Cost of Maintenance

Three weeks ago, our 2002 Infiniti developed a noise that seemed to be brake related. I knew it needed to be seen by a professional mechanic but was struggling to pick one. Over the last couple of years, through the business, we'd been burned by the two shops closest to us.

Then, two weeks ago, our local Infiniti dealer sent us an offer for a free bumper to bumper check and, in a separate mailing, we got a recall notice for all 2002 Infiniti i35s regarding their airbags. Together I felt the mailings were sure signs we needed to go to the dealer. Plus there was the added bonus of a free loaner car while ours was in the shop for two days.

The bill did end up being $1,400, but each line item was competitively priced. We also feel it was a small price to pay to keep an 11-year-old car going for another 8-10 more years.

Truth is we've needed very little work done on our Infiniti. In fact, this was the first time the brakes had ever been replaced. We do put less than 6,000 miles a year on our car, but that service record is still remarkable. I believe it's attributable to the make, model, and regular maintenance.

Similarly, I believe regular maintenance is also helping me keep all my teeth. Because I inherited my dad's high-maintenance teeth, I'm strict about seeing the dentist at least twice a year. But, before today, the last time I had been to the dentist was over seven months ago. At that time, I learned my dentist was not in our new dental plan only after I was handed a $150 bill.

But now that I'm no longer dealing with contractors working on the kitchen every day, I decided it was high time I find a new dentist. Today was my first visit with Dr. Angelina and I was extremely impressed. The entire office was friendly, courteous, thorough, and helpful. The bad news is I have five fillings that need to be replaced. They're over 30 years old and I saw for myself that they're cracked and chipped. Honestly, I'm amazed the fillings lasted as long as they did.

It's another unexpected expense, but, just as with the car, I believe less than $400 after insurance is a small price to pay to keep my teeth. Especially since, years ago, I had an expensive and painful root canal. Yep, I'm definitely all for doing what needs to be done to prevent that from ever happening again.

Nevertheless, getting hit with $1,800 in unplanned expenses over the last couple of weeks has been tough on the budget. I'll definitely be "scrapping my stash" and "shopping my closet" for longer than planned. But that means I'll also be doing more de-cluttering, which always makes me happy. Just gotta love those "silver linings!"