[Feel free to link up any helpful tips new or old posts, today’s suggest WFMW theme is just a suggestion!]
While we were driving to Amarillo last week, I glanced over at the windshield and asked my hubby, “What does the 0 and 8 mean on that tag?”
He pulled over. Got out. Had a looksy.
“Well?’ I asked.
“It means our inspection sticker expired 4 months ago.”
Uh-oh.
“It means we have to get two new tires before our car passes inspection.”
Uh-oh times two.
“It means this trip just got expensive.”
We also spent 20 minutes looking for a current insurance card just in case we were pulled over. Because sometimes it happens that way.
Thankfully we found it and we didn’t get pulled over. Like last time. Ahem.
All that to say? We stink at car maintenance. Our van is paid for and we want it to last forever. Looks like we need to get organized and work on that.
Any suggestions?
When you figure it out, let me know. I spent most of Monday trying to get my vehicle tax paid, car inspected so I could get our tag renewed!! Guess what? It still isn’t renewed because I paid the vehicle tax online and it takes 48 hours for it to clear through the county office and they have a block on the tag! I am so unorganized when it comes to the vehicles.
Ugh! How frustrating!
I put a reminder in my gmail calendar for maintenance just so I remember! My husbands car came with lifetime maintenance and I still forget if I dont remind myself, so I am wasting money!
Can you write it in your calendar? I write everything down, but I have to say, hubby is really good about remembering stuff like this for us.
So glad you did not get a ticket… on a holiday weekend you know the police were out!
I have a Suburban that is officially 10 yrs old. We bought it used and paid cash. I too plan to drive it until it dies! 🙂
My tags expired in December, and after taking it through inspection I went to the county clerk’s office to buy my tags and they were closed. AT 3:15. Very frustrating. So now I’m driving on expired tags until the hubs can take care of the tags.
Sorry to hear about the tires. That’s no fun at all.
Oh, I forgot about the theme! But I have a good tip for front loading washers! Thanks for hosting
It sounds silly, but google calendar. I use it for everything, and ‘invite’ my husband to things we both need to remember. I even have a reminder for taking my medication that sends me an email because having a baby turned my brain to mush :).
I do the same thing. Google calendar is a lifesaver for me.
I do something similar, only I use the app “Errands” on my iPod. It has an alert feature. I put in weird things like making bread and giving my son his B12 shot. But it really helps! I’ve formed the habit of checking it whenever I am not sure what I should do next.
I write everything in my calendar!
Create a google calendar and sync it up with your regular calendar and/or your blackberry! I finally did this for my non-blackberry using husband. If he isn’t sure about an appt or something, he can look it up. So, start a maintenance/quaterly business type calendar and add all those kinds of things…maintenance, change air filters, check smoke detector batteries, pay quarterly insurance or taxes, etc. I’ve even set one up this week for my blog so I know what posts I have written and scheduled (because I have an huge problem being consistent. :()
I found out about google sync for your blackberry about 4 months ago and I am IN LOVE with it. It saves me so much time and when I’m at work, I can pull up my personal calendar and add work appts so I don’t forget! Plus, if I ever lost my blackberry, my calendar is backed up. Genius.
I love google sync also. My only problem is that it only syncs from my computer, not my phone to the computer. So it’s great having my calendar with me and remembering all my to-do’s, but hate that nothing I add to the phone calendar will sync back to my computer 🙁 I know, technical issue.. So, except for that little issue, I second google sync!
Can you call around and find out if there’s a local maintenance shop who will remind you? Some of the shops in this area have that service. 🙂
Be thankful you live in TX. That may be the only state that puts the tags up on the windshield where people that never look at their own license plates might just possibly have a chance to see them! (I lived there 3 years, and that is one thing I vividly remember.)
My mom once forgot her tags for 11 months! But of course she had a couple of good excuses. First, they forgot to send her a renewal notice. If they had, everything would have been hunky dory. Then Daddy fell off a wall of a church he was building and broke his neck and became a quadriplegic. So of course mundane things like renewing expired tags was the last thing on her mind.
We were on our way to the hospital to visit him when a policeman noticed. He called for backup. There was a car in front of us and a car behind. Mom felt like the worst of criminals! My brother and I (5 & 8 respectively) were bawling in the back seat. It was really something!
In the end, because we were almost to the hospital (and I think it was a Sunday), he said it would be okay to go on to the hospital, but said we should stay till after dark (not hard in November). Mom got her tags renewed the next morning, and the judge gave her a discount on her ticket for being so prompt!
Of course, that was back when they didn’t do vehicle inspections.
I’m so glad you were spared the ordeal of being pulled over and having to pay a fine on top of tires and tags!!!!
There’s an app for that! : )
I could write VOLUMES of what doesn’t work for me….I better stick to challenging myself to think of what actually DOES work for me!!! LOL!!!
Happy New Year!
We stink at car maintenance too – thankfully our 10 year old Hondas love us anyway.
I haven’t joined in on this in a VERY long time. Hope to do LOTS more in 2011!
Oh boy…I hear you on this one Kristen…we use to live in a state that had you register/inspect your cars in your birthday month so we always could keep a handle on it. Then 15 years ago we moved to NC and I swear every few years we drop one vehicle. The state does send you an auto renewal for your registrations BUT they don’t inspect the same time? So we try to remember them and ususally it’s during our birthday months that we remember to look for it…lol
My first thought is maybe make an event on your phone calendar and set it to remind you a few weeks before the tags expire. We once forgot about ours for AN ENTIRE YEAR (who ever looks at their own plates, anyways?), and I realized it the day before we got pulled over. Ugh!
I keep a MomAgenda planner next to my computer in the kitchen, and everything I need to remember goes in there. Including oil changes and expired tags!
Well, I used to be organized, and then I had children! I live by my calendar and a daily TO DO list. I try to keep an old calendar on hand too, just to remember anything that should be an annual event, like tire rotations, annual girly exam, etc. And while sometimes I miss something (apparently I have a dentist appt on Monday that I just received a reminder call about), I really do try to write things on the calendar as it is in my mind.
Glad to hear you didn’t get pulled over and that you had a safe trip!
I just discovered your blog and have enjoyed it so much. This list is hilarious. I have just entertained myself for way too long!
If you want the Van to last a long time be sure to get oil changes at least 3 times a year. It really does help extend the life of the engine.
Hi Kristen! I was on bedrest for 15 long weeks(with many hosp trips and an infusion pump in my leg the whole time too) and so many wonderful people helped us as I had 2 preschool age kids at home with me at the time as well! One thing I loved receiving (and still like to read!) is MAGAZINES, MAGAZINES, MAGAZINES – even crazy ones like National Enquirer. Just something to laugh at and totally just have fun with. Of course, I also crocheted, did a Bible study and tried to run the household from the bed, but girlie or celeb mags are so fun to relax and enjoy. Meals, of course, were a huge help. My MOPS group did 10 weeks of meals, 3 times/week. Such a blessing. Thanks for the tips each week, I always learn something! Oh! And another great thing for a mom on bedrest is packs of cute notecards and fun pens! I did all the family paperwork and wrote dozens of thank you notes while in bed and it was lots more fun with cute notes and fun colored pens. I remember more than I thought I would’ve – my youngest (bedrest, preemie baby) child is now almost 9 and he’s still my hero!!! Thanks again Smooches!
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