I'll show you...Air Filter

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I've not changed my car's cabin air filter in a while because it's so expensive ($35) at the service center. Then not so long ago while inquiring on how much it cost to fix my sun visor (which sagged) I had a "moment". "$170" the smug car service guy said. This was also the same day the guy told me he made over $75,000 a year while arguing over my coupon validity. That's right. And all he does is take your car keys, have you sign the estimate and act smug. 'Screw you' I thought. I went home to simmer and think. How much of what is done at the shop really necessary to pay for at the shop? After researching (and applying Velcro to hold up my sun visor) I was still indignant and determined to stop making these guys (and large wealthy car companies) richer. I didn't find any "car repairs for women who know zilch about cars" books but I did find plenty of helpful articles online and was able to make a plan.

Here's my cabin air filter replacement job by me.

Step 1: locate car manual and buy filter.





Step 2:
Disconnect side thing (damper) and pull glove box down.





I was at first scared I'd pull too hard and break it. Somehow I did it without tearing it off like the hulk.

Step 3:

Smug smile at progress.

Step 4:





There's the cover! Remove with both hands.

Step 5:





Remove the air filter.

Check out how FILTHY mine was.






Yes those are leaves. It's a miracle I didn't have an asthma attack daily while driving. Though my car did smell weird. I'm just glad a dead animal didn't fall out too.

Here's the new very clean, leaf and debris free filter





Step 6:

Slide new filter in. Some filters say UP but mine had an arrow which I slide in with arrows facing up.





Cover back on.






Another smug smile.

Step 7:

Put glove box back on. Notice the right bottom thing is unlatched? Make sure you latch it on with a firm click or the glove box won't close.





Step 8:

Slide thing (damper) back on.





Yes it's elastic so you can pull it down to latch it back.






Success!

I'm very excited about driving to the park with CLEAN air pulsing through my vents.

Him?





He'll come around though he'll never admit the air doesn't smell bad anymore.

Mechanic cost: $35 *excluding tax

DIY cost: $13.00 *including tax

Took me less than 30 minutes!

DIY

Looking for car owners manual so I could change air filter and brake pads myself.

Work in progress. More coming soon!

Wants

Every time I reach to buy something I want but don't need, I think to myself "what I want more than ___________ is to be out of credit card debt".

So needless to say I do not have the pleasure of owning a Clarisonic Microscrubber or any DVDs such as season 5 of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

I'm not doing it intentionally like a mantra chant, it's just popping into my mind on it's own as if my own subconscious is tired of my credit card balances and payments.

Pretty effective.

Please feel free to share your own tips!

Interesting money quote from founding father

Thomas Jefferson, on living within your means:

"But I know nothing more important to inculcate into the minds of young people than the wisdom, the honor, and the blessed comfort of living within their income, to calculate in good time how much less pain will cost them the plainest stile of living which keeps them out of debt, than after a few years of splendor above their income, to have their property taken away for debt when they have a family growing up to maintain and provide for."

-- From a letter to Martha Jefferson Randolph in 1808


When I saw this quote on MSN this morning I had to laugh. In case you're wondering why I'm laughing it's because I never take advice from people who don't practice what they preach. Like when I was working at the copy center at school and my supervisor (who had a Masters and couldn't get a job elsewhere) would give me tips on job hunting after I graduated from college. I'd listen to what he had to say then think "I will follow exactly opposite that" since it was obvious these tips weren't working for him. Same logic applies for our dear founding father, Thomas Jefferson. He had a huge amount of debt (granted a lot from his own father) but also had a huge amount of his own creditors and he lived well above his own means, thus racking up more debt. The only reason he didn't file for bankruptcy was because it wasn't available at the time. So I'm sure Martha Jefferson Randolph read that letter and thought to herself, I wonder when he's going to pay me that fifty bucks he owes me and sighed. 


Happy 4th!

Drastic times

Drastic times call for drastic measures.

"Ask a Credit Counselor"

today you can go on MSN money board and ask an NFCC Credit Counselor advice.

http://moneycentral.msn.com/community/message/board.asp?board=AskACreditCounselor

To Save or Not to Save...that is the question

Lately I have been hosting an internal debate as to whether it is better to build up a savings account or whether to use all excess income (after all the many bills have been paid) towards paying off my substantial credit card debt.

When googling and reading numerous MSN Money articles on this topic, I came to find that there was no definitive answer. At all. Everyone has a different opinion.

There are many articles on MSN on how you should have at least $500 in  your savings account in case of emergencies. Which makes a lot of sense. Except that I only  have about $60 in my savings account and this savings account in question is earning less than 2% interest.

Suzie Orman (who on my fico gave me a script on what to tell my credit card companies regarding lowering my apr and suggested credit cards allowing 0% balance transfers. I was rejected on all fronts and ended up with a lower credit score from applying for all those 0% cards because of dear Suzie) states that you should ONLY pay the minimum on your credit cards and then sock all the extra towards savings. Because the world might end and you will be unemployed and living on your savings. Which is understandable. 

But then again, my credit card aprs are ridiculously high. And ever since credit card companies are required to post how long it would take to pay off the credit card with minimum payments only, I have been startled by the fact that it will take me 22 years to pay off any of these cards.  That's right.  22 years.  Dear Suzie, that's horrible. Those $10 in my savings account are an extra $50 on any of my cards.  Mathematically it is better to actually chip away at your 18% or 29% apr credit card because you end up paying less and in essence SAVING more in the long run (in the way of lower aprs etc). But these math experts out there aren't exactly worried about losing their jobs and get paid to dispense all this math advice.

So there is basically no definitive answer that I have to give out on this topic. Except to find whatever works for you, perhaps not exactly aiming for $500 in the bank, but to just have at least $100 in savings and using the extra $ to chop away at your credit cards. It should be whatever you feel comfortable with. The less debt you are in, the more you will be able to save. That's what I'm doing. But the most important part is to be able to break the cycle of bad debt and endless payments because in 22 years I definitely don't want to add up the fact that a $10 meal ended up costing me $50 because I was socking away savings earning me nothing at the time. And all those credit card balances keep growing.