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Hates dis outfit

Oh Frugalwoods-mobile the oft-mentioned, but rarely glamorized, work horse of the Frugalwoods family. Today, I dedicate a post to you. Fear not, this isnt a eulogy for shes not dead (yet), but rather this is a reflection of gratitude for the tremendous schlepping performed by this fossil of avehicle. While certainly it would be thriftierto exist sans car, Mr. Frugalwoods and I considerFrugalwoods-mobile a luxurious element of our lives. Its just plain easier to own a car, which we can say with authority since we went many years without one here in the city.

And so, I hope youll join me in singing the praises of the second most put-upon member of our little family (Frugal Hound feels that shes undeniably first since she must suffer the indignity of not only being forced to wear ridiculous outfits, but then secondary humiliation by having the photos posted for all the world to see. Indeed, the tragedy.)

Oh but first! Allow me to properly introduce you to ol Frugalwoods-mobile: shes our 1996 Honda Odyssey station wagon replete with 206,000 miles. As the one car Mr. Frugalwoods and Ishare, she holds a special place in our frugal weirdo hearts.

Frugalwoods-mobile!!!!

1) No car payment.Im in da car!!!

No one in their right mind would buy this decrepit beast of a vehicle, but since we already own her, we love her. And what we really love is that we pay $0 per month for her (and always have). Anytime Im inclined to think an ill thought towardsFrugalwoods-mobile, I just remind myself that we pay nothing to keep her.

2) Daily gratitude.

Theres no better way to infuse gratitude into your daily routine than by driving a 19-year-old car. Every single time she starts, were thrilled! Im not kidding when I tell you that we high-five when the engine turns over. It really is the little things.

3) Redefines beauty.

Frugalwoods-mobile is both unique and distinguished inthe cosmetics department. I like to think of her as redefining our cultures standard of beauty. Yeah, she has some dents and yeah, she has some rust, but theyre really just indications of the rich and fulfilling life she has led.

4) Time capsule of Mrs. FWs mistakes in parking garages.Close-up on the pillar damage

Speaking of said dents,Frugalwoods-mobile serves as a living reminder of the tragic driving errors Ive made in various parking garages across the east coast. Thankfully, Ive never been involved in an accident with another driver, only with myself.

The right-hand back door in particular tells of the infamous episode of The Green Concrete Pillar. While in grad school, Id drive to campus when my classes let out at 11pm rather than take the metro home at that hour. And on one such night, I decided to park in the underground parking garage at my office (since I also worked at the university in order to get free tuitionhey!). What I didnt realize is that this parking garage hasat least according to moiabnormally wide green painted concrete pillars denoting the parking spaces.

Another green pillar incident

While gingerly (I swear) turning into such a space, I heard what can only be described as a prehistoric and guttural noise that I initially attributed to a wounded animal. In actuality, that was the sound ofFrugalwoods-mobile scraping mightily against aforementionedgreen, concrete pillar. In a desperate attempt to rectify the situation, I threw her into reverse, which only served to execute the same abrasion in the other direction.

Uh, needless to say, that door has never been the same. But rather than dwell on my stupidity (and the fact that I called Mr. FW in tears because I thought Id broken the car), I now view that blemish as exemplifying the many journeysFrugalwoods-mobile and I have been on together. There are myriad other parking garage-induced disfigurements, which I also take full responsibility for. In my defense, parking spots should not be delineated by concrete blocks. Just saying.

5) Frugal Hound lovesFrugalwoods-mobile.I love being in the car! As long as its not moving!

For a bizarrereason known only in the brain of a dog, Frugal Houndabsolutely dotes onFrugalwoods-mobile as long asFrugalwoods-mobile is stationary. Yep, as soon as the car is actually, you know, moving, Frugal Hound launches into perturbedgreyhound state (which principallyinvolves whining and shedding profusely). But stationary? It just might be her favorite toy.

What weve discovered is that Frugal Hound fanciesleaping up into the car, running around a bit, and then jumpingback out. She appears to viewFrugalwoods-mobile as a sort of tiny greyhound jungle gym. To indulge this houndy predilection, Mr. Frugalwoodslets Frugal Hound vault herselfinto the car when I happen to get home from work as hes taking her out for her evening walk. She gleefullyleaps up into my lap on the drivers side and sniffs around. Why she enjoys this we may never know. But suffice it to say, Frugal Hound is a fan (as long as the car isnt actually turned on).

6) Hiking delivery service.Ahh, hiking

One of the chief reasons we adoreFrugalwoods-mobile is that she serves as our conveyance device to the mountains. Since the best hiking in the region is in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a healthy 3-hour drive from our home,Frugalwoods-mobile is an indispensable partner in our hiking adventures. For us, its seriously worth it to own a car for the trailhead access alone. The luxury of being able to indulge in our favorite hobby anytime we want is priceless.

7) City-proof parking.

