I should start this post out by apologizing for my lack of blogging lately. Life seems to be getting in the way of a few things and one of them is blogging.
There has been lots going on around here lately. Awhile back, I found out that I will be spending almost $11,000 on a new roof for the house. While this might have panicked me years ago, I’m pretty okay with it because we knew it was coming and have been putting money in a special account. When the roof is done, we’ll be able to write a check for it without having to borrow anything. Financially planning ahead for major expenses does have it’s benefits.
I almost didn’t want to blog about the other major purchase we recently made. Why? Because it is an absolutely absurd expenditure. I bought a new ATV (four wheeler) for the lake. Not only did I buy it, but I bought it NEW. Please, use the soft tipped arrows when you leave your comments.
I could go on and on about how concerned I was that the ATV shop employees needed to eat and that my purchase was single handedly keeping them employed but we all know I’m not that thoughtful. I have been wanting some sort of ATV for the lake for the past couple years so that I can go out and explore the hundreds of miles of trails that are just about right out my back door. All of our friends out there have them and disappear on day long excursions on their ATV’s. I have been wanting to go along every time but obviously couldn’t keep up on foot. We did go along in one of our friends “Polaris Rangers” and were absolutely amazed at all the great trails and open forest roads that are there.
So, now for the details. The ATV cost about $5000. I was able to get a massive discount off of the MSRP price because I chose a 2008 model that they wanted to clear out of their inventory. I spent a good solid hour negotiating the final price and after all the negotiating was done, I made them throw in a new helmet to seal the deal. I think I just about gave the guy a coronary when I told him that, after he had steeply discounted the ATV and all the negotiating was done, I’d like to pay for it with an American Express so that I could get another 1% back. This purchase is solidly in the “wants” category and I clearly knew that there was no justifying this as a “need”. We will pay the American Express bill off in full when the statement comes so we aren’t taking on any debt for it. It was a lot easier making the decision to buy this “toy” knowing that we were paying cash, we are maxing out our investment accounts, and we have a solid emergency fund in place. If all of those criteria weren’t being met, I would have never made the decision to buy it.
So, there you have it. As conservative as I try to be with our finances, once in awhile I throw caution to the wind and do something crazy. I guess I chalk it up to trying to make sure that we live for today AND plan for tomorrow.