I purchased my 2005 Nissan Altima in 2004 (yep, brand new) during my senior year of college. It's the first major purchase I ever made, that I ever paid off (early!). The odometer just rolled over 80,000 miles. In reality, we "should" own the vehicle for another 5-6 years/ to 200,000 miles.
It also lacks Anti-Lock Brakes, All Wheel Drive and has $5,000 worth of hail damage. My ride, it ain't so pimp.
DJ and I are pretty financially conservative people, though you might not see that from our decisions over the past two years. We've jumped from one big purchase to another: a house, a wedding, a Europe trip. In almost each situation, we anxiously awaited our Tax Return to pay off the credit card which funded said Big Purchase.
Neither of us "like" to do things this way, and we're breaking the cycle with this tax return. Seriously. Our plan is to be consumer debt free by March, and then start stockpiling away money for a hefty down payment on a new (to us) vehicle that has AWD (or front wheel drive with studded snow tires), ABS and will last us for the next decade. If we could make my car last long enough, we might be able to pay cash for such a vehicle.
Except that my car doesn't seem to be lasting long enough. I've gone through 5 headlights in the last 18 months. Assuming it was just the bulbs, we kept replacing the damn things. I finally called last Tuesday and made an appointment with the shop. And then the other headlight went out on Wednesday. No headlights during literally the darkest part of the year. >>>Enter four letter word here<<<
It's apparently a wiring problem, but the shop hasn't figured it out yet.
I also mentioned to them that the fuel door is getting harder and harder to open and close. It had a big ding from hail damage, and I swear, the wind speed from interstate driving has sculpted the thing closed. Is that possible? Because I practically need a pliers to open my "auto-open" fuel door. The dealership today said they'd have to replace the entire fuel door, and custom paint it to match the car. Oh hell no. I'd rather buy a $10 set of pliers for the next 9 months.
I haven't told DJ that little jem yet.
I hate spending money on a car we're going to be getting rid of. But more than that, we don't have the kind of down payment we are comfortable with to purchase a new vehicle. So what can you do, right? Grr.
I wonder if we should re-evaluate the "Single Car Family" model?
About Me
- Courtney
- Blogging about gardening in zone 4, marriage, our golden retriever and life in general.
Showing posts with label purchases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purchases. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Toiletries for Europe
When packing for one of our first trips, DJ had a list of things labeled "Toilet Trees". He knows that's not the proper spelling of all the gear one packs to deal with their body, but since then we've always referred to things like shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc. as Toilet Trees. Sometimes just "'Trees".
Given our carry-on only travel plans, the 'Trees need to be pretty light. They'll also have to be divided into liquid and non-liquid items.
First, the non-liquid items. Below is a combination of personal care items and first aid items, including two kinds of blister relief pads, Drammamine (in case DJ gets train-sick), probiotics (for me and my sometimes unpredictable GI tract), Tums, UTI pills (I haven't had one in a while, but I don't want to deal with that uncomfortableness in Europe), deodorant/ antiperspirant, two kinds of anti-chafe stuff (I'm packing skirts and want to wear them to walk around in without having the "OMFG OUCH my thighs!" issue), Dove sensitive skin soap, which I use on my face and body, My red nail care kit (any idea if they'll let me fly with little tiny scissors?), and the scraper thing for when I get calluses on my feet (Gross to share, but important to have). And floss.
The liquid bag is still a little uncertain. Packing contact solution is the biggest pain in the ass thing; I wish I'd been able to have laser eye surgery last winter! Also: hand sanitizer, various types of sunscreen (won't be enough for the whole trip, but will at least get us started), moisturizers, Tide packets for washing clothes, 2-in-1 shampoo/ conditioner (takes less space!), eye makeup remover and toothpaste.
Obviously I'm not showing you my toothbrush, my daily multivitamin, my makeup and all of the regular stuff I use which will go along. I've found that packing the daily stuff is usually pretty simple, since I really don't wear much makeup!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Gear for Europe
As we near our departure date, I'm pretty certain we've finished up our For-Europe purchases. I told DJ last night that I have the same feeling I did in the last week before our wedding: damn the price, if you think you're going to need it, buy it. The good news is, I think I'll have a lot less buyers remorse about Europe than I do about our wedding! At least all the Europe stuff will be used again, unlike say... the 12 tiki torches we bought.
