(no subject)
Jun. 29th, 2014 03:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogI scratched the hell out of a finger on my right hand, but have determined that very dead pads on my rear passenger wheel are causing the problem. As I spin the wheel, little flakes of metal grind off the rotor and fall out between the spokes of the alloy rim. That's exciting.
When you buy something online, it's always worth doing a Google search for discount codes. I got one for 35% off an online order from Advance Auto Parts, so I paid $63.98 for two rotors and pads instead of $99.97. I got slightly more expensive parts because I wanted ones that were in stock today, but I still paid less than I would have for all the cheaper stuff without the discount.
Timothy and I took a trip out. I picked up my car parts, dropped off a bunch of old clothes and an Xbox at Goodwill, went grocery shopping, then picked up pizza for lunch using a Groupon for Nick N' Willy's. They usually have one available that comes out to $6 a piece for two large single-topping pies, which makes two $3 meals for me!
In the meantime, I'm still working on laundry catch up, and in an hour or so, I'm heading over to Juan's place to use his tools to replace my brake pads so my car will be happy again.
---
There are many ways I need to feel in control of things to avoid stress. While I was in Baltimore, especially near the end of the trip, I started feeling stressed about not having a sense of how much money I was spending as opposed to how much I should be spending, as opposed to how much was going for things like parking that Danae would be paying me back for at the end of the trip. Partly, it means I need to track money in a more immediate way while on trips.
But I'm also thinking seriously about two other fixes. I haven't had an actual budget for a long time, with expected or allowable expenditures by category. I think after I catch up on my ledger from this trip, I'm going to put one together. Second, and once that's done, I'm going to figure out how much to budget for myself on trips like this, then possibly have it with me in cash. I think those things will both let me relax more, both at home and while away.
---
And on an unrelated topic, here's a picture of the beautiful cast-iron window decoration above the main entrance of the 1933-built Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Building in Baltimore.
When you buy something online, it's always worth doing a Google search for discount codes. I got one for 35% off an online order from Advance Auto Parts, so I paid $63.98 for two rotors and pads instead of $99.97. I got slightly more expensive parts because I wanted ones that were in stock today, but I still paid less than I would have for all the cheaper stuff without the discount.
Timothy and I took a trip out. I picked up my car parts, dropped off a bunch of old clothes and an Xbox at Goodwill, went grocery shopping, then picked up pizza for lunch using a Groupon for Nick N' Willy's. They usually have one available that comes out to $6 a piece for two large single-topping pies, which makes two $3 meals for me!
In the meantime, I'm still working on laundry catch up, and in an hour or so, I'm heading over to Juan's place to use his tools to replace my brake pads so my car will be happy again.
---
There are many ways I need to feel in control of things to avoid stress. While I was in Baltimore, especially near the end of the trip, I started feeling stressed about not having a sense of how much money I was spending as opposed to how much I should be spending, as opposed to how much was going for things like parking that Danae would be paying me back for at the end of the trip. Partly, it means I need to track money in a more immediate way while on trips.
But I'm also thinking seriously about two other fixes. I haven't had an actual budget for a long time, with expected or allowable expenditures by category. I think after I catch up on my ledger from this trip, I'm going to put one together. Second, and once that's done, I'm going to figure out how much to budget for myself on trips like this, then possibly have it with me in cash. I think those things will both let me relax more, both at home and while away.
---
And on an unrelated topic, here's a picture of the beautiful cast-iron window decoration above the main entrance of the 1933-built Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Building in Baltimore.
