How many of you know how much is in your checking account at any given time? How many of you know how much you spend in a typical week on necessities? How many of you actually budget?
Why is it that when I finally decide to get this part of my life under control and do all three that my checking account implodes? I’m not overdrawing…but we’ve been in the single digits at least twice in the past couple of weeks.
It’s a good thing I don’t have any debt of any kind otherwise I think I’d really be up a creek. I’ve been keeping meticulous track of what I spend but that never seems to line up with the balance I can view online, mainly because of the varied delays between when I pay for things and when it shows on my account. I think I’m going to have to just make deposits and pay cash for everything for at least a couple of weeks so my checking account can settle down and I can get a handle on a concrete amount. It’d be a good way to weed out extraneous withdrawals being made too–it’ll be easier to see a transaction I don’t recognize and call the bank and inquire about it. I think that’s the right place to start.
* * * * * *
I thumbed through Supraforums earlier today for the first time in a good while. It’s a place I used to frequent quite a bit when I owned this. Brought memories of technical discussions and the vested attitude that accompanied the car’s ownership (not a bad thing). I sold it last fall because it was becoming too much of a money pit, with no end in sight. Certain cars are sort of “predisposed,” in a way, to be modified–I don’t how to explain it…I think owning them makes it more difficult to step out of the competitive stream that accompanies certain “car circles” and appreciate the less stereotypical, deeper (in some ways) virtues of the car. It’s weird how it works. Looking at the car, it said “potential,” something its stratum of car enthusiasts echoed, and before I knew I was spending thousands of dollars on it.
So I sold it. I could feel myself sliding down that slope and dug in my fingernails and crawled out, the car still in an unfinished state. I did feel like a bit of a quitter, but my bank account breathed an (obviously temporary) sigh of relief.
Today, though, I came across an ad from the guy to whom I sold the car, and he was selling the car again in turn. He bought it from me and through an infusion of several hundred dollars which I just didn’t care to spend then, got it running, and well at that. The ad was the first I’d seen of the car since I sold it, and I got a glimpse of what he’d been up to since I saw the car last. He did quite a few things to it that I would have done, some that I wouldn’t have, but the overarching emotion was a twinge of nostalgia, remembering what it was like to own it. It was the first, and so far only, car I’ve owned with an engine worthy of recognition in gearhead circles. It may not have gotten many compliments on the road, but I could instinctively look at the car, think about the car, and get excited about its specifications and latent potentcy. I don’t know quite how to explain it. I think, more than anything, it reawakened that part of me that would really like to own, for once, a car that’s cool to more than just me. Most gearheads experience this–Why else would we seek out communities specifically devoted to other owners of our particular model? And I think, in some form or another, the desire translates to other passions, other interests as well. You fill in the blanks.
He walked a C5 Corvette in it. That could have been me… Dang it.
Okay. Deep breath. There’s more to life. And…. We’re good.
ugh, i very rarely have more than $100 in my checking account. i hate money… because i never have much.
Yeah, my checking account just bottomed out today… *sigh* Looks like I’m going to have to figure something out.
Still haven’t ruled out selling a kidney on eBay… :)
I check both of my checking accounts at least once a week, if not more frequently. I’m really good about it, because I know what kind of crap I have to go through if I forget to :รพ
Overall i think it looks very nice. Has a very clean, smooth look about it (with the 80’s type rims, freshened side guards, very sporty yet stock looking sticker…) that i can see you sitting in, spinning around town with the techno driving music discreetly blaring.
No, i’m not the best when it comes to budgeting. I can make a budget and even stick to it, but i cant stand the lag times for cashing checks, etc.
I would advise against debt. It’ll suck even the most responsible people dry in no time.
I know you’ve been through a lot, automotively speaking. But i really do think you have sworn off any modification that could be considered performance. Come on, Matt. This is what first drew me to your tutilige in the first place. Dont let old wounds keep you from your heart’s desires (aka Supra). ;-P You were destined to thrash stock sports cars…dont fight it, Matt…it’s meant to be!
Oh believe me, I’d like nothing more than to cruise around in a single-turbo 1JZ Supra, techno music “discreetly blaring,” cook up my own EFI system for an engine, or attack a road course with a fire-breathing monster of my own creation. I just can’t afford anything right now, or for a long time for that matter. The financial hurdles to be overcome during the next few years are very real and very immediate. Not that I’m losing sleep over it–but it does take wise planning and limiting superfluous spending (in which category fall all things performance-related, unfortunately).
Maybe if you could give me some financial tips on how to purchase my very own $4K crate motor, then I’d be in business… But until then bone stock will have to suffice.
Oh posh. You just need some, um, creative financing, shall we say. ;-P