I've shown you my shoes for Europe and most of the clothing I'll be taking, but now let me show you most of the gear I plan to pack.
As I've said before, we're planning on traveling light, with carry-on sized baggage. I'll have the Samsonite roll-aboard I bought with the remainder of our wedding gift cards, and DJ will have his tiny little roll-aboard. DJ has a messenger bag he'll use as a personal item and I just purchased a purse/ small day bag which will be mine. It's been a kind of fun challenge to work through exactly what it is we want to take.
First, a sort of fanny-pack for the most important documents. There are pickpockets in Venice and Rome, and at train and air travel locations. It's inevitable that our pockets will be picked, so we might as well prevent loss of important items. Bastards better not steal my chapstick, is all I'm gonna say! Anyway, thus the purchase of the silky fanny pack, which you wear around your front and tuck into your pants/ skirt waistband. Into it will go the passport (duh), wallet (the little green flip'n'fold wallet is from Target), and any other important paperwork. My only concern with this item is that clearly I can't wear a full-length dress if I'll need to be getting into my pouch...
While it'll probably pretty warm in Italy, I'm anticipating cooler weather in France. The weather forecast for Normandy right now calls for highs in the upper '60's (F) and lows in the upper 50's (F), with wet weather a possibility. On the left is the North Face Venture rain jacket I purchased this spring. In the middle is an underarmour pullover I've had for a few years. The green square to the right is a big green scarf which I'll wear with my black Patagonia dress on the plane. The scarf will be a cover-up, blanket, etc. while in flight. The crimson 'Cougs hat will be just an accessory- I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone comments on the hat!
Below is my carry-on items. From left to right: inflatable pillow, new Jon Grisham paperback, the day-bag I bought, a bottle for water, eye mask, Neutrogena makeup-remover wipes, travel journal, goldfish crackers and granola bars. Both DJ and I are planning on sleeping from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, so the inflatable pillow, eye mask and ear plugs (not pictured) will be important. We've both also debated taking a Tylenol PM, just to make sure we're not miserable for the lengthy flight. The paperback and goldfish are my go-to plane entertainment items. I'll fill the waterbottle once we've cleared security. The granola bars will go with us because I get really bitchy when I'm hungry, so they'll be our first line of prevention for that.
Other gear not pictured includes guidebooks (we'll separate those between our rolling luggage), a file with all of our rental car, hotel, and flight reservation information as well as tentative train schedule information for Italy. Of course, camera, camera charger, extra camera memory chip, DJ's droid phone (on which we'll turn the phone mode off and just find wireless hot spots to use it as a small computer), phone charger. I'll want to have my glasses case/ contact stuff handy, as I'll take those out pretty quickly into our trip. We've also got handi-wipes, small packets of laundry detergent for doing laundry in hotel sinks, a mini-clothes line for laundry, shout wipes (I'm taking 3 white shirts to a country that eats pasta, you know how this story ends).
The spreadsheet for this packing is actually pretty detailed, but small, since we're trying to pack so lightly! I'll go over toiletries for Europe later.
I've shown you my shoes for Europe and most of the clothing I'll be taking, but now let me show you most of the gear I plan to pack.
As I've said before, we're planning on traveling light, with carry-on sized baggage. I'll have the Samsonite roll-aboard I bought with the remainder of our wedding gift cards, and DJ will have his tiny little roll-aboard. DJ has a messenger bag he'll use as a personal item and I just purchased a purse/ small day bag which will be mine. It's been a kind of fun challenge to work through exactly what it is we want to take.
