Rejoice With Me! Two Milestones Almost Reached


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It will be next year that my wife and I will have been married for twenty years.  Hopefully our marriage sealing will be sealed by the Holy Spirit in the next life if we continue faithful to life eternal.

We also now have just reached one full gross year of income saved for in our emergency fund and retirement combined.

Please share any milestones or goals reached if you wish.

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1 hour ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

It will be next year that my wife and I will have been married for twenty years.  Hopefully our marriage sealing will be sealed by the Holy Spirit in the next life if we continue faithful to life eternal.

We also now have just reached one full gross year of income saved for in our emergency fund and retirement combined.

Please share any milestones or goals reached if you wish.

Amazing.  Keep up the good work.

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3 hours ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

It will be next year that my wife and I will have been married for twenty years.  Hopefully our marriage sealing will be sealed by the Holy Spirit in the next life if we continue faithful to life eternal.

We also now have just reached one full gross year of income saved for in our emergency fund and retirement combined.

Please share any milestones or goals reached if you wish.

Brigham Young once observed that any woman can spoon money out the kitchen window faster than any man can shovel it in the front door.

Your accomplishments are not that of one but of two.  It seem to be more and more difficult in this world to get two to work together long enough to accomplish anything close to what the both of you have accomplished.  My father told me that there are two things most people will look you in the eye and lie about.  #1. Is how well they manage their money and #2 Is how well they get along with their spouse.  What I did not realize at the time was how much the two are related to each other.

 

The Traveler

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  • 2 months later...
8 hours ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

We paid off our car today.  No more car payments!  Yippy!  There is only about 59,000 miles on the odometer presently as well.

Well done!

Our previous car lasted us 10 years, which I consider quite an achievement, given that it was about 8 years old when we bought it. I was determined to make it last 10 years, despite the electronics going haywire every now and then for the last 2 or 3 years. Last September it stopped changing gear, and I was mad because I'd just spent several hundred pounds getting it through its MOT - which I was happy to spend on the understanding it would last another year. Luckily it started working again, and despite my wife cajoling me to "buy a new car" I made it last till the 10th anniversary of our buying it. It's the longest car I've ever owned:

My car-owning history:

Car 1: Mini. Bought in 1982 sold in 1990. I was 17 when I first had it, and an apprentice at a lighting factory. It saw me right through college and part-way through grad school. The sills were always rusting, and I had to have them replaced several times - despite undersealing the entire car.

Car 2: Peugeot. Bought and sold in 1987 - owned briefly in parallel with the Mini. I only needed one car, and was tempted to keep the Peugeot, but eventually decided to keep the Mini because it was easier to get parts for.

Car 3: Ford Fiesta. Bought in 1990 and sold in 1997. It was an absolute rust bucket.

Car 4: Ford Escort. Bought in 1997, destroyed in crash around 2002. I loved this car. It was a beautiful shiny white, and it had a sunroof. It t was written off, when  rammed from behind at a junction. The other driver tried to make out it was my fault but I was having none of it - even when he started whining about "losing his no-claims discount". (As if that was any concern of mine!) His insurance paid up, but the £200 I'd just spent on a new exhaust I never saw again.

Car 5: Skoda Felicia. Bought around 2002, sold around 2005. This was the car I had when I was married, and when my daughter was born. My wife called it "the Kermit car" because of the colour. It was a good car - I should have kept it longer.

Car 6: Vauxhall Astra. Bought around 2005, sold in 2010. Used to belong to my parents, and when they decided to sell it, I bought it off them because it had (i) power steering and (ii) AC. Bad decision. It leaked oil and my wife hated it.

Car 7: Vauxhall Zafira. Bought 2010, sold 2020. Excellent car on the whole - aside from the wonky electronics. The main disadvantage of owning a Zafira - especially a GREY Zafira - is that there are so many of them, and you can bet there are 4 or 5 in any car park. Locating your own can be a pig.

Car 8: Vauxhall Meriva. Bought last month. No complaints so far. Handles well. Main complaint: whenever I take the family out in it, they seem to spend the entire trip faffing around to make the Bluetooth work with their phones. Instead of civilized conversation, all I hear is: "If I press this...oh no it's still not working...blah blah..." The joys of technology...

Edited by Jamie123
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5 hours ago, Jamie123 said:

Well done!

Our previous car lasted us 10 years, which I consider quite an achievement, given that it was about 8 years old when we bought it. I was determined to make it last 10 years, despite the electronics going haywire every now and then for the last 2 or 3 years. Last September it stopped changing gear, and I was mad because I'd just spent several hundred pounds getting it through its MOT - which I was happy to spend on the understanding it would last another year. Luckily it started working again, and despite my wife cajoling me to "buy a new car" I made it last till the 10th anniversary of our buying it. It's the longest car I've ever owned:

My car-owning history:

Car 1: Mini. Bought in 1982 sold in 1990. I was 17 when I first had it, and an apprentice at a lighting factory. It saw me right through college and part-way through grad school. The sills were always rusting, and I had to have them replaced several times - despite undersealing the entire car.

