Letting Off Steam

[ladysprite]

So. My husband is out of work again, on the job hunt, with all the stress and anxiety and bad memories that that brings.

Last week I took my car in for a tune-up; it turns out it cost over $1200 just to get it to the point where it would pass inspection. More than my poor little decade-plus old car is worth. Except we can't afford to replace it, because my husband is out of work. And we can't make do with just one car, because he needs to be able to get to interviews. So, shelling out money we don't have.

Last night our bed frame broke. Bang, more money we don't have, and sleeping on the mattress on the floor until we get the new one.

And today I'm at work, and I seem to have the Cancer Touch, and I'm double-booked this afternoon. And my lunch never thawed, so I'm getting by on mini chocolates and a handful of edamame because trying to microwave-thaw onigiri just doesn't work.

I want this month to be over.

Also, I want a million dollars and my own tropical island, while I'm asking for things. Or, barring that, maybe a week where something doesn't go epically wrong.

Edited to add: Stuck at work 20 minutes after closing because I missed my husband's text that he was outside waiting for me. Asked husband to buy cookies for dessert; four groceries and none of them had black-and-whites in stock. New recipe for dinner was an abject failure. Tripped over cat while making dinner, smashed my elbow and wrenched my back. This can all end NOW.

Comments

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

And best of luck to arnis.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Sorry you're getting hit with so much at once - hope you'll have only good news for a while.

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

Hugs and strength and hoping for better things soon :)

[jtdiii.livejournal.com]

Auctions are a good place to get bed frames cheap...

Sorry you arr draling witj this.

[laurion]

What size is the bed?

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

::hugs::

I sympathize...

[redfishie.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear things are rough...but hopefully they'll get better soon.

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. (Been there; done that; hang in there, and do your best.)

[joannahurley.livejournal.com]

Well, crap. I'm sorry.

[pixel.livejournal.com]

As I have offered every time you've posted something like this. I would be more than willing to look at the estimate for what it would take to fix your car and see if I can do any/all of it for you for the cost of parts.

I can't help but find it very suspicious that somehow the dealer finds hundreds of dollars of work every year that your car needs to pass inspection while Vikki's car (the same brand & model but older with more miles) has needed under $500 in maintenance in the five years I've known her.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Thank you, hon, and if you lived closer I'd happily take you up on that offer.

As it is, I'm fairly certain I'm not being ripped off, since we also take Arnis's car there, and they don't come up with similar problems for it. Also, I can see for myself that the headlight, the tail light, and the rear view mirror all needed to be replaced and that it has started leaking oil like a sieve, and has dropped from 38mpg to barely 20 on a good day.

I really do appreciate your offer, and I wish you were close enough to take up on it.... thank you.

[pixel.livejournal.com]

Didn't realize 45min-1hour was too far to come down here for an afternoon of me wrenching on your car. Or to email me a copy of the estimate to look over and make suggestions. But since it is:

http://car-part.com/ used car parts indexed by salvage yard. *Way* cheaper than getting new OEM parts through the dealer.

http://www.motors.ebay.com/ Lots of people selling new, used & aftermarket parts here. A search for the year make & model and 'headlight' 'taillight' or mirror' should turn up *dozens* of possibilities.

http://rockauto.com/ not an optimal choice for the lights & mirror, but a cheap source of mechanical parts. Compare the prices here to the dealer prices, then call the dealer and ask if they will install your own parts(they probably won't warranty it, but the savings will probably be big).

I can also(through work) order parts through the same company that supplied aftermarket parts to body shops. Costs would be *less than* these amounts(they are list price for what I think your year is, I'd have to call for actual price). Headlight: $181, tail light:$120, mirror: $129(power, would be black or need painting).

Headlight/taillight/mirror are all stuff Arnis should be able to install with little effort.

The dealer is, by a long margin, the most expensive option to repair your vehicle. OEM parts cost the earth and dealer shop rates are often somewhere between half again to twice as expensive as local shops.

[edthetallguy.livejournal.com]

To echo pixel's suspicion, do you take your car, and does Arnis take his car in? Large confident males tend to elicit much more honest behavior from some folks in the car repair business. I also second his recommendation of independent shops. The good ones are far better and less expensive than the dealers

[ladymacgregor.livejournal.com]

We go to Fantasias in West Medford - Jack there does a very good job, for reasonable price. Tell him I recommended him.

Also - what does your husband do? (I seem to remember something techy.) My software company, Pega, is hiring. Have him look over the extant jobs at pega.com and send me a resume if anything tickles his fancy!

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

*sends you strength*

I hope all the days after this one are better than this one was.

[dornbeast.livejournal.com]

"Also, I want a million dollars and my own tropical island..."

At today's interest rates, I recommend going for three million.