First, a sort of fanny-pack for the most important documents. There are pickpockets in Venice and Rome, and at train and air travel locations. It's inevitable that our pockets will be picked, so we might as well prevent loss of important items. Bastards better not steal my chapstick, is all I'm gonna say! Anyway, thus the purchase of the silky fanny pack, which you wear around your front and tuck into your pants/ skirt waistband. Into it will go the passport (duh), wallet (the little green flip'n'fold wallet is from Target), and any other important paperwork. My only concern with this item is that clearly I can't wear a full-length dress if I'll need to be getting into my pouch...
While it'll probably pretty warm in Italy, I'm anticipating cooler weather in France. The weather forecast for Normandy right now calls for highs in the upper '60's (F) and lows in the upper 50's (F), with wet weather a possibility. On the left is the North Face Venture rain jacket I purchased this spring. In the middle is an underarmour pullover I've had for a few years. The green square to the right is a big green scarf which I'll wear with my black Patagonia dress on the plane. The scarf will be a cover-up, blanket, etc. while in flight. The crimson 'Cougs hat will be just an accessory- I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone comments on the hat!
Below is my carry-on items. From left to right: inflatable pillow, new Jon Grisham paperback, the day-bag I bought, a bottle for water, eye mask, Neutrogena makeup-remover wipes, travel journal, goldfish crackers and granola bars. Both DJ and I are planning on sleeping from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, so the inflatable pillow, eye mask and ear plugs (not pictured) will be important. We've both also debated taking a Tylenol PM, just to make sure we're not miserable for the lengthy flight. The paperback and goldfish are my go-to plane entertainment items. I'll fill the waterbottle once we've cleared security. The granola bars will go with us because I get really bitchy when I'm hungry, so they'll be our first line of prevention for that.
Other gear not pictured includes guidebooks (we'll separate those between our rolling luggage), a file with all of our rental car, hotel, and flight reservation information as well as tentative train schedule information for Italy. Of course, camera, camera charger, extra camera memory chip, DJ's droid phone (on which we'll turn the phone mode off and just find wireless hot spots to use it as a small computer), phone charger. I'll want to have my glasses case/ contact stuff handy, as I'll take those out pretty quickly into our trip. We've also got handi-wipes, small packets of laundry detergent for doing laundry in hotel sinks, a mini-clothes line for laundry, shout wipes (I'm taking 3 white shirts to a country that eats pasta, you know how this story ends).
The spreadsheet for this packing is actually pretty detailed, but small, since we're trying to pack so lightly! I'll go over toiletries for Europe later.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Clothes for Europe, II
I believe that I've finalized my Europe packing list. Seriously, this has been on my mind since we decided to go to Europe in, oh, November. I haven't finished my guildebooks, but I've got my gear.
We're only taking carry-on rolling bags. I bought a Samsonite "spinner" roll-aboard after Christmas with the last of my wedding gift cards. Thanks friends and family! I'm pretty certain that all of my clothing and shoes will fit into the bag. I'll get into a post about what toiletries (or as DJ calls them "toilet trees") I'll take later.
My focus on the clothing choice was items which would wear well, not show wrinkles too badly, wash out in a sink okay and coordinate with at least three other items. I've covered the great shoe debate here.
Also: does anyone else find it impossible to not smile in photographs? I can't do "serious face" (I just look angry).
Alright, here's what I'm packing, and how I'm planning to put it all together.
1. Black Underarmour capris, white Nike technical shirt, grey cardigan from Target and Privo sandals.
Wearing it to: days of long walking, with museums (where it's always cold) on the itinerary.
2. Second: khaki Mountain Hardwear skirt, white Nike technical shirt, grey cardigan from Target and Merrel sandals.
Wearing it to: days with a little less walking (to cut down on the thigh chafe- hey it happens!), museums, evenings sightseeing where I want to be a little more attractive.
3. Khaki Mountain Hardwear skirt, white Nike technical shirt, plum Banana Republic cardigan and Merrel sandals. I can't decide if I should pack the plum or the hot pink cardigan.
Wearing it to: days with a little less walking (to cut down on the thigh chafe- hey it happens!), museums, evenings sightseeing where I want to be a little more attractive.
