Are you thrifty? I’m sorry.

I have a bit of a problem with money. Spending it.

And car repairs. Especially spending money on car repairs.

You see, I’m a bit of a thrify-nifty (some would call me cheap) and only like to buy things when they are ON SALE. I hate paying full price for anything. I get a thrill out of buying on sale.

There are no sales on auto parts or repairs. If there were, then we might have a few extra alternators or gaskets around because –hey, they were such a great deal, and I will need them someday. But alas, car repair is no place for the sale shopping bargain hunter. When something breaks, it needs to be fixed, and unless you have an extra vehicle in storage, fixed right away.

We have not had the best car repair record in the last little while, with one car and then another in the shop for what seems like endless and expensive repairs. Each time I nearly have a fit when I hear how much we have to pay. Well, Tuesday, the brakes in Ryan’s old truck seemed to stop working. Brakes are something that you can’t really live without, so he took it in to be repaired. After $700 something, he got his vehicle back. ERRG. When I complained at how much money we keep putting into that hunk of junk of a truck, he keeps reminding me that buying a new truck would be much more expensive. Yeah, but then we’d Have a new truck. He also told me in so many words that I need to stop freaking out each time we have to get a car repaired. Freaking out?! I’m not freaking out. Is it too much to ask that the car NOT break down in the very first week of the year?

I think we may need to get a credit card that is only in Ryan’s name that he use ONLY to do car repairs. Then I don’t have to know how much it’s costing us, and then I won’t freak out. He wouldn’t even have to tell me he was taking a car into the shop, he’d just mysteriously need a ride to work, and when I asked where that particular vehicle was, he could tell me it was on vacation. Hmmm. That wouldn’t work, either, because I would demand to know, and he would tell me.

I just need to go to my happy place when we talk about car repairs. La La La, La I’m not listening.

But, on the bargain side, I just found the BEST place to get your car washed. There’s a new Firehouse Carwash right by Target in American Fork. For $6.50 you can get the basic wash ($6.90-ish with tax), but if you are a Costco member (and who isn’t these days?) you get 10% off, so with tax, it comes to $6.21, I think. You get to take the car and the kids through the cool washer thingy (which is very entertaining for the 3 year old crowd, believe me!), then, when you come out the guy DRYS it with a towel. THEN you can use their powerful sucking vacuums for 10 minutes for FREE! It’s a deal. I went yesterday and then went back today with the other dirty car. It was too cold and I didn’t have time to use their vacuums, but I know they are there, so next time I’ll plan beter (you know how you have to pre-clean your car to clean your car? ) So, I’ll rejoice in my small car washing bargain, and block from my mind all repair costs and do my breathing exercises, thank you very much.