April Friday Favs
Remember last week when I was all excited because I bought a (much-needed!) new laptop?
Well, last weekend, I bought…
My old car had hit the point where I could tell something was going to go wrong soon, and since it was worth less than $1k trade-in, I was not about to pour any more money into saving it. I test drove a few cars and wound up buying this one on Saturday! I could have gotten a better deal if I’d taken a couple of days to head up to Springfield and hardcore car shop, but I just wanted to be DONE. Ever feel like that?
So far I really like it except that my low tire light came on two days after buying it, and when I had the company I bought it from’s service department check it out, they said I had THREE dead sensors, and that they’d be like $1oo each to replace. And that it’s not covered under my 6 month service plan. Whaaaat? I’m planning to have a chat with the sales people when I take them the deed to my old car on Monday (long story), because c’mon, y’all, I should not have to pay to fix that. (Although after talking to their service people, I had to go to Walmart so I stopped by their auto department and chatted with a mechanic, who quoted me like $28 each for the parts and $20-40 labor, so that’s the way I’ll go if it does end up being something I have to pay for myself!)
One nice thing the dealer did was let me split up my down payment. I hadn’t been planning to do a down payment other than my old car, but given my spectacular credit score and my refusal to budge on keeping payments under $200/month, it wound up being necessary. I put a little cash down the day I got it, and they asked if I could come up with an extra $1000 within a month. UGH. I am self employed, so yeah, I technically can, it’s just going to take a lot of coffee and focus. So I agreed, planned out a work schedule, got into a steady pace and then remembered… taxes. Registering my car is going to be like nine hundred more dollars. In less than a month.
After some pretty solid panic over that realization, I just kind of gave up and decided I’ll do the best I can, but if I wind up having to drive with an expired temp tag for a couple of weeks, it’s not the end of the world. The game plan is to try to avoid speeding (which is tough when going 60 in your old car made it feel like doom was imminent, while 60 in the new one feels like nothing, and thus you keep finding yourself doing 60 in a 45…) and hope that if I do get pulled over, they’re understanding of the situation.
It’s funny, when I bought it the sales manager kept being like “Aren’t you excited?” and I had to be like “I’m sure I will be later but right now I just feel crippled by debt.” (I haven’t had car payments in ages! I do not like debt! They want so many dollars from me! How do you get excited in that circumstance?) But after a few days of driving it I do feel a little better. It IS fun to drive, the sound system is way better than my old car, and it’s just plain nice to have something new. (New to me, that is. It’s a 2013. But my old one was 2007, so it’s newer!)
2. Y’all… Dollar Tree has some seriously cute summer tote bags right now:
Yes, they’re a dollar so they’re not the greatest quality ever, but the one I got last years held up for like 6 months, so I say worth it! (I got the green one on the right this time!)
3. So… I’m getting glasses?
I had to renew my drivers license last week and you know the part where they have you stick your head in the little thing to read a line of letters and name all of the street signs? For the first time, the letters were kinda blurry. I’ve always had 20/20, so while I was still able to read them off, it definitely set off warning bells.
I was in the waiting room at my doctors office last night and heard someone cancel an eye exam appointment with the optometrist who was working in the same clinic at that time, so I was like “Hey, can I take that time slot?”. Turns out my left eye is still fine but my right one is a little fuzzy. The optometrist suggested that I wear glasses when I’m on a computer or reading… so um, 99.9 percent of my waking hours, I guess?
This making my Favs list is less of a “Hooray! I am getting old and falling apart!” and more of a celebration of how an appointment kind of dropped in my lap like a week after I first thought, “Hmm, maybe I should get an eye exam?” And the whole catching it before it gets worse thing. And I guess I might get fewer headaches? Feels like a good thing in general.
4. I found two amazing things at Target today:
First, this faux succulent in a bird:
Second, no home is complete without this throw pillow with a monkey that looks like a sassy reality competition show judge:
5. I finally decided to do another month of Netflix, and thus far I have enjoyed:
*Season 2 of Riverdale (Although starting it out seeing Luke Perry in the hospital is… ugggggghh.)
*Brenee Brown’s hour-ish special
*Iliza Slesinger’s “Elder Milennial” and “Confirmed Kills” comedy specials
That’s it for this week! I have a crazy work week ahead, but I think I’m going to take one day off next weekend for a Eureka Springs trip. I think I missed all of the trees being in bloom, but it should still be gorgeous!
Speaking of which, this is what things have looked like in my neck of the woods lately:
Linking up with Bright on a Budget and Grace and Love
