Guess who came down with the flu? Yep, me. It hit me on Saturday. I spent three solid days in bed, and today, I am finally starting to feel better. Aside from (obviously) being exposed, I think my body didn’t have a fighting chance with everything I’ve had going on. I’m seriously considering wearing a mask whenever I need to be around people. At the very least, I am going to start using curbside grocery pickup, the pharmacy drive-thru, and will do the same when I need to go to the bank. While pretty near impossible to avoid all contact with others, the less contact I do have with others, the better~at least until the cold and flu season is behind us.
I appreciate no one giving me the riot act regarding taking on a car loan. We do feel that buying something newer-and with a warranty-is the way to go. One good thing about having a rental is that we know we want to stick with a Subaru. The Tahoe (it was a rental upgrade) has struggled to make it up our driveway, even being in 4WD. Since we are seriously considering going down to only one vehicle, comfort for Hubs height is a must. In 2019 Subaru came out with its largest SUV, the Ascent, and that is what we are targeting. There are two used (I think they were dealer demos) on the lot with low miles. We will need to run the numbers for financing. We could buy new with a .9% rate or get 3.25% for used.
We got our electric bill. Compared to the same time last year, we saw a reduction of 21.88%.
Our escrow review came in the mail. Our payment has dropped by $35.30, and we received an overage refund of $600.18. So along with the PMI dropping, our payment is down by $172.85.
I’ve done nothing with Mturks or Motivation Monday but do plan on getting back to it once life settles down. Eventually, it will!
Take care of yourself!
I’m trying!
Sorry to hear you’ve been sick. When it rains it pours!
I’m ready for it to quit raining! When I was diagnosed with Graves’ some eight years ago, I was told by my endocrinologist that I’d likely catch more seasonal crud. This, however, has been a bit extreme. 🙁
Feeling better and yay! on the PMI dropping off!!
Thanks, Slluggy. Super excited to get rid of the PMI!
I was so happy when my PMI was gone forever. People seem to feel like they need to comment on every move I make, even eating Kraft Parmesan in the can! You have a good plan for a car and want to keep it instead of trading in soon for a new car. Get well soon.
It really is a great feeling to be rid of it! We tend to hold on to our vehicles for a long time. Unfortunately, we held onto our current car for far too long and it ended up costing us even more.
First of all, I FORBID you from getting sick again….you have had more than your share!!!! Glad you are finally feeling better – now make sure to STAY that way :). My friend has a Subaru and absolutely LOVES it – she bought hers brand new because she feels that as a single woman she needed something dependable and reliable – I totally agree with her on those issues – you are alone a lot of the time when hubs is gone so you need something dependable and reliable as well – don’t ever feel guilty for making choices that are best for YOUR family….ok, unless you are installing a swimming pool or something you don’t need, lol!!!
How are things coming with the deck – is it done, I can’t remember. What is next on the home improvement list? We had the new garage door installed yesterday and the front door, security door, & garage side doors were installed last week. Looks SO much better than the original 1950’s doors!!! Having problems finding a contractor that will return our calls….thankfully a very good friend of mine’s son has started his own contracting business so we are having him come out to give us an estimate and since his mom is one of my best friends….I KNOW he’ll do a good job because she will kick his butt if he doesn’t 🙂
It better be the end of the sickness. The flu has really been bad in my area. People need to quit spreading it around! I think the fact that I am alone so much (plus live out in the sticks) makes me even more hesitant to buy something older. Subarus are usually good cars. Ours just happened to be a lemon.
I am glad to hear you are making progress with your house. It will be the nicest place on the block with everything you are doing. Good, too, finding someone to do the work. I’m sure he won’t mess up. And, if he does, his mom will make him make it right!
Lucy, sorry you have been sick, but glad you are on the mend now. There is a lot going around. I had a bad cold week before last that is taking its own sweet time getting better. I was very happy to see about your PMI and less $$ you have to make for your mortgage. The car is what it is, thank goodness you had all your debt paid off before your car died. I am sure you will work hard to get the new one paid off ASAP. Given where you live and your life circumstances, a beater car is not being a good steward with your money, IMO. I know that goes against Dave’s teachings, though.
Thanks, Chris. I hope you get better soon too. On the bright side, just think of all the immunity we are building! It was a relief getting rid of the PMI. Having gone down to a 15 year a couple of years ago, our balance is going down at a nice steady pace.
Hubs and I were just talking about Dave and his teachings regarding cars. I think that is a big part of why we are struggling with taking on this debt. We’ve come to realize, though, that Dave can also be a bit out of touch. If we could get away with a “Dave car” for a few more years, believe me, we would. I think, too, if Hubs wasn’t away from home so much – and we didn’t live so far away from everything – we might be more inclined to buy something older/cheaper. We briefly entertained a different AWD vehicle. That is, until the rental struggled with our driveway! Best to stick with what we know can handle both our road and our driveway!
Yes, it is one thing for me to buy a $5k van when I live in suburbia, everything is close by and my hubby doesn’t travel like yours does. Totally different for you. I agree with you. But I also know you will work hard to find a good car, good financing, and pay it off early. If you have access to a credit union, be sure to check their rates befor going to the dealer.
Thanks Chris. We did do our homework and feel good about our purchase. (post to come).
This is the first year in probably 20 years that I didn’t get a flu shot. They give them at my work but it wasn’t done at my facility and I was too busy on the scheduled morning to get to the facility where they were being given. Then I forgot about it and now it is March so just crossing fingers it will pass me by.
Now with corona-virus becoming a pandemic we are going to brace ourselves and stock up a bit on cold meds and ibuprofen and tylenol, bottled water, hand sanitizer and clorox wipes. Just keep your hands clean and away from your face because we can’t count on others to do the same.
Sorry to hear about the car too – but just think how much easier it will be to add this debt payment now that you have no other debt and your PMI is gone. You are in a much better position due to all your hard work and perseverance. Good for you!
I’ve always been on the fence about the flu shot, so no, I didn’t get one. May need to rethink this next year! Hopefully, given the lateness of the season, you’ll avoid getting sick this year. This corona virus sure has people in an uproar. On the bright side, I think everyone is more aware about using hand sanitizer and washing their hands. Hubs actually took some Lysol wipes with him to use in the airplane. He also always travels with a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Better to be safe than sorry.
I agree that we are in a much better position with the car. We did buy a new one (post to come) and now have no worries about repairs. Between that savings and the PMI and other debt being gone, I feel okay about this expense.