OK, Now I REALLY Need a New Vehicle

Yes, I know I said that a week and a half ago when it cost me $650 to do a bunch of work to the Explorer. But now I really have to get a new vehicle. Truly. Look what happened to it yesterday:


It's done for good, this time. Yes, I know I thought that 3 years ago when the deer attacked us, but this time we are within just a few months of paying it off so the cost to fix will be more than the payoff for the insurance company.

Before I go any farther with the story let me assure you all that Doug is OK. Which is amazing since his airbag didn't deploy. You can bet I'm going to ask some questions (like whether or not it was even replaced). When I asked him why he didn't get hurt he said, "I went limp, like I was doing an air drop." Ahhh, the Army taught him so many useful things!



So, here's how it happened... We had been clearing our old documents from our file cabinets and doing some basic cleaning. There were lots of shredded papers and cardboard boxes so Doug decided that he would take it all to the recycling center. (We may be evil conservatives but we do believe in doing what we can to not make more of a mess). His initial plan included taking Brenna along. Thankfully she was resting on the couch and opted to stay home.

Doug had dropped off the recycling and was on his way home. The night before we had some sleet that got covered in snow and the roads were a bit slick and not all had been cleared. Doug had come over a hill and at the bottom of the hill a truck was turning. Doug began to slow down. Well, he tried to slow down (he wasn't going very fast to begin with). Unfortunately the road hadn't been cleared very well and he just slid. All the way down the hill.





Instead of hitting the truck that was turning and having a 2 car accident, Doug aimed for a snow bank at the side of the road. It was a big snow bank, too. About 4 feet high, maybe a bit more. I guess it was a pretty firm snow bank because Doug hit it and "bounced" off it and into the pole.

The pole won. Doug called me to come get him. I arranged for family to come watch the girls (the car seats were in the truck) and I headed out. The roads were still bad; a car in front of me lost control and almost took me out. (That would have been what you call ironic.) As we were waiting for the tow truck a big sander came by a couple of times. People were still sliding around trying to avoid the police car and the tow truck.

We made all the necessary calls and went to the bank to stop the payment that is supposed to withdraw on Monday. No point in paying for a totaled car, you know.

Then we came home, Doug called Ford credit to tell them we stopped the payment, and then I put him in a hot bath. Just in case his muscles decided to hurt.

As for what we are going to do... Luckily Doug can hitch a ride with my siblings this coming week. And on the day he can't I am sure I can borrow a vehicle from my brother since he & his wife carpool. The following week Doug will be out of town (that a whole nother story). Hopefully the issue will be resolved by the time he returns.

How We're "Livin' Dave"

Before taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University we probably would have gone out and gotten a new vehicle... With a new loan. Not so now. Our plan is to celebrate the loan being gone by buying the cheapest car we can find (that is drive-able) for Doug to drive to work. No more car loans for us! (This is our silver lining)