4. Khaki Mountain Hardwear capris, white Nike technical shirt, plum Banana Republic cardigan and Dansko "Kate" shoes.
Wearing it to: high walking days where I'll want layers. Probably sighsteeing in Normandy, where I can walk around on the beaches and climb around without worrying about stubbing my toe. I can layer on a jacket easily without getting too hot.
5. Khaki Mountain Hardwear capris, black with tan stripes Royal Robbins tank top and Privo sandals.
Wearing it to: days where we'll walk a lot, like in Rome. It's a really comfortable outfit that (hopefully) doesn't show to much boob.
6. Khaki Mountain Hardwear skirt, black with tan stripes Royal Robbins tank top and Merell sandals.
Wearing it to: Dinner in the evenings, light walking around.
7. Khaki Mountain Hardwear skirt, black Royal Robbins button up and Merell sandals. I'm undecided about the shirt.
Wearing it to: It's a nicer dressed-up outfit, but since the sleeves are short I couldn't wear it visit churches. It is really light and cool, but it's black... which would only make it hotter, right?
8. Khaki Mountain Hardwear capris, black Royal Robbins button up and Danskos.
Wearing it to: Normandy beaches? More touring where we'll be doing a lot of walking.
9. Khaki Mountain Hardwear capris, teal North Face double layer camisole, white Columbia button up and Danskos. I'm calling the shirt my "expedition shirt".
Wearing it to: walking around in Rome, Palatine Hill, Colusseum, specifically. It'd work for visiting the Vatican too, but I feel like I should be a bit more dressed up for that?
Finally, the white Columbia shirt and a black Patagonia dress. I love this dress, and have it in citrus orange too. It's been my summertime equivalent of sweats. I'll wear it for touring nicer places, although the cleavage could be an issue. Dinners out, etc.
Under the post of "Gear", I'll post about the headlamp, hat, rain jacket and ancillary other items I'm planning on taking. I'm planning on doing a post-trip review too.
I'm pretty certain I've put more effort into thinking about what I'll wear for this trip than into thinking about what I'd wear to get married. =)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Retail trying too hard
The alarm on my phone wakes me up every morning, usually just after DJ has gotten in the shower. I shut it off, and scroll through email and statewide newspapers while lying in bed. Check facebook, check my google reader, check the weather, etc.
But you know what makes me NUTS? Retail emails inviting me to come shop. I get an email from Pottery Barn every. single. morning. "Come back and see our great products" it begs. Same from Target: "Great sale!" And from ACE Hardwear "Make your to-do list a to-done list!" And from Endless.com "OMG these shoes are great, come shop!" And from Amazon "We really think you'll like this travel book." And Macy's "Storewide sale ends today!"
Every. Single. Morning. I usually don't even read them. I delete them without opening. I silently roll my eyes. And the next time I consider browsing online, I recognize that I'll be getting an email in the morning saying "You were here! come back!".
All of these emails annoy the living crap out of me. A perfect example of retail trying too hard. Like a girl calling the boy she likes every day to say "hiiiiwhatch'ado'in?" All it does is annoy the boy and make him uncomfortable.
So who gets it right? REI, for one. I get about two emails a month from them, usually advertising sales or something. Kate Spade doesn't flood my email, only sending something about once a month. Ummm... well. That might be it.
Seriously retail. It's not me, it's you. Let me come to you when I need something, and leave me the hell alone (unless you have a real sale) otherwise!
But you know what makes me NUTS? Retail emails inviting me to come shop. I get an email from Pottery Barn every. single. morning. "Come back and see our great products" it begs. Same from Target: "Great sale!" And from ACE Hardwear "Make your to-do list a to-done list!" And from Endless.com "OMG these shoes are great, come shop!" And from Amazon "We really think you'll like this travel book." And Macy's "Storewide sale ends today!"
Every. Single. Morning. I usually don't even read them. I delete them without opening. I silently roll my eyes. And the next time I consider browsing online, I recognize that I'll be getting an email in the morning saying "You were here! come back!".
