Yesterday morning (in a weird fit of industriousness) I cleaned out my van. Really though, before you start thinking about how great I am, I should admit that I had to have an empty van to load up food for the food bank that we were picking up. And this week's goal was, conveniently enough, to give our vans a "make-over". And I did have my van detailed a couple of months ago, so the damage wasn't that bad...
...but still - I did spend some time with the shop vac, a rag, and some goo-gone. [Side note - Goo Gone is one of our top 3 cleaning products]. But I couldn't help noticing the places where the vacuum can't reach - like in the tracks that hold the seats or in the spaces where the molding is starting to peel away from the van walls. It was disgusting. It was 7 years of built up grunge. Yuck, yuck and yuck.
So then I think - see, this is why I need a new van. Who cares if this one is paid off. Who cares if it still works. Who cares if over the past 7 years it has only needed a new fuel pump and that's it for fixes?? IT HAS 7 YEARS OF BUILT UP CRUD! IT MUST GO!!!!
But then I remember to be happy to have a vehicle that works. And I think about how great it is not to have a car payment.
But then I think about how frugal and humble I look in my older van. And then I become full of pride in my frugalness and humility.
...so if I'm going to be proud anyway, shouldn't it be in a shiny, new, clean van??
ON A SERIOUS NOTE: We do plan on driving this van until it dies. And if it lasts another 6 years then by the time we need a new family car, Alex and Coleman will be out of the house and we can get something smaller! How weird!
Oh, unless a miracle occurs and I actually get pregnant again - then it's the Suburban all the way! (...or an Escalade if we are rich) (...or a full-size van if James has his way)
Three Silver Pheasant Hens Join My Flock
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5 comments:
That was one quick pride cycle!
We drive our cars till they die, but now with Ken's new job he only gets his car allowance if he is driving a new car, so I don't know what we'll do when his truck ages past the perameters of the car allowance agreement.
I think you should go for the full-size van and then carpet the interior. Then you can re-live your childhood.
Sorry, haven't commented in a while. Congrats on you calling! It makes such a difference when the kids have a good teacher. We are back into the school routine. Look for our post about it tomorrow-it's a full day in the making. I'm recommending the Ford Econoline for big families HAHA! It's taken us miles and miles and boosts that self-esteem like nothing else can.
I LOVED the line being full of pride for your frugalness and humility. I think I need to put that in vinyl somewhere... haha!
We have an old stinky van and I love it! Seriously, I'll be driving that thing until the engine falls out. I cleaned it out really well a few weeks ago and it's like a new vehicle again! OK, maybe not "new", but it's way less stinky.
Do you let your kids eat in your van?
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