So I budgeted money for both my husband and I to get our oil changed this month. My husband took his in on Monday (president’s day) and blew the budgeted amount because he got synthetic. That man and his car! I’m just kididng, I KNOW he always gets synthetic, and I approve the use of synthetic instead of fossil fuels, so why didn’t I budget for that? Blah.
So, I still needed an oil change, and my brake light has been flashing on and off for the last month or so, so in the back of my head, I knew that when I took it in, it was going to be more than just the cost of oil & lube. We dropped it off to be looked at today and sure enough, when I got the call this morning, it was not good news. The front brakes were pitted and worn down through the pads into the …. um… whatchamacallits, and it also needed new calipers. The rear brakes weren’t so bad, but needed new pads, and the brake fluid was dirty and gross and they recommended a full flush. On top of that, he told me that the clutch was really worn out, but this I already knew and have been socking money into a “new clutch” category (that’ll cost around $1k). I confirmed what I already kind of knew, which is it won’t hurt the car to drive it until the clutch totally gives out - which I don’t WANT to do, but I want to hold out as long as I can. It’s already getting pretty loose in the shifting - how does a worn out clutch drive? You shift, put on the gas, and the engine revs up without “catching” the gear and giving any forward momentum. I have to accelerate pretty slowly.
SOOOOO… the damage is about $800. In the back of my head, I knew that there would probably be some brake work, but I was hopping it would be around $300-400. So, bummer.
However, my husband summed it up perfectly.
“You know, if we hadn’t started a budget, I would really be freaking out about this.”
Amen and hallelujah! I’m going to have to raid a few categories to cover this, and I may have to dip into the buffer (I hope not!!), but this is way better than just having to charge it.
A big battle between relieved that we have funds to cover this, and frustration that this will probably put off a big debt payment even longer.
The good news - my husband had his yearly review and it was good, raise amount and bonus amount will be finalized and given to him next week, with all changes effective in first march paycheck.
Comments
In my view, you just spent your “fun money”.