All of these emails annoy the living crap out of me. A perfect example of retail trying too hard. Like a girl calling the boy she likes every day to say "hiiiiwhatch'ado'in?" All it does is annoy the boy and make him uncomfortable.
So who gets it right? REI, for one. I get about two emails a month from them, usually advertising sales or something. Kate Spade doesn't flood my email, only sending something about once a month. Ummm... well. That might be it.
Seriously retail. It's not me, it's you. Let me come to you when I need something, and leave me the hell alone (unless you have a real sale) otherwise!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Retail is... aw hell.
Remember last month I declared retail to be dying? I was totally prepared for a follow up post in which I'd validate this point by showing off the two purchases I made online, from the comfort of my home, conveniently shipped to my house.
Last week I ordered not one, but two of the Patagonia "Morning Glory" dresses which inspired that post. REI had a 20% off sale, so I snagged the black one for $55 and the coral one for $40. Free ground shipping. I can always return one or both of them in-store in Bozeman if I'm unsatisfied. See, I thought, this is why retail is dying! I can shop online and with a few strokes of the keys get a better deal for the items I was looking for. Saves me time and gas money.
I also binged on a new purse for the summer. Now lets get something straight: I cannot afford fabulous designer purses at retail prices. But when I got a "sample sale" email from Kate Spade, well, duh. The purse I'd been eying for months went from $465 to $139. Um, yes. Sign me up. Free ground shipping? Don't mind if I do!
Where am I going with this? Well... only to tell you that I'm not sure retail really is dead. I'm not a very patient person, and I anxiously awaited delivery of my Kate Spade order. I mean anxiously. Checked the UPS tracking repeatedly, 4 to 2346 times a day.
Let me interject this rant to mention that Montana received record snowfall in the 2010-2011 winter. It didn't seem like much down here in the valley, we only used the snowblower twice, but in the mountains it piled up. The Madison Range, adjacent to Bozeman's Gallatin Range, is the "lowest" in the state at 139% of average snowpack. That's 39% more than usual, for all you math majors out there.
How does this affect my retail purchases? Well, snow eventually melts. We live at the headwaters of the Missouri, and darn near the Yellowstone Rivers. Highways usually follow low contours of the land, which means that when creeks and rivers come out of their banks, sometimes the roadway is in jeopardy.
Like Bozeman Creek, which was out of it's banks and overflowing streets near City Hall on Wednesday:
Flooding of the Tounge and Rosebud Rivers in Eastern Montana shut down Interstate 90, which runs from Seattle through Chicago to Boston. I-25, which runs north from Denver, was also shut down at the Wyoming border.
My Kate Spade purchases were shipped from Memphis, to Kansas City to Denver to... Billings. Or somewhere short of Billings. As I tracked their trip to my front porch, I received a notification that the package status had been "delayed due to adverse conditions."
Now, the purse was supposed to be delivered on Thursday, by the end of the day. UPS never delivers to our house before 6pm. I'm pretty certain we're the last house on their route.
So as my order sat trapped on the other side of floodwaters, I realized that if delivery were delayed by a day, the order would sit on our front porch Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and all day Tuesday until we got back from the lake for Memorial Day.
After receiving notification that the package made it to Billings, and would be delivered on Friday by the end of the business day, I called UPS to see if they could stop delivery to my house. I'd come get it from their hub in Bozeman... Except UPS doesn't do that, unless they've tried to deliver the package at least once. Or unless the shipper changes the delivery status.
So I called Kate Spade and explained the situation. They (graciously) put me on hold and called UPS. UPS said sure, they could change the delivery status, but it'd take 24 hours to work through their system, and would take effect on Tuesday.
By which point the package would be sitting on my front porch. And I'd be en route back from the lake.
Customer Service Fail (On the part of UPS).
So how does this story wrap up? Well, as I rounded the corner to our house at 2pm on Friday afternoon, I saw a UPS truck driving up the street on the other side of the pond which divides our neighborhood. My heart jumped! It was only 2pm! Could it be possible?
I futzed around outside, watering overwatered plants, moving flowers around, until finally at 2:39pm UPS stopped in front of our house. Hurrah! Kate Spade in hand, just in time to leave for the lake at 3pm.
