This is Rick's first ever post on this bloggenoggen.
Erin has been doing such a good job that I didn't want to soil it with my own mundane and trivial
comments.

Well purchasing your dream car that you actually have any hope of realistically purchasing is a pretty significant event.

A few months ago we put $1000 into my old car (which was purchased for $4000) trying to keep it going to avoid having to purchase another vehicle until after Erin's car was paid off.

A few days ago, my car didn't feel right so I took it in for a check up and come to find out that in the near future we may have to replace the clutch. Rather than funnel money into a slowly deteriorating car, we decided that I should update our vehicle stable.

I still wasn't that sure about it until I found a really good deal on my favorite type of car that I've been eyeing maybe purchasing in 5 years. It proved too good to pass up and now I'm living the dream for only $85 a month for 3 years after our trade in + saved money + tax return+ down economy = sweet deal. That's less than we're paying for Erin's car.

The only part that Erin doesn't like is that it's a two door. But until we have 3 kids, that's not too big of a deal for me. In fact it's kind of a benefit. Rather than strap Chelsea into her car seat in the arctic winds, I have to physically climb into the car to strap her in. Thus I am protected from standing out in the wind.