Navigate

New
Older
About
Diaryrings
Surveys
Email
Notes
Guestbook
Image
Diaryland
Haloscan


Design

Riffed by Dr. Geek
from an idea by Vitriol


Co-conspirators

ann-frank
ariadne518
belle de jour
borogoves
clarity25
crazed parent
elgan
harri3tspy
hissandtell
ilonina
itzie
jason75
ladybug-red
letaboo
lioness den
meeyapede
metaleve
metonym
mr. nice guy
mrs-roboto
obvious zombie
pageme
science-girl
teranika
true porn clerk stories
weetabix



breaking piggy banks

It's been a week to break open piggy banks.

At the end of my last entry, I mentioned that the estimated cost of repairs for Mrs. Geek's car was around $850. That didn't quite turn out to be true. I'll get to more about that in a moment, however.

Financial matters are raising my blood pressure lately. July was an expensive month. Certain important bills needed to be paid immediately on our return from Hawaii. That left our bank accounts rather low. Thank goodness for the generous financial wedding gifts of others -- it seems like sacriledge to say so, but wedding gift money has been helping to make ends meet around here. We have gotten ourselves some nice stuff (rounding out our complement of new, bright red luggage, some kitchen gadgets) but a lot of the money has just gone to other things.

I've been working out my financial frustrations by cleaning the apartment. It's a very transparent attempt to control my surroundings when my life seems out of control, I know. It has yielded positive results though. Gift boxes are down to one rather small pile, thank you notes have been sent, and we have a dining room again for the first time in months.

My heightened state of financial paranoia also led me to question the validity of the $850 estimate. I used to trust the mechanics who made the estimate, but it's been a few years since I dealt with them. Had the business been sold? Was I now dealing with money grubbing con men who were out to screw us?

After meeting with them to pick up Mrs. Geek's car, I can say that the answer is no. It's still the same people (you could tell by the pet macaw in the office,) and they were merely trying to do a very thorough job. The mechanic who did the work said that everything on the car is still solid, but that it just needed a good tune up, fluid change, and four new tires to keep going strong. The car just needed a little TLC, I guess.

How much was the final bill, I hear you cry? Well, the garage itself came in under original estimate at about $800. The new tires at the local price club came to another $300 or so installed. So that makes for a grand total of $1100. If you think back on it, that's probably what all the necessary maintenance would have cost over the years... and I can live with it.

Still, both Mrs. Geek and myself get paid tomorrow... and it's not a day too soon.

said drgeek on 2004-08-12 at 8:41 p.m.

|

The Wayback Machine - To Infinity And Beyond

those first two estates - 2009-02-04 12:58 p.m.
nativity - 2009-02-03 9:28 p.m.
I am with Brahman - 2009-01-28 9:43 p.m.
angry - 2009-01-25 2:58 p.m.
i am - 2009-01-23 8:33 p.m.