If you are a frequent paddler here at My Little Blue Kayak, you know I am not a fan of being super busy. I prefer a leisurely paddle to the middle of the lake, followed by 15 minutes of basking in the sunshine to an all out race across the lake. With that in mind, I have been super busy the last few weeks and haven’t had a chance to write. Spring is my busy season with yard work gigs, nursing home shifts and opening up the cottage for the summer.
I still don’t have much time, so I thought I would tie up some loose ends from earlier posts.
“In a post titled “Home Sweet Home”, I wrote about my first ever speeding ticket that I received, compliments of the NY State Police on my way to Boston. That darn ticket caused me a bit of stress as I had to plead guilty and then accept the punishment for my crime. I had no idea how much that little ticket would cost me and the internet rumors ranged from $200-$500, plus points against my license. I got a $97 ticket with a $103 surcharge by New York State for a grand total of $200. No one has talked about points, so I think I am safe!
I also wrote about having some minor regrets with Sunburst, my new (to me), 2015 bright orange Hyundai Veloster. In that post, I wrote about how my car is attracted to every pot hole and tends to get flat tires rather easily. I also shared that the really hip, cool 3rd door means I am unable to get the kayak rack that I had my eyes on. Apparently, an even number of doors is important!
I did some research and found a company in England that makes a soft car rack, designed for 3 door hatchbacks. It is meant for surfboards however they say it will work for kayaks. Then, I did a little more research and found it on Amazon for $20 cheaper than at the manufacturers site. How does Amazon do it? No more flats or low tire pressure symbols since that April post!
The car rack that I initially had my eyes on was a Thule base rack and J-Bars that I estimated would cost $600. My soft rack that I ended up with cost a grand total of $55. Score! Granted my soft rack is not versatile and won’t carry anything other than 1 kayak but that is after all why I wanted it. I haven’t put it on top of my car yet, and I haven’t hoisted my 55 pound kayak on to it yet; but so far I am happy with my purchase.
I had actually set aside $1000 for the rack as I wasn’t sure which one I would purchase, plus, I wanted to be able to carry 2 kayaks (my honey likes to paddle too). That leaves with $945 set aside that I don’t need to spend. At this point, I am leaving that in my car fund account, but it might get pulled out to buy a lighter kayak if getting My Little Blue one on top of Sunburst is a struggle!
The last thing that I wanted to share is that Fenway finally got her teeth cleaned. The estimate that I received was $250 to do the procedure plus additional money for each tooth that needed to be pulled. My poor baby had retched breath, so I planned for the worst! I didn’t call the Vet until I had $1000 set aside. After having 11 teeth pulled and completing a course of pain medication and antibiotics she now has normal smelling breath! The bill was just over $600.
It is simply part of my strategic life to maintain debt free lifestyle. It does involve planning and resourcefulness but I have been staying on this path for several years by making one good decision after another!
Planning ahead for expenses and setting that money aside in advance is one way to stay out of debt. In this instance, I had saved a total of $1600 for the car rack and teeth cleaning. Combined, the car rack, speeding ticket and teeth cleaning, set me back $855. That is not chump change in my world but I was prepared for the bills and didn’t need to stress out about the cost. I also didn’t need to work a ton of extra hours to pay off my bills. I am busy enough as it is!
Choosing Wealth in this kayak!
Lake Girl