eally, it is! Spend it however you like. Sure you have those pesky monthly obligations; mortgage, car payment, groceries and the like, but remember, YOU decided to buy that car and finance at XX.xx% rate. YOU promised to make those monthly payments. YOU can decide to buy those expensive cuts of imported Tibetan Musk Ox, or those pricy prepared dinners, or even those nights when you chose to eat at a restaurant. OR you can decide to buy a whole chicken, spend a few minutes to cut it up and wrap it yourself. It all has the same outcome, you get to eat dinner. You can spend a lot, or you can spend a little. It’s your money, spend it how you like.

Same with the car; eighty grand for a brand new, fully decked out, four- door dually one ton diesel pick-up, OR something a little more economical, like a used sedan for one tenth of the cost of the truck. It all depends on your needs! If you are the guy who hauls thoroughbred race horses, you can justify the truck. If you need basic transportation to drive six miles to work, alone, maybe the truck is overkill. But Oh Boy, the guys at work will be IMPRESSED! It’s your money, spend it how you like.

Some people think that money gives power. I say money breeds responsibility. Without the latter, you will soon not have the former. A lot of emotions can be related to money, or the want of it… pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth, come to think of it, those are the seven deadly sins! Also, known as the capitol vices. However, another person may show other traits if bestowed a gift of a large sum of $$. Traditionally, the seven Christian virtues or heavenly virtues combine the four classical cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and courage (or fortitude) with the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. (Wikipedia) Do you own the money or does your money own you? It’s all up to you! It’s your money.

Most people don’t realize just how much power is in their dollar. With your dollar, you can sit with the board of directors at any business you can imagine and cast a vote on how business is to be handled. You vote with your dollars and boy do they (board of directors) know it! They want you to vote in their favor, vote with your dollars, one vote per dollar. When I was a kid, mom voted an awful lot for the Rudyard Co-op store. Once a month, or so, we could go to the Soo and vote for Kresge’s, Scott’s and Woolworths. But then some new stores started showing up on the south side of the Soo and people started voting for the new stores, that means a vote against Kresge’s, Scott’s and Woolworths. In a sense, those stores were voted out of town. It seems the voting public didn’t want or need them anymore. It looks like people stopped voting for K-Mart, Sears, and Penney’s too. That’s a shame. A new store comes to town and three old ones go away.

Just like the political campaigns (cam-PAINS) to get your vote, the big stores do an awful lot of flashy color advertising to get your vote (dollar), and they offer a lot of product choices, with more campaigns to get your vote on every aisle end cap, video screens on the product displays with a well-dressed actor touting the virtues of the product while convincing you that you just cannot go home without it! (whatever it really is, I guess I just NEED it) It’s your money, spend it how you like.

While on your supply runs, and doing all that exhausting voting, don’t forget to save a few votes for some of the local businesses at home. The board of directors needs more voting members voting FOR local businesses. This is our community and it would be a shame to see any of our few businesses go the way of Kresge’s, Scott’s and Woolworths. But it’s your money, spend it how you like.

I showed you how I vote, now I want to talk about the CREEP! No, it doesn’t slither out of the swamp on a foggy evening, I’m talking about the financial creep. I know you know what I’m talking about. It’s one of those “three months free, then just $29.99 a month” deals. You really meant to cancel after the ‘free’ trial period, but you just forgot. That was two years ago. $719.76! It just creeped up on you. We looked at all the creep in our lives; satellite radio, two of them (the second one was half price with a two-year contract) We sometimes listen to satellite radio on trips, hmmm CANCELLED! Gotomypc, a seldom used remote access program with a monthly fee CANCELLED! We took a good look at the satellite TV bill, with a few add-ons we made over the years (a customer for 19 years, we were told) CANCELLED! We mostly watch the local channels, anyway. We cast a vote for a ChannelMaster antenna. The more we look, the more we are finding CREEP in our lives. Don’t even get me started on my cell phone bill! I figure its high time to get back in charge of all the votes in my wallet, at least those few votes left in my wallet. It’s my money, I’ll spend how I like.

The “Professionals Who Care” at Tri-County Motors have begun a campaign of digital inspections. Yup, now we do inspections with an iPad in hand. With digital inspections and a tablet, we can scan the vehicle ID number, use a checklist making sure not to ‘pencil whip’ all the pass or fail boxes, and generally be more accurate about findings. For instance, we will report tire wear in xx/32”, brake shoe wear in millimeters, so we can better compare to factory minimum specs. Also with the tablet, we can take photographs of problem areas, then print, email, or text the finished report to you. The whole point of the digital inspection is to keep on top of problem spots or wear areas BEFORE they become a breakdown issue and cause you to call us for an unexpected repair. With a digital inspection, we can supply a report and if needed an estimate on future services. The common digital inspections; the ones we always do with an oil change, or alignment are always free. The more thorough inspections, such as annual inspections or a brake inspection with a tear-down have a nominal charge.  With this information, you can be in charge of your money. With this information, you can see the CREEP coming. It’s your money, spend it how you want!

Tom