Wanda’s New Shoes

One of Wanda’s tires has had a slow leek for the past month or so and true to my style, I have been ignoring it. I would just keep pumping air into it, but not go and get it fixed. At first it would take a week to deflate but as of Friday morning it was clear that it was now deflating in a day. I now knew that I had to deal with it; I had no choice. 

I have had other flats on Wanda before, and this is the third tire to get a puncture. Even worse is the fact that Wanda’s tires are worn down and need replacing anyways. The aggravating this is that they are newer (only two years old) with less miles on them than the tires on my truck!

This is just another aspect and symptom of how you could sum up the entire RV industry: “How cheaply can you make a box yet make it look good.” Don’t get me wrong, I like Wanda and she is my home and takes care of me, but there are aspects here and there that indicate she was made with a capitalistic mentality and not a craftsman mentality.

The tires that new trailers come with are the cheapest ones they can get their hands on. So when you buy a new trailer, be prepared to replace them, and soon. I recommend replacing with decent tires them soon after you buy your RV. 

I have known this and was putting off dealing with the tire, for this reason. The cost of replacing the tires was not an expense that I wanted to face. I thought about just getting the flat fixed, but one hard look at the tires told me that this was not wise; they were worn and just needed to be replaced. 

I went to a tire place that has opened up in the neighbourhood near where I live and work. I went there before and I was pleased with their service. I also wanted to support a local business, so I went there after work. 

They didn’t have the tires that day but could get them for the following morning. So, back I went Saturday morning to get Wanda, her new shoes. I made sure to get decent tires, yet not insanely expensive. Here they are, Wanda’s new shoes. 

  

They gave me a great deal, and did the work promptly and properly. I put the charge on Card #1 so I could get a few reward points. In truth I needed the time so I could mull over what to do with this charge. 

One option was to just leave it on the charge and chip away at it over the next few months. Another option was to pause my savings to the contingency fund until this was paid. 

Both of these options left my contingency fund untouched. Sure this was my vacation fund but this was, after all, my in case of oopsies fund. The primary purpose of this fund is to be used to take care of these unforeseen and/or unplanned expenses. (Tires are one thing, laptops are another.) The whole idea of having this fund is so that I don’t pay any extortionistic interest of a credit card. 

I decided to do the sensible thing and not hoard that cash in that contingency fund, and pay the card off in full next payday. Thankfully, with a bit of budgetary magic, this will only put a $200.00 dent in my contingency fund. 

I should still be able to pay for Wanda’s insurance next month and for my vacation in the summer. 

As usual, it will be tight, but I should be able to manage it. As far as what to do come August (to buy or not to buy) I am still flip-flopping back and forth, as the lure of being totally debt free is appealing.

As it stands if I keep this up, by August of next year, I could pay off Wanda in full . . . and then the following January Trea will be paid off. Then, I switch to the living really cheap mode, and that is something to ponder . . . being able to live on $500.00 a month (think about that).

For now, here is a sunset shot that I got while visiting a friend this weekend.

  

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!