Bills paid today:
Geico Auto Insurance - $120.88
TXU Electric - $164.97 (budget billing amount...actual bill amount was 94.91)
Bank of America (truck) - $311.55 (balance before payment was $6,701.21)
Sprint PCS - $50.62
Visa - $50.00 (balance before payment was $2,231.48)
Discover-D - $148.40 (balance AFTER payment was $4,900...0% interest)
That's all the bills through the end of the month except Netflix ($19.29) which will be deducted on 4/26. Other than groceries, gas and tithe, I should not spend any more. Since I don't get paid until Friday and Visa (lowest on the debt snowball) is due on Thursday, I just made close to the minimum payment. I plan to make another payment as soon as Friday's check is deposited. Figuring out how much that will be is where I am having trouble.
My dilemma: I paid off my 2000 Honda Accord last month. Well, today I got a coupon type booklet in the mail from the local Honda dealership. In there, I noticed an ad for $35 off a timing belt replacement. Well, that got me thinking about maintenance on my car. I bought my car used when it had 25,000 miles on it. Now it has 125,000 miles on it. I have never had any belts replaced. I called a friend who works at another local dealership and asked him about having the belts changed out/checked and he said that it would definitely be a good thing to have it done soon. He said it should have been done at 90,000 miles. So, now I am all worried about needing my belts changed but if I do that, it will mean way less going toward the Visa because the cost of changing out the drive belts, timing belt, water pump and whatever else is right around $700.00. I should still have at least $600 to go toward the Visa and still have money for necessities through next month.
So, should I go ahead and get the work done on the car? I am kind of thinking it is a perfect time to do it since I have the "extra" money. And it would be a nightmare to have a belt break and be on the side of the road...and maybe cause more damage. TB is at school so I get to ask him about all this when he gets home tonight. I am just kind of let down because I called him this morning saying we should have $1,200 to pay toward the Visa and we were both so excited about it.
Belts and Stuff
April 24th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
April 25th, 2007 at 12:18 am 1177460316
April 25th, 2007 at 12:25 pm 1177503919
April 25th, 2007 at 01:42 pm 1177508523
I don't know much about cars, but what happens if the timing belt goes? I would think that as long as you are having regular maintenance on the vehicle and nothing is going wrong then why fix what isn't broken?
Do you have $1000 in an emergency fund? That's the first thing I would do and then start piling the money on the Visa.
Our 1990 Honda Civic died in November. It had 460,000Km on it and we never had any trouble at all. I honestly thought that it would fall apart from rust before the engine gave in!
April 25th, 2007 at 02:11 pm 1177510280
April 25th, 2007 at 02:17 pm 1177510669
April 25th, 2007 at 06:58 pm 1177527495