No calorie counts to report. Not because I didn't eat, but because I didn't count.
My little vacation in Indiana was great, but disastrous in one way -- car trouble. Basically, my transmission went out.
I was faced with the decision to repair or buy a new car. I didn't feel ready in any way to buy a new car, so I decided to repair, even though the repair is a little more than the retail value of the car. The truth is that right now, while I'm in my lean years, I would rather spend $5K than $15K, and I'm gambling that the car will last without any more major repairs until 2019, when my income will go up and I will feel more secure financially. I know many others would make the decision the other way, but this is what feels right to me.
So the car is in Indiana. I took the train home, and I'll take the train back when the repair is done. They had to order a part (ironically, from Chicago), and don't expect to get it until Tuesday.
I am hoping I will earn enough from the museum to pay for the repair. If not, I will make up the deficit in other ways. I want to maintain my net worth.
Before that little bomb fell, I was having a good time on my vacation. My BFF and I did some eating out, and we hit THREE Goodwills! We both love treasure-hunting at Goodwill, so it was great fun. And we went to see Florence Foster Jenkins, which was very well-done and quite touching.
My vacation costs were $72, which counted food, movie, and transportation. At Goodwill, I spent $26 on gifts, $35 on clothing, $18 on household things, and $4 on books. My most exciting purchases were the clothing -- I got some nice pieces for the cruise (where you have to dress for dinner), some workout wear, and new jeans and capris. All a size smaller than what I was wearing before.
We made our eating out dollars stretch. We had gift cards to use up, and ordered meals that gave us leftovers to eat at home.
Yesterday was a bit of a disaster. I was scheduled to take the train to Chicago at 7:30 in the morning, but the train didn't come until 10:30. It had hit a tree that fell over the tracks in a storm, and the engine was damaged. When I finally got to Chicago, I had to wait for two more hours for a train home. I was so, so tired, but a good night's sleep restored me.
This morning I did my August recap:
Housing: 677
Home Repair/Maintenance: 200
Utilities: 144
Vacation/Travel: 110 (that was my Michigan vacation)
Groceries: 84
Household Supplies: 81
Eating Out: 69
Gas: 57
Phone: 52
Entertainment: 51
Medical/Health: 39
Gifts/Charity: 24
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor: 14
Laundry: 11
Car Repair/Maintenance: 7
Fares/Parking: 6
Grand Total: 1626
Days One Hundred Eighty-Five to One Hundred Eighty-Nine
August 28th, 2016 at 03:25 pm
August 28th, 2016 at 04:41 pm 1472402477
I've personally never understood the "don't spend more than the car is worth" repair rule. Often it just makes more sense to repair the car and keep it running several more years. I expect I would have made the same choice. I think a cost/benefit ratio of how reliable the car is otherwise and how long you expect to keep it would be more useful. Plus, as you point out, other factors come into play like income and liquidity.
August 28th, 2016 at 08:04 pm 1472414692
August 28th, 2016 at 09:04 pm 1472418277
Glad you had a nice trip otherwise. Loved your line about the calorie count...you didn't count, but you did eat.
August 29th, 2016 at 10:31 am 1472466674