Car 2: Peugeot. Bought and sold in 1987 - owned briefly in parallel with the Mini. I only needed one car, and was tempted to keep the Peugeot, but eventually decided to keep the Mini because it was easier to get parts for.

Car 3: Ford Fiesta. Bought in 1990 and sold in 1997. It was an absolute rust bucket.

Car 4: Ford Escort. Bought in 1997, destroyed in crash around 2002. I loved this car. It was a beautiful shiny white, and it had a sunroof. It t was written off, when  rammed from behind at a junction. The other driver tried to make out it was my fault but I was having none of it - even when he started whining about "losing his no-claims discount". (As if that was any concern of mine!) His insurance paid up, but the £200 I'd just spent on a new exhaust I never saw again.

Car 5: Skoda Felicia. Bought around 2002, sold around 2005. This was the car I had when I was married, and when my daughter was born. My wife called it "the Kermit car" because of the colour. It was a good car - I should have kept it longer.

Car 6: Vauxhall Astra. Bought around 2005, sold in 2010. Used to belong to my parents, and when they decided to sell it, I bought it off them because it had (i) power steering and (ii) AC. Bad decision. It leaked oil and my wife hated it.

Car 7: Vauxhall Zafira. Bought 2010, sold 2020. Excellent car on the whole - aside from the wonky electronics. The main disadvantage of owning a Zafira - especially a GREY Zafira - is that there are so many of them, and you can bet there are 4 or 5 in any car park. Locating your own can be a pig.

Car 8: Vauxhall Meriva. Bought last month. No complaints so far. Handles well. Main complaint: whenever I take the family out in it, they seem to spend the entire trip faffing around to make the Bluetooth work with their phones. Instead of civilized conversation, all I hear is: "If I press this...oh no it's still not working...blah blah..." The joys of technology...

I currently drive a car (GMC Suburban)  that is 28 years old.  It has a tape deck that no one can use any more - the tapes are all worn out and it is too difficult to replace them.  I have taken excellent care of the car and on average it cost me about $500 a year for repairs.  I still change the oil every 5,000 miles (I use synthetic oil). My mechanic loves it more than I do.   It is a work horse that pulls my trailer - my kids borrow it almost as much as I use it.  It needs a new wire harness for the positive side of the battery and replacement fuse for the cigarette lighter - my wife tried to run a food blender on a converter plugged into the cigarette lighter.   I have decided it best to not let anyone use the cigarette lighter any more.  People ask why I do not replace my car and get a new one.  I respond that it does not make sense to pay $70,000 for a car that will do no more than my current car and my phone.

The one car I wish I had kept was a 1957 Triumph TR3A.  I purchased it while I was single and in the army and had it until my wife became pregnant and said it was too difficult to get in and out of.  If I had kept it I would have put it on a aluminum frame and upgraded the engine and transmission (and just about everything else) except the exterior look.  It is by far the funnest and most enjoyable car I have ever ridden in and it could be started with a crank - which I did only once.  When I learned where the term "cranky" came from.

 

The Traveler

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1 hour ago, Traveler said:

I have ever ridden in and it could be started with a crank - which I did only once.  When I learned where the term "cranky" came from.

I took Vehicle Technology at school, and did pretty well in it - though in the 1980s a car was something totally different from what it is today. (It's all electronics now, but the only solid-state device on a car then was the rectifier on the back of the alternator.) One thing I remember learning was that some cars - then - still could (in theory) be started with a crank. I had never seen that done except in old films - but the "hooks" for doing it were still there.

1 hour ago, Traveler said:

I currently drive a car (GMC Suburban)  that is 28 years old. 

I've often wondered how you get fuel for cars of that age. Do they still sell Lead Replacement Fuel over there? It's years since I've seen it over here!

Edited by Jamie123
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4 hours ago, Jamie123 said:

I took Vehicle Technology at school, and did pretty well in it - though in the 1980s a car was something totally different from what it is today. (It's all electronics now, but the only solid-state device on a car then was the rectifier on the back of the alternator.) One thing I remember learning was that some cars - then - still could (in theory) be started with a crank. I had never seen that done except in old films - but the "hooks" for doing it were still there.

I've often wondered how you get fuel for cars of that age. Do they still sell Lead Replacement Fuel over there? It's years since I've seen it over here!

The most important trick with a crank is having your thumb and fingers on the same side of the crank - or the kick back will cause a great deal of pain.

