Sometimes saving comes down to the little things. Sometimes it comes down to making the choice to not save that saves you. Peace of mind and a fat wallet don’t always mix, and spending a bit more on something you really need is the right choice. Let’s take car buying. I hate it – with a passion. Nothing is more annoying, to me at least, than comparing cars, gas mileage, and what kind of radio it has. Then comes the dealing, the haggling, the credit check, and finally the mountains of paperwork. Dislike with a capital “D” – can’t we just be assigned a car for the rest of our lives and pick a new one up every time the engine goes bad?

All you car aficionados are picking yourself up off the floor, I know. I simply dislike the process. We had had the same cars for about five years, all paid off with no car payment in sight. Then my kids decided to grow up and turn 16. It wasn’t working anymore to have two cars, and I couldn’t stand being dropped off at work so they could get to school and go to practice or, in Selena’s case, physical therapy after school. We needed a third car, which in turn meant more insurance and added expense for the new driver. Why did we have our last two children 11 months apart? My sanity had been called into question. We looked around at cars and none appealed to me. Mostly, though, I didn’t want another car payment. Which meant we looked – and nothing more. George stopped a few places, I made a few calls from newspaper ads, but nothing looked right to us.

We had earmarked a little bit of money we saved to possibly buy a new living room sofa. I really wanted that sofa. Ours was a little worse for wear - if you think sinking into the depths of the netherworld is worse for wear. Sometime over its lifespan George had put some boards under that couch so we would be able to get back up out of its grasp. Now it’s hard as a rock and sits even worse. So, needless to say we needed a new couch. I had already decided I would not get a used one. For once in my life I deserved a new one, didn’t I? I envisioned a beautiful brown sectional in the corner of my living room with lovely pillows situated artfully on it. A chunky, funky coffee table sat in front of it and oh the movies we would watch while lounging on it. My vision was set, that is until George came home one day and told me about a car he had seen.

“Missy, my friend’s cousin rehabbed a Jeep Liberty that you will love,” he said. “And I know you’ve always wanted a Jeep Liberty.” My husband is nothing if not intuitive – and he knows how much I have coveted a Jeep Liberty. Doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible we’re not supposed to covet things? Nonetheless, my car juices started pumping a bit as I listened to the specifics: brand new engine, new tires, everything new, yada yada yada, and the prices is $...... “Hmmm, can you repeat that price please, Mr. Herrera?” All thoughts of driving my old Chevy Tracker into the ground disappeared as I envisioned myself, cute sunglasses, and the sunroof wide open as I purred around town. “Let’s go take a look at it,” I said, “But I’m not making any guarantees I will like it.”

Flash forward two months and my gleaming black Jeep Liberty is sitting in my driveway. We haggled with the fellow a bit on price, agreed to several payments on it (which are now paid), and I drove it away. I love my new car, and my daughter is super happy to have a car to call her own, regardless of the fact that it has no inside door handle on the passenger side. Someday. I no longer look like a straggling mother being dropped off by her kids at work and tend to believe I’m somewhat cooler-looking with my Jeep. That being said, all visions of my new couch disappeared along with the appearance of my new-to-me-car. Oh well, at least I can go sit on the Jeep’s leather seats when I’m bemoaning the couch from Hades. And I have another little fund started already for my envisioned brown sectional – one dollar at a time.

1) We’ve looked at sectionals and regular sofas at several different places: Value City Furniture has great selection and pricing. http://www.vcf.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/topCategories_10155_-1_10052. Also, surprisingly Big Lots http://www.biglots.com/ has some nice value-priced furniture also. I would not be afraid to buy a sofa here.

2) Need business cards but don’t want to spend your life savings? Go to Vistaprint http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/welcome.aspx?xnav=welcomeback&rd=1 and you can order 250 cards for $10. I have also gotten a lesser amount for free if you are a new customer. They have lots of fun stuff to order for a song.

3) Love Cracker Barrel? Go to this link http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/06/did-you-get-your-free-5-cracker-barrel-e-gift-card.html to receive a gift card for $5. You will need to opt to receive emails from them. Hey, five dollars is five dollars!