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Dec 19, 2008    |       9 comments

Ouch – Our Car’s Value Took a Hit

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I’m getting ready to do a net worth update (which is looooong overdue) so I looked up the value of our car. Ouch. It took a hit of $1,000. Now that gas prices have went down, I think that pulled the value of our car down. For the longest time, it was above the $5K mark. Our car is small, but it is awesome with gas (over 30mpg – during trips it’s over 40mpg). I’m a little bummed about the value decreasing so much.

I also realized that it may be time to start thinking about our car’s replacement. We are a one-car household, and if possible we would like to pay as much cash as possible for our next vehicle purchase. Our car currently has 86,000 miles on it and we probably put about 7,000 miles a year on the car right now with our current situation. It’s a good car and it still has a lot of life. So now is probably a good time to start setting some money aside.

In a way, we want to reverse things when it comes to cars. Instead of spending a set amount a month to pay back a loan, we want to set aside that “payment” in a savings account to be able to pay for a car in cash. That’s a great way to avoid the interest charges. It’s a completely different way of thinking about big purchases than we are used to.

Dec 17, 2008    |       2 comments

A Giant Christmas Tree

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I got a kick out of this story.

Giant Christmas Tree Video
Giant Christmas Tree Pictures

Around the net, this story has been talked about a lot. Many of the comments about the tree focus on the mess (the needles!) and the cost. Perhaps it was an excessive thing to do. After all, it cost about $400 (US) for the tree and to get it in the house. That doesn’t count the decorations.

On another note, I think it’s hilarious. It made me smile, as it probably has made many others smile. I wonder if he thought his tree would get as much attention as it has. I’m sure he thought the neighbors would comment – but what about people in other countries?

I briefly thought about trying to have a huge display one year just for kicks. We’ve never been in a position financially to do it. Even if we were, I doubt we would go through with it. With downsizing our life, even our Christmas tree shrunk and it’s only about 2.5 feet wide. I do enjoy what others have done, like this giant tree or even a computerized light show (YouTube video link).

Of course, one thing we do every year is go out driving to look at all of the lights. Boy, I’m getting excited for Christmas!

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