A Quandry

So ... after all that talk about Neil's dad buying the Saab from us they decided they can't afford to have three cars right now and brought it back up for us to sell ourselves. Now we have three cars and we don't know which one to sell. Based on the following, which one would you keep?

• The Honda is cheaper to fix
• The Honda is more reliable most of the time but is definitely getting older and having issues
• The Saab is older and has issues too
• The Honda has more miles than the saab
• The Saab has a brand new suspension
• The Saab has brand new tires
• The Honda needs new tires
• The Saab is a lot safer and more comfortable than the Honda
• The Honda will get us about twice as much money if we sell it which we can keep in a savings  
  account for any repairs the Saab may need down the road.
• The Saab is easy to change the oil in and Neil can do it himself
• Neil loves the Saab so the Saturn would then be my car.
• If we kept the Saab, we would have two leather cars which means no more getting shocked on the
  fabric upholstery
• The Honda is a Honda.
• The Saab is a Saab.

Oh, the dilemma. 

Another hurdle

It always seems that just when I'm excited about our upcoming trip and all the relaxation that's in store for me, another bump lands in our road. As if to make me feel guilty for going on vacation. As if to say "hey, you shouldn't be spending money." I already know this is the last big vacation we'll have in a very long while, so I hardly think it's fair I should be reminded so repeatedly and so expensively that we are not well off and need to save every penny.

So, on top of Neil's two trips to the ER and my car breaking down earlier in the month ... Neil's saab decides to call it quits on Christmas Eve. The sad part is that it may be beyond repair. The car itself isn't worth more than $1500 in running condition and its current diagnosis is engine failure. A new engine costs more to repair than the car is worth. So, we may end up with a new(er) car and a payment that I am nowhere near ready to wrap my mind around.

But, things have always worked out for us in the past, so I know this hurdle will be no different. Because it's all about the attitude. It's just going to take some thinking, and some financial reorganizing, some deal hunting, and some know how. (did I just write "know how?") And even if the idea of getting second jobs is no longer idle chit chat for us, we'll do what we have to to make it work, like Tim Gunn tells us to.