I know I mope a lot, and it’s important to take note of the positives
where they occur.
We just marked a major milestone in our family history: we bought a
new family car.
This is a Big Deal for us for a number of reasons. For one thing,
having a Suburban and (more importantly) the big family to justify it
has been my dream and plan since I was in my teens.
It’s also a big deal because for more than a year, we haven’t had a
vehicle big enough to seat everyone—-severely curtailing our ability
to have family outings and trips.
But it’s an even bigger deal because it marks the first time we were
able to plan, save up, and buy a car outright: no new loan payments to
drag down our monthly budgets. Yes, it’s 11 years old and needed a lot
of work to pass inspection, but it’s ours now, free and clear. It’s
one more victory in our war on debt and our mission to live more
frugally and sustainably. From now on, if all goes well, we will never
take out another car loan—-just make planned, budgeted purchases like
this one.
Next step: farm in the country!