Archive for July 8th, 2009

photo credit: dno1967

So I started doing some baseline financial analysis on our current situation, in addition to pricing out some year to two year old minivan models, and just when I thought I was willing to take a HUGE hit to the wallet, my reasoning skills took over.

We both have JUST purchased two vehicles in the past two years. She drives a 2006 Saturn VUE, I drive a 2005 Nissan Frontier Extended Cab small pickup truck.

Our Kelley Blue Book values are decent, but won’t be even for another few years. With the upside down loans on both of these vehicles, we are about $13,000.00 USD combined in the negative if we wanted to trade them in to purchase or lease a minivan. Sure my truck would be the first to go, since I have a smaller margin between owed and value, but WHO TRADES IN A PERFECTLY PIMP TRUCK?!?!

Yes, I am a bit touchy about even considering getting rid of my truck, but I’d take one for the team, no doubt, but you gotta PUSH PUSH PUSH and remember your breathing to get that to happen.

So, minivan? OUT OF THE QUESTION.

We can’t afford to put the vehicle and conveinience ahead of food, shelter and daycare for the lil’ guys.

I’m a big fan of details, so here is how we are moving forward:

Newborn newborns don’t leave the house the often for the first few months, so we will continue to take our toddler son to day care regularly, one parent at a time. The twins will stay at home the majority of the time, or travel with one parent with two infant car seats (rear facing! I KNOW!) and the toddler can ride with the other parent in the forward facing toddler car seat.

If we HAVE to all go somewhere in one vehicle we can either put the twins on either side of the tod seat and pray the toddler doesn’t pick out the eye balls of the twins, OR, if we have to, we can turn off the front air bag and let one infant ride shotgun (REAR FACING! I KNOW!) and put the other adult in between the infant and the toddler in the back seat.

photo credit: kona99

I have a constant need to talk out the details of a situation. If I can’t step by step something in my head or on paper, I have a jittery feeling in my belly that increases in intensity until I get my crap together and figure it all out.