA bill. DH's Saturn will hit 200K miles this spring or summer, looks like I'll be adding his coverage as well. Also, as curiosity got the better of me, I asked Mr. Congeniality what it would've cost me without AAA. With the mileage, it would've run almost $110! Well, actually it wouldn't have because for $45 in gas, I could've just come home in my mom's car for the extra keys.
On the hunt:
He was so busy running for eggs, he couldn't even be bothered with his basket!
Overheard at the bookstore:
Don't know! I haven't been there since Friday and I'm not going back until Monday! Yippee!
I first became a member of AAA courtesy of Tee. I was six months pregnant and about to drive a thousand miles to Walt Disney World with my other sister and my 12 year old niece. I was a little apprehensive about driving so far being pregnant and my sister has multiple medical conditions that would make her unable to assist with even changing a tire. Tee stepped in and gave me a gift membership to AAA. It gave me great peace of mind for the drive, and we didn't use it at all.
The next time my membership came up, I had an eight month old baby and routinely took day trips to Houston. It was totally worth the $55 for peace of mind. For the next two renewals, it was just a bill that came in the mail, so I sent out a check. I had never used the membership for anything other than discounts.
So, during the first few months of No Buy, I decided I wouldn't renew the membership. I just didn't see the value, but alas, I was soon to learn.
In January, DH had parked his Saturn in the driveway, blocking in the Bug. Somehow, DH had gone to get something out of the Saturn and Hoot had tagged along. I really have no idea what happened, but I know the keys were laying in the front seat and the doors got locked. Blame in on DH, blame it on Hoot. Doesn't matter. I tore up the house looking for the extra set of keys before I gave up and called AAA. I figured I might as well use the service I was paying for, right? Well, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly someone came, and in under 30 minutes, the keys were free. Hm, maybe I should look at this a little closer.
Earlier this month, when I was at the mall buying my glasses, I came out to the parking lot to find a flat tire. I almost dialed AAA again, but decided against it. Heck, it was only a flat and I have never taken more than 10 minutes to change a tire. So, 8 minutes later, I was tooling down the road on a donut. This did not make a great case for renewing AAA. The score was tied 1-1. However, I have to be honest, if it had been over 85 degrees outside, I totally would have called!
Last weekend, we took the trip to my parents' house for Easter. As we were a whirling mess getting out of town and arrived a bit out of sorts, it should have come as no surprise when I locked my keys in Penny's trunk. Now, it is really hard to lock your keys in a New Beetle. If the driver's side door is open, you can not lock the doors or activate the alarm. However, if the car is armed and you only pop the trunk, it can happen. It can also happen if you go in through the passenger side door, but the trunk was our issue.
Around 8:30 pm on Saturday night, I was out front fishing through the Easter basket supplies I had hidden away in the trunk. Hoot was in the house getting ready for bed, or so I thought. Then, the front door burst open and Hoot was dashing across the lawn. I scrambled to get things recovered and quickly shut the trunk. Yep. And I didn't even need to bother. He just peed on the side of the house and DH herded him back inside. (At 3, he just loves to pee outside!)
My parents live in Westhoff, Texas. It only has a flashing caution light on the highway and a post office. That's it. You can't even buy gas. It's so small, they don't even have a population sign. The nearest town is Cuero, fourteen miles away. If you want to go to the city, you have to drive to Victoria or one of the San Antonio suburbs. I thought this would be a great test of the AAA service.
I gave AAA a call and while I had to spell Westhoff twice and give the zip code at least three times, the agent assured me that it would be no issue. She gave me an hour window. We received the call from the wrecker service within 10 minutes. My mother spoke with the guy and gave him directions. He recognized the road they lived on because it is very long and stretches about 30 miles. She told him at least 3 times to not take Cheapside Road (yes, they live on Cheapside Road, but they used to live on Poverty Point Circle!) all the way to their house. He took Cheapside anyway and was 20 minutes late getting to us. Glad I wasn't in the middle of nowhere, oh, well, I guess I was, but at least I was at a house and not stuck in the car with DS.
So, Mr. Congeniality gets out of the truck, apologizes for being late, admits that he took the bad road, and says it will be no problem to get into my car. He uses his air cushion to pry open the door and is amazed that when he pushes the unlock button nothing will happen. Um, yeah, Volkswagen, alarm.... These are not friendly cars to steal. I like it that way. So, he tries the unlock button again and again. I kept thinking, "Good Lord, just let me do it" but you know.... So, I suggest he try the door handle from the inside. He pries and pries and finally, she gives. Boy, does she ever! Penny's door bursts open and this guy is put onto his back in the driveway. Her alarm is going crazy and in the back of my head, I remember the salesman telling me that if the car is breached and left armed for so long, the computer will shut down. I totally didn't even check on him. The trunk latch will not pop and the locks still won't unlock, so I dive into the back seat. It's full of car toys, blankets, and books for the drive, so I have to shove it all up into the front seat. Then, I have to throw the car seat out onto the driveway so I can put the back seat down and get into the trunk. I finally have the key and I shut off the alarm. Mr. Congeniality is still going on and on about how the door burst open like that and how crazy it was. I was wondering if he had ever seen a Herbie movie!
And just like that, AAA pulled ahead on the scoreboard. As our cars get older and we put more miles on them, the score will probably get even bigger. So, as I have been evaluating, it looks like I may raise rather than lower my AAA bill. DH's Saturn will hit 200K miles this spring or summer, looks like I'll be adding his coverage as well. Also, as curiosity got the better of me, I asked Mr. Congeniality what it would've cost me without AAA. With the mileage, it would've run almost $110! Well, actually it wouldn't have because for $45 in gas, I could've just come home in my mom's car for the extra keys.
On the hunt:
He was so busy running for eggs, he couldn't even be bothered with his basket!Overheard at the bookstore:
Don't know! I haven't been there since Friday and I'm not going back until Monday! Yippee!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)