MollysBrother.com

A Financial Mistake I’ll Pay for in the Future

Honestly, life is riddled with mistakes. I’ve made mistakes before and I know I’ll make mistakes again. The key is accepting not only that you’ve screwed up, but reflecting upon the lessons born from it. Every single episode of The Brady Bunch taught me that nice little life nugget.

But there’s one financial mistake I know I’ll pay for in the future. I’ve allowed it to go on for too long. I’ve tossed and turned at night, the worries running through my head, forcing me face this mistake head-on. But, alas, I did nothing. Even though I realized the mistake, I did not act on it, I did not rectify it, I did not try and change my ways.

And I know in the long run, I’ll pay for it. I don’t know how much I’ll pay and I don’t know when I’ll pay, but I know that I will.

You see, I don’t take care of my car. At all. I appreciate that I have one and I’m thankful that it aptly does its job each and every day.

But deep down, I resent it. And it’s from this resentment that I treat it with disdain. My black Toyota Corolla is my little redheaded stepchild. Every time I turn around, I spend money on my car and it does nothing financially in return for me except depreciate in value with each tick of the clock. There are oil changes and service appointments, there are the weekly fill ups at the gas station, and the it-shouldn’t-be-quite-as-infrequent-as-it-is car wash. Money tossed on the fire pit. Coins heaved into the ether by the armful. There’s the insurance bill that always appears out of nowhere precisely when you’ve stopped wondering if/when it’s going to arrive in the mail. Triple-A wants their slice of the pie, too. And I nickel-and-dime a fortune away dropping coins into parking meters or handing them over to attendants. And here, in LA, every once in awhile, you’re forced to valet. Not to mention parking tickets, and speeding tickets and accidents. Oh my. Every time I leave the house, I spend money on that car.

So, I don’t take it in as regularly as I should. (Shrug.) I drive with the “check engine” light on longer than is probably prudent. (I can’t tell you long the check engine light was on before I took it in earlier this summer.)

But it’s a car. And I hate my car. And I’ve neglected it for too long.

I jest. I know that paying a few dollars now in maintenance could end up saving thousands of dollars in repair costs down the road. I’m aware of it. That’s why I’m admitting to my mistake and turning over a new leaf. I’ve been good lately. I’ve been a responsible car owner, taking it in for regular service and oil changes and the like. But every time I take it in, I wonder if I should just heap a pile of money on the BBQ now or slowly dole it out for car related issues over the next decade. Either way, I’ll get the same rate of return.

Honestly, thank God I have such a reliable car and didn’t end up with a lemon…cuz then I’d really be pissed.