As for led free gas - It was begun almost 50 years ago.  I do not know when it became required but my car burns it just fine.  

 

The Traveler

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4 minutes ago, Fether said:

Paid off our car a few months ago 🤘 also saved up enough money to buy a minivan with cash. Time to have a 3rd baby!

My son just purchased a new sprinter van about month ago.  He rents it out and has it reserved through the end of the year that will make the payments for over a year.  This son learned his lesson with credit through student loans.  He now owns 3 homes - including the one he lives in and collects enough rent to pay for all his homes.  But he says that the sprinter van brings in as much revenue per month as a house with much less capitol investment.

 

The Traveler

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1 hour ago, Traveler said:

My son just purchased a new sprinter van about month ago.  He rents it out and has it reserved through the end of the year that will make the payments for over a year.  This son learned his lesson with credit through student loans.  He now owns 3 homes - including the one he lives in and collects enough rent to pay for all his homes.  But he says that the sprinter van brings in as much revenue per month as a house with much less capitol investment.

 

The Traveler

That is actually incredibly interesting to me. What kind of people are renting those vans out?

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4 hours ago, Fether said:

That is actually incredibly interesting to me. What kind of people are renting those vans out?

The van is mostly configured for camping but was designed with extras for skiers and swagging for cyclists in competitions and long rides.  We are not sure yet how winter and skiing will work out but what he has reserved through the end of the year will carry through til spring camping if the skiing does not work out.

As a side note.  My son and his wife and 4 kids lived crammed into a 3 bedroom one bath apartment in the basement of their home while they rented the upstairs for 5 years while they purchased two other homes and paid off ung-dly student loans.  The sacrifice has paid off big time.  They now live in a 6,000 sq foot home with a fantastic view - but now they have a renter in the basement.  His siblings use to make fun of their living in a basement when they could afford more.  Not so much now.  He plans to add an new investment each year and retire in 10 years.

 

The Traveler

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11 hours ago, Traveler said:

As for led free gas - It was begun almost 50 years ago.  I do not know when it became required but my car burns it just fine.

Very interesting. I remember in the late 80's/early 90's when they introduced lead free fuel, they told us very sternly NOT to use it in cars designed for leaded fuel, though some could be "converted" to use unleaded by a small adjustment to the timing. My Fiesta was a "converted" car, but even that had to have leaded fuel on every 3rd tank. All my cars after that were unleaded-only, but I did notice that the leaded pumps were gradually replaced with ones selling "Lead Replacement Petrol" - which had the old "4 star" logo on them.

unleaded-available-at-the-esso-petrol-st

I just did some web-searching - you can buy "lead replacement fuel additive" - but your car runs OK without it? Interesting...

Edited by Jamie123
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5 hours ago, Jamie123 said:

Very interesting. I remember in the late 80's/early 90's when they introduced lead free fuel, they told us very sternly NOT to use it in cars designed for leaded fuel, though some could be "converted" to use unleaded by a small adjustment to the timing. My Fiesta was a "converted" car, but even that had to have leaded fuel on every 3rd tank. All my cars after that were unleaded-only, but I did notice that the leaded pumps were gradually replaced with ones selling "Lead Replacement Petrol" - which had the old "4 star" logo on them.

unleaded-available-at-the-esso-petrol-st

I just did some web-searching - you can buy "lead replacement fuel additive" - but your car runs OK without it? Interesting...

I just realized that you live in the UK.  We may be dealing with a little bit of culture shock.   We do not have Petrol here - all our vehicles run of gasoline (or gas for short).  😎

 

The Traveler

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1 hour ago, Traveler said:

I just realized that you live in the UK.  We may be dealing with a little bit of culture shock.   We do not have Petrol here - all our vehicles run of gasoline (or gas for short).

Cars go much faster when you put petrol in them! 😜 Gasoline sucks! 🤡

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On 8/20/2020 at 10:21 AM, Jamie123 said:

Cars go much faster when you put petrol in them! 😜 Gasoline sucks! 🤡

Sorry it took so long to notice this post - but I could not let this go without reminding you that your cars in the UK really are not going faster than our cars here in the USA.  It only looks like it because your speedometer displays metric kilometers per hour and our cars here are still displaying the ancient and outdated miles per hour.  😉

 

 

The Traveler

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51 minutes ago, Traveler said:

Sorry it took so long to notice this post - but I could not let this go without reminding you that your cars in the UK really are not going faster than our cars here in the USA.  It only looks like it because your speedometer displays metric kilometers per hour and our cars here are still displaying the ancient and outdated miles per hour.  😉

 

 

The Traveler

You're thinking of Canada. No one uses kilometers in the UK.

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