Two weeks ago, I spent $560 on my car. The intake manifold was leaking, among other issues, and I had to get through emissions to register her–so I had a a deadline.
I barely got her back, and the AC went out. In case you haven’t heard, it’s a really bad time to be without AC in my neck of the woods. That cost me $322—and they’re not confident they fixed the problem, as they’re not sure how they got it working.
Last week Erin talked about what it’s like, living mostly without pain. Putting nearly a thousand dollars into my car over the course of a month has made me think about what it’s like, having a life without lack.
People like to complain about their jobs, and their bills, and how their paychecks are gone before they even hit the bank account, and I think it’s important to get that frustration out. I also think it’s important to remember that jobs are good to have. Lots of people out there would love to have a job. Though most of us would love not to need a job, until that awesome circumstance comes about, it’s good to have a job.
Bills are good to have. Bills mean (probably…?) you’ve received something you wanted.
I whine a lot every summer about my electric bill. When summer hits and we start running the AC all the time, my electric bill quadruples. See above link to the weather.
But you know what? It’s a lot cheaper to run an evaporative cooler, which is what I’ve always had before. The problem with that though, is that even in the best situations evap can only drop the temperature of a house about 30°, so instead of 114° you’ve got 84°, which is still blasted hot for in your house. And if it’s humid, like it has been the last few days? It won’t even do that.
So yeah, I’ve got a huge electric bill for a couple months. What I don’t have is the entire family, dog included, playing pancake on the tile in the living room, praying for a breath of air and for September to hurry up and get here.
I’ll take the bill, thanks, and be glad that I am able to choose it. I lived for years with evaporative cooling in the house (aka the swamp cooler) and no AC at all in my parade of cars.
Yes, parade. Back in the day, I drove my cars until they stopped going, and then I bought another one. When you buy a $1000-car, you pay $1000. When you take your car to the mechanic, you don’t know what you’re going to pay—and if your car will be fixed when you’re done.
So I generally just gave up and got another car, walking and catching rides from my friends until I could save enough.
Way back when, I envied people who went on vacation. Who had nice cars with windows that all worked. Who drove across town on a whim, without stopping to think if they had enough gas in the car.
Now I’ve seen the Grand Canyon. I adjust all four windows (power windows!) as I drive, to get the wind just right. Or put them all up and turn on the AC. As I zoom across town because somehow the kid missed the last bus again.
I don’t mean to brag, and I certainly could stand to make a little more money. (Wanna buy a book?) But I can be and am extremely grateful for what I have. Now if only the kid would get a job, and pay for her animals’ vet care and new headphones and charger cords every time she breaks one…but in the meantime I’ll be glad that she does seem to have decided that regular hospital admissions are not fun anymore.
If Christmas in July is a thing, then I guess this is Thanksgiving in June.
I’m grateful my AC works, in my house and my car. I’m grateful to have an awesome job, with the best-est boss ever. I’m glad to be a turtleducker with the awesomest ladies ever, Kit, Siri, and Erin.
But don’t think I’m turning on the oven to cook a turkey. Did I mention the weather?