The Replacements

2011 seems to have been our family's year to re-do.  No one can say we don't get use out of our bigger ticket items, but when it comes time to having to buy them, it never really feels very good, especially when we are trying so hard to save and pay off debt.

It began with the television early this summer.  Our 13-year old television's picture tube finally gave up the fight.  You can only imagine how amazed we were at what color images really should be on a television!  Then our 7-year old iMac crashed and went to the point of no return.  Once again, begrudgingly we shelled out the cash, but once done, I was ecstatic about all the cool stuff that our new mac could do.  Finally, our stove top failed and we had to replace it.  There it is, the three things, we should be home free....right??

On Tuesday we took our 13-year old car into the shop for a once over.  We knew it needed new tires, new brakes, and the exhaust had started to rattle.  This happened once before a few years back and it was a doable repair.  Well,  I began to worry when I didn't get the estimate after 7 hours of diagnostics.  When I finally did hear, the repairs were going to be upwards of $8000.  Holy smokes, we had officially driven this car passed it's useful life!  So we began to let the reality of a car payment (of which we have had none for a few of years) sink in.  Long story short, we have wanted a pick up for about 15 years.  We have always done all of our own landscape improvements, but in the different places that we have lived, we couldn't justify the truck for our weekend hobbies.  A couple of years ago after we had bought and lived in the homestead for a while we thought about it again.  Then, it was hard to rationalize the purchase when we had a working and paid for vehicle.  Now being forced into making the decision, we got it.  No more hauling wood, fence posts and bales of straw in our mini-van or being forced to rent vehicles for transport!!!  AND we will have a snow plow placed on the front to clear our very long driveway in 20 minutes versus 2 hours!  So, once again bitter sweet.  Bitter at having to spend money when we didn't want to, but sweet that we now have something that we have so long wanted and truly need.

Funny, it took my kids for me to look at the year of purchases we had.  They were in the truck on the way to school today pondering what were going to have to replace next.  I said a resounding Nothing!!  We have already had a year of the replacements!