I am £219 lighter today, it's the dreaded MOT and service time for the car. Luckily the car is still in good nick, I didn't expect it to fail on anything, but nevertheless sometimes you can get a nasty surprise just when you don't need one. Like last year when it needed new rear brakes. My front disc brakes are going to need renewing in the spring, and that's mainly because I don't use the car enough. I have only done 4,500 miles in a year, I need to do more to keep things moving. It's like a human body, if you don't excercise it, things start to seize up. I must get out more.
I suppose I am paying out quite a lot of money for a car which doesn't do many miles, the road tax and insurance are due soon. I haven't worked out the annual cost to run it, never have done, because I like my car. It gives me the freedom to go where I please, whenever I want to. It also allows me to go food shopping at eight o clock in the evening to buy up all the reduced yellow stickers. I reckon the savings I make at Tesco easily covers the cost of the car. I dread to think how much my weekly food bill would be if I had to go shopping during the day on the bus, and pay full price for everything.
Talking of Tesco, they have sent me some lovely money saving vouchers, wow, lucky me, £19 off my shopping. Sounds good doesn't it.
Erm.....not that good actually. The vouchers are spread over six weeks of shopping, and each week I have to spend £30, that's thirty flippin quid. Now why would I want to spend that much every week? That's one hundred and eighty chuffin pounds, just to save nineteen. I don't think so, when I struggle to spend £15 a week in the store. I think I'll take my own voucher in there next time I go, see what they make of that, ha ha. Toodle pip.
Sorry to hear about your car! Good for you re the Tesco vouchers!
ReplyDeleteIt seems that we are spending more and more and gettng less and less for it.
ReplyDeleteJane x
I had the same problem with my old car, had to buy a new car......
ReplyDeleteGill in Canada
My dad was saying he had to pay his car insurance the other day as he needs the car for shopping too as he lives out in the sticks. Was thinking, what about selling advertising space on your car, Ilona, or couldn't you be faffed with the carry on. Tesco's profits are down for the first time in 20 years... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19810916 Night. Christy
ReplyDeleteChuffin' heck!
ReplyDeleteBeware money savings coupons in sheeps clothing...
ReplyDeleteIt is like this buy two specail offer, do we really want to buy two just to save a few pence. I do however buy many jars of coffe when they are on special offer. We love our coffee. so it is worth it.
ReplyDeleteI have to keep an eye on my old Mum with offers like this. She will toodle off to Tesco and spend the £30 on things she doesn't need, just to save s couple of ££. Drives me up the wall.
ReplyDeleteI always find MOT time specially stressful. Mine passed but wants new track rod ends..er...about now....
ReplyDeleteIf you add up the total cost of running the car, including everything, you might find that its cheaper to ring for a taxi for the evening shopping!
i just hate those kinds of coupons. Occassionally, I get around that if there is a spectacular special or sale on something else for one of the weeks. Then, I buy lightly the next week. I think families are the only ones who can find those useful most of the time to save money.
ReplyDeleteOnce, I drove a car for 7 years and only put 70,000 miles on it--10,000 miles/year. That is near what you are driving. I drove almost every day of the year. We went to Mexico and to Canada in that car. Plus, I drove it to Memphis to visit my mother, a 300 mile trip about every two months. Of course, that was in the 1970s and cars were better then. I think the key to keeping your car in better shape is a combination of things--drive more regularly, and put some highway miles on it. Puttering around for short distances does not give the motor the workout it needs. plus higher and lower speeds need to be employed.
This state does not have vehicle inspections, and you should see and hear what is on the roads. Oh, and the billowing smoke is a real choker. Memphis,Tennessee, where I grew up and lived for awhile as an adult, has stringent inspection laws.
Well I'm glad we have some kind of health inspections for cars, PP. It would be awful if the place was littered with old crocks breaking down and being dumped at the side of the road.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind the BOGOF offers Anon, I often get them if it is something I need and it won't go off.
Lorraine, I reckon a lot of people do that. There's been times when I have been close to the thirty quid and chucked in another box of Bran Flakes, knowing I will be eating them eventually.
Hi Justine, I expected to pay that amount for a service and MOT, oil change, a new windscreen wiper plus two new blades, oil flush, sump washer, and filters. The service and MOT is only once a year. I might delay getting the front discs changed, I'll get a second opinion.
Yes, most (if not all) of these "wonderful savings" coupons come with a sting in the tail.
ReplyDeleteMy local Morrisons has had a young girl standing for a week welcoming everybody with offers of cheap fuel, but you have to spend a minimum (£40 I think) to get a few pence a litre off.
One of the Tesco coupons offered 25 points on any cut flowers, but when I bought a yellow sticker bunch (10p) the machine refused to accept it.
So I think they (coupons) are very carefully worked out to benefit the store, not the customer.
Doesn't mean I won't buy non-perishable goods when they're on a decent BOGOF offer, but this doesn't often happen, and even when it does, the BOGOF offer is often still more expensive than the stores own.
Well, these car expenses have to be paid if we want the freedom it gives us throughout the year! Watch out for those coupon scams! Tesco had sent me some as well. Will not be using them.
ReplyDeleteHaha, take your coupon, PLEASE! I would love to see a video/blog post of the event!! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, Tesco vouchers can be quite cheeky. They only ever seem to send brand name vouchers for extra points too! I do like the ones where you get money to spend on whatever you like, but it's a horrible reminder how much you spent the months before! (spend a pound, get a point, one point gets you one penny!)