Off Topic

Dear Max,

Hard to believe just a few months ago I hated your tiny guts. Now, though you just peed in the food bowl, I can't imagine life without you.




Make sure you don't go anywhere my turd.

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