I'm not sure if in-person retail or online retail is the best way to go. I find myself shopping online more frequently, especially if I want to shop prices and read reviews. If I can find the item I want in a store in Bozeman, I'll buy it in town. But if not, I'll go running to the internets as fast as I can!
Last week I ordered not one, but two of the Patagonia "Morning Glory" dresses which inspired that post. REI had a 20% off sale, so I snagged the black one for $55 and the coral one for $40. Free ground shipping. I can always return one or both of them in-store in Bozeman if I'm unsatisfied. See, I thought, this is why retail is dying! I can shop online and with a few strokes of the keys get a better deal for the items I was looking for. Saves me time and gas money.
I also binged on a new purse for the summer. Now lets get something straight: I cannot afford fabulous designer purses at retail prices. But when I got a "sample sale" email from Kate Spade, well, duh. The purse I'd been eying for months went from $465 to $139. Um, yes. Sign me up. Free ground shipping? Don't mind if I do!
Where am I going with this? Well... only to tell you that I'm not sure retail really is dead. I'm not a very patient person, and I anxiously awaited delivery of my Kate Spade order. I mean anxiously. Checked the UPS tracking repeatedly, 4 to 2346 times a day.
Let me interject this rant to mention that Montana received record snowfall in the 2010-2011 winter. It didn't seem like much down here in the valley, we only used the snowblower twice, but in the mountains it piled up. The Madison Range, adjacent to Bozeman's Gallatin Range, is the "lowest" in the state at 139% of average snowpack. That's 39% more than usual, for all you math majors out there.
How does this affect my retail purchases? Well, snow eventually melts. We live at the headwaters of the Missouri, and darn near the Yellowstone Rivers. Highways usually follow low contours of the land, which means that when creeks and rivers come out of their banks, sometimes the roadway is in jeopardy.
Like Bozeman Creek, which was out of it's banks and overflowing streets near City Hall on Wednesday:
Flooding of the Tounge and Rosebud Rivers in Eastern Montana shut down Interstate 90, which runs from Seattle through Chicago to Boston. I-25, which runs north from Denver, was also shut down at the Wyoming border.
My Kate Spade purchases were shipped from Memphis, to Kansas City to Denver to... Billings. Or somewhere short of Billings. As I tracked their trip to my front porch, I received a notification that the package status had been "delayed due to adverse conditions."
Now, the purse was supposed to be delivered on Thursday, by the end of the day. UPS never delivers to our house before 6pm. I'm pretty certain we're the last house on their route.
So as my order sat trapped on the other side of floodwaters, I realized that if delivery were delayed by a day, the order would sit on our front porch Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and all day Tuesday until we got back from the lake for Memorial Day.
After receiving notification that the package made it to Billings, and would be delivered on Friday by the end of the business day, I called UPS to see if they could stop delivery to my house. I'd come get it from their hub in Bozeman... Except UPS doesn't do that, unless they've tried to deliver the package at least once. Or unless the shipper changes the delivery status.
So I called Kate Spade and explained the situation. They (graciously) put me on hold and called UPS. UPS said sure, they could change the delivery status, but it'd take 24 hours to work through their system, and would take effect on Tuesday.
By which point the package would be sitting on my front porch. And I'd be en route back from the lake.
Customer Service Fail (On the part of UPS).
So how does this story wrap up? Well, as I rounded the corner to our house at 2pm on Friday afternoon, I saw a UPS truck driving up the street on the other side of the pond which divides our neighborhood. My heart jumped! It was only 2pm! Could it be possible?
I futzed around outside, watering overwatered plants, moving flowers around, until finally at 2:39pm UPS stopped in front of our house. Hurrah! Kate Spade in hand, just in time to leave for the lake at 3pm.
I'm not sure if in-person retail or online retail is the best way to go. I find myself shopping online more frequently, especially if I want to shop prices and read reviews. If I can find the item I want in a store in Bozeman, I'll buy it in town. But if not, I'll go running to the internets as fast as I can!
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