GivenFrugalwoods-mobiles already, shall we say, spotty complexion, we park her on any old city street with no qualms. And since we boast neither a driveway nor a garage at our house,Frugalwoods-mobile must be parked on the street at all times. So if another driver clips her while parallel parking, or a kid accidentally bangs into her with askateboard, or a bird, uh, does their thing, we dont care!

Its quite liberating not to worry about the appearanceof ones car. Sometimes on our narrow one-way street ,parallel parking resembles a bit of a demolition derby, but we dont quake in our bootswe knowFrugalwoods-mobile can handle a few bumps and scrapes.

cool Weather-proof exterior.

If it hails, who cares! And when 10 feet of snow pile on, who cares!Frugalwoods-mobile handles any and all weather like a boss and didnt even complain when her tires froze to the ground during our epic Snowpocalypse of a winter this past year. There are too manyfar more importantthings in life beyond the superficial looksof our carlet me tell you what, it doesnt even rate.

9)Theft-proof.

No one would ever steal this car. Its so ugly, no ruffianwould be caught dead driving it.Enough said.

10) Haul-o-rama.Now that is some cargo space!

Frugalwoods-mobile is a champion hauler. That car has hauled more things than most mules! Every stick of furniture in our house made its way home from the wilds of Craigslist in the back ofFrugalwoods-mobile (yes, our couch included). And countless great trash finds were shepherded home in the safety and security of her ample trunk. Furthermore, herall-time recordfor toting people +hounds simultaneously is four humans and three greyhoundsnow that was a fun drive let me tell you.

Frugalwoods-mobile ferried us across state lines for our move from Washington, DC to Cambridge, she carted Frugal Hound home the day we adopted her, and shell carry the most precious cargo of all this falla brand new Babywoods (strapped safely in a car seat, never fear)! Tangent: did you know they make doggie car seats? Youre welcome.

11) Decent gas mileage.Hello! Im the Frugalwoods-mobile!

Contrary to our initial assumptions,Frugalwoods-mobile has proven herself to be a rather dainty sipper of petrol. She gets shockingly excellentmileage for being: 1) older than most college freshmen, and 2) a minivan.

Certainly her stats arent terrific in comparison to more efficient smaller vehicles, but she clocks in at a not-too-shabby 25miles/gallon. Not the best, but not the worst! Since we typically get by on just one tank of gas per month, the impact toour budget isnt substantial.

12) Passes inspection.

Talk about practicing gratitudeMr. FW and I emityelps of sheer elationevery year whenFrugalwoods-mobile passes the state inspection. Again, it really is the little things that get us excited around here.

13) Dirt cheap insurance and excise tax.

Thanks toFrugalwoods-mobiles advanced maturity, our annual excise tax is a cool $64. This is determined as a percentage of the value the city asserts the car is worth. So hey, shes not worth much!

And our insurance is a meagre $404 per year, which is a result of our perfect driving http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/cabaret/money.htm records (yes its true, neither of us has ever had a moving violation) and the antiquityofFrugalwoods-mobile. Now that is some freakin cheap car insurance.

14)The frugal treatment from our fabulous mechanic.

We have a stellarlocal mechanic. Huge shout out to CLM Auto in Cambridge because those guys rock. Each time we take Frugalwoods-mobile in, they brainstorm with us on ways to fix her on the cheap. They recognize that shes a 19-year-old vehicle and that its not worth pouring a ton of money into repairs. Thus, they encourage us to get parts from the junkyard and are extremely forthright in what they think is worth fixing and what isnt

15)Dang reliable.Mr. FW changing ye olde tyre

For all her mars and relativelygeriatricage,Frugalwoods-mobile is one reliable beast of a machine. Her only challenges in the past few years entail several flat tires (really not her fault), an exhaust pipe that just plumb fell off (both hilarious and awkward), a need for new brake pads, and regular car-related maintenance such asinspections (which yes, Mrs. FW totally forgot about and was nearly arrested for), oil changes, and car food (aka gasoline).

Knock on wood hereno major repairs or maintenance issues have befallen dearFrugalwoods-mobile. What I fervently hopeis that shell go out in a blaze of glory one day whereby all of her wheels fall off, the doors popoff, and she just sinks into the earth in final, peaceful repose. In other words, I have completely rational expectations for car deaths.

Tail Pipe Thoughts

While were slowly coming to terms with the fact thatFrugalwoods-mobile cant live forever(and were prepared to buy another used car in cash), weve loved this ancient vehicle of ours. In addition to the money we save every single month by not having a car loan, were also creating lesswaste in our world.

By not buying a new car every few years and simply reusing what we have, were lessening our environmental impact. And by recognizing the tremendous value thatFrugalwoods-mobile brings into our lives, were acknowledging the appreciationwe have for our possessions.Finding pleasure and happiness inwhat we already own, despite imperfections,is a key element of the frugally joyful and luxurious life. Drive on, my frugal friends!

What kind of car do you drive? Are you jealous ofFrugalwoods-mobiles awesomeness?

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