Going, Going, Gone!

The past few days have not been very frugal. Hubby and I had to dip into our already diminished savings in order to purchase a much needed part for my beloved car. You see, my car is a Camaro convertible. It was not the car I picked rather it picked me. She has been a great car but lets face it, she is 10 years old. We knew that the top was going about a year ago. My nephew was living with us when I got my car (used in 2001). To my dismay I found that he was putting his school books on the convertible top while waiting for the school bus! This stretched the canvas. Over time, weather, sun, and wind have damaged it.

We knew the lowest price for one through a catalog company (with hubby doing the labor) was $850 plus shipping and that was only if they were able to get the item. Ouch! The idea was to hold off for a while and re-build the savings account. However, the car had other ideas! Last week I noticed that the entire top of the back window had released from the canvas. The bottom did this in the past and we repaired it temporarily with duct tape. Since this was not repairable, we had to suck it up and order a new top and back glass panel.

Before going to the low priced catalog company, Hubby checked out ebay. To his delight, he found a company that uses factory specs to custom make the top. The item comes with all of the hardware necessary, a 7 year warranty, and instructions. The best part is that it cost only $515 WITH shipping!

So yes, I find it hard to realize that our savings is basically gone. However, I know that we can and will build it back up soon. Things happen in life and we have to roll with the punches.

If you want to see the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. ~Dolly Parton