Sherri Cornelius

Remember when life sucked because the van died and the hubs had to take my car to work, leaving me stuck at home all day and forcing me to run errands in the evening’s cold darkness? Remember?

Well thanks to that truck you see up there, I have my freedom back. It’s a 2000 Silverado with a back seat big enough for the kids and enough cool features to satisfy the testosterone coursing through my husband and a bed for me to haul my building materials home from the lumber yard.

Two problems I can see are the lower gas mileage of a V6 combined with high gas prices, and the front seats have apparently been sprayed with the devil, AKA Febreze. I can’t do much about the first thing, but the second thing I’ve already started combating with a Bissell Little Green Machine. And of course the solution the Bissell came with stinks to high heaven, so I had to make my own with vinegar and dish soap. I cleaned the passenger seat yesterday, and it seems to be working.

My ‘97 Saturn is the latest model we’ve ever owned, believe it or not, so we’ve been joking about finally coming into the 21st century. The hubs has been so happy to finally have a decent vehicle to drive. It makes me happy to see him happy.

And it makes me happy to have my freedom back.

Well, I tried and tried to fix the comment form so it would show your line breaks, and I just can't figure it out. Lots of times when I hit a wall like this, if I just give it a little time it'll become clear, so that's what I'll try. I know it's annoying, but one day I'll have it fixed. I like having my own website, though at times like these I wish I had stayed at the free Wordpress blog. Every tiny problem means hours on the Internet trying to find a solution. *sigh*

In one week, the Little Bubba got the car door slammed on his fingers, ripped his hand open with barbed wire, got dive-bombed by a kite, fell of the front porch, and a bunch of other little owies I can't remember. That kid has a bullseye painted on his back and fate has the darts. It's gotten so every time I hear a thud or a shout I run straight to him. Good news is his little 8-year-old self is still "going good, great, happy" with his girlfriend.

The hubs is looking for a pickup. The van is getting more and more difficult to drive, so thank goodness we had a pretty good tax refund. We had decided to pay cash for an older vehicle rather than take on a car payment (you may remember that I have enough trouble keeping the bills paid as it is), but this afternoon we went looking and there's just not that much to choose from in the older pickup department. And let me just define "older" for you by saying the '97 Saturn I bought last year is the latest model I've ever owned.

I guess people either trade in their pickups every couple of years or they just keep them till they fall apart. The guy at Automax almost talked us into a 2007 Nissan Frontier by telling us he could get the payment down to $150 a month. But man, I just don't know. One-fifty a month when I was paying zero will be hard to swallow, especially when I figure in the insurance thing. So what are your thoughts on buying an older vehicle that may need more repairs, or making monthly payments on a newer one?