What kind of financial shape are you in? Can you afford a large automobile repair bill or even a set of new tires right now? Do you have the money for single new tire?
Last night my wife called me and told me the car was telling her to check the tire pressure. Now our car is approaching ten years old. That just goes to show you how advanced technology has become. Even a relatively old car has a computer system that tells you one of the tires is going flat.
Don’t worry; this article isn’t about automobile computer systems. It is however about flat tires (in a round about way).
My wife was going home for the weekend with our young son. Number one I wanted them to be safe. Number two I wanted a weekend on my own to get the taxes sorted out and to get some real work done on this site. A low tire was not going to stand in my way.
I called around to all the tire places to see who was open. It happened that the usual discount tire places were open for a few hours. The manager of one place said bring it down and he would take a look at it. So I hopped in the car, drove it down there and dropped it off. Luckily this place was next to a fast food restaurant and Barnes and Nobles. I love books (and I don’t mind fast food every once in a while).
I hurriedly ate my meal and then walked over to Barnes and Nobles to peruse the magazines and books. Books are really my true passion and my financial weakness. I love reading, I have since I could remember. I used to read a whole book in one night as a kid. So I can’t walk out of Barnes and Nobles without buying a book. This time I bought How to Make Money with Your Blog: The Ultimate Reference Guide for Building, Optimizing, and Monetizing Your Blog (How to Make . . .)
So I walked down to the tire store with my book in hand. Half way there the manager called and said I needed a new tire. The screw in the tire had penetrated the sidewall and it was not repairable. This was kind of bad news as I had just put four new tires on this car. I’m a big believer in spending money when it counts. Most people who know me would probably consider me the most frugal person they know. However, when it matters I spend whatever it takes. Tires are not an area to save money.
I’ve worked too long around heavy machinery, automobiles and machines of all shapes and sizes. I can tell you that you shouldn’t cut corners on batteries, lubricants (engine oil, etc) and tires. Blowing a tire at 85 miles an hour is no fun.
So I told the manager to put a new tire on without too much thought. I’m sure most people would freak out (panic) at spending another hundred dollars on a tire. And this again is the beauty of living a simple, frugal lifestyle: it just doesn’t matter if I spend a hundred or a thousand dollars every now and then because I’ve got the cash. Yes, read that again, I have the cash to do that. My vehicles may be ten years old and my house may be on the small side but I have cold hard cash in abundance.
I could walk into Best Buy tomorrow and tell them to deliver the most high end system they have to my house and I could pay for it in cash. From my savings I could buy and brand new Cadillac Escalade with cash. I could afford a much larger house, much nicer clothes and the list goes on and on.
However, the reason I can by this stuff is that I never have. Sounds like a riddle right? It’s simple, when you spend money, you no longer have it to spend in the future, and you’re missing out on all the interest also.
I’m not bragging, not at all. I’m sure a great majority of Americans wouldn’t want to switch places with me. I’m not going to be on the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous anytime soon. However, my life style is low stress and low drama. I can afford to do what I want when I want it. When I actually want something I just buy it. I don’t budget. I took care of the big things so the small things will just take care of themselves.
Back to the tire story, I arrived back at the store and some big meaty guy was stalking around looking like he wanted to fight somebody. I quietly sat down and started reading my new book. Apparently Mr. Meat (He was really like a side of beef) had his tired fixed somewhere else and the patch didn’t fix it. Hey, that stuff happens, such is life when you’re dealing with mechanical items. He was really upset, I mean really, really upset over a tire. The manager of tire store told him he needed a new tire but the guy kept trying to find a way around it. Could they use his spare? No, different size. Could they try to patch the flat? No, It’s got a couple holes, its no good. Did they have a used tire? No, they don’t sell them anymore. Finally he broke down and bought the tire.
Watching this drama unfold I thought back to the time when a new tire would have been a big deal. Back to college when I had to beg my mom for money to fix my alternator so I wouldn’t miss my first date with my future wife.
I know there are people out there in bad situations that can’t afford a tire. And to them I dedicate this site. Life in America is too rich to claim any excuses. In this country at least, unless you are disabled, there is no excuse.
Each and every day, you need to make those decisions, like not subscribing to cable, like not going out to eat, like not buying a new vehicle, that get you closer to financial freedom. Fat, broke and stupid is no way to go through life. So ask yourself: can I afford a tire?
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