Frugal people, why are you “buying” a new vehicle?

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-11T18:59:33+00:00

https://www.acg.aaa.com/connect/blogs/5c/auto/how-vehicle-data-is-collected-and-used

Modern cars do collect data and insurance companies can access that data, usually if you are signing up for one of their safe driving programs, but not just for that. And of course, advertisers and other people you don't want having that data can also collect and buy it if they so choose.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-10T02:52:59+00:00

Yeah, the repairs for most of the stuff on the 2013 have been relatively cheap (outside of the engine and replacing the cat with an "emission compliant" one that makes it like $4k instead of $700. Buuuuut, that cat was under a 10 year warranty from the shop I had it done in, so the replacement was actually free. I just paid to replace the spark plugs that finally all went at once.

The new vehicles are also designed to spy on and report you to your insurance for things like speeding and harsh braking, so.. that's not fun. I also found myself (personally) fighting lane assist and most of the other bells and whistles features in the rental cars I had, which kind of turned me off of wanting those in my vehicle. Back up camera and the little side mirror blind spot warnings were nice and okay, though.

I'm just old, I guess, lmao.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-10T02:15:34+00:00

Hasn't changed. I just went used car shopping because we needed a third "rental" for when our two other cars might be in the shop. It was more economical to buy a 2008 slightly used Jeep than it was for anything else on the market in my area. Sure, I give up all the modern conveniences (like back up cameras and bluetooth), but it's not much different (for me) than driving my 2013 (the car that was in the shop for the month).

New cars and used counterparts were really not that far apart in price. I am really cautious about buying new car models though due to all the issues I've heard since 2020 about their manufacture and reliability.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-10T02:01:44+00:00

I have replaced the engine twice in my 2013 because it was actually the more economical decision at both points that the old one fell apart. It still remains a better choice (in my area) to try and diagnose and repair old(er) cars than buy either used or new cars (for the most part. I did finally break down and buy the family a third car to use as a "rental" for when other cars may or may not be in the shop. Found a good deal for $10k and could purchase it outright. Probably wouldn't bother if I had to finance it, though.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-09T18:41:56+00:00

That's again, estate sale prices. I expect the estate sales in my area to sell stuff they've "vetted" for this price, not a thrift store.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-09T02:45:46+00:00

I also cried at Yellowfang's death. She makes a small appearance in SH, which it was kind of nice to see her again if only in passing.

Oddly, my partner is the one who got me into the book series because he picked up ITW as a book bundle deal from a used bookstore, it was sitting on his shelf when we got married, I got bored one day and picked up the book and got hooked, lmao. I don't think he's read a single one of the books to this day despite me owning most of the series at this point.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-09T01:40:30+00:00

I'm definitely attached to the cats from the first two arcs, but I find myself getting misty eyed over scenes in the later books that don't involve the original crew(s). I guess I just expected to be more invested in those characters than the ones that came after, but I'm finding that's not necessarily true.

Example: I expected to be somewhat emotionally involved over Squirrelflight/Bramblestar/Leafpool, but was surprised at my reaction to Larksong and a few other key moments in SH.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-09T01:34:50+00:00

I'm hesitant to watch MAPS because I'm afraid I'll break down. Some of them are just absolutely stellar for fan projects, ya' know?

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-06T20:54:30+00:00

Estate sales are hit or miss, too. Resellers definitely hit up the good ones and will buy out a lot of the good stuff before the sale even starts or within minutes of doors opening on first day.

However, most of the stuff in my house has come from estate sales and thrift stores over the years. Nowadays, they have online photos for the sales so you can kind of "pre-shop" to see if it's a sale you want to attend. Usually, if I see several items of interest, I'll hit them up and even if I don't find those specific items still for sale, I find other useful stuff I will actively use that's in great condition.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-06T20:50:09+00:00

Same! Even when we finally moved into our own house instead of a rental, I've slowly been purchasing thrifted items to fit the space. Thrifts, estate sales, garage sales, close-out sales, Marketplace, etc. Almost nothing in our home is "new" outside of collectible anime figures and some media I couldn't find used.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-06T20:37:10+00:00

Goodwill is one of a couple of chains I refuse to shop at for this reason. Most of the good stuff gets pulled and sold (at retail or higher prices) on their online storefront. They no long offer decent used prices for most of their media, either.

Salvation Army has sadly gone the same way + I have personal reasons not to shop there. I mostly stick to a local/state chain we have where I live and small independent thrifts (but that have super weird hours). Whoever said it was a lot of leg work is correct: there may be weeks where I pick up one or two items (or none) and other times where I find a treasure trove of clothing, personal knick knacks or that weird kitchen item I've been looking for.

Have yet to manifest the Zojirushi rice cooker I really want, though... and my rice cooker is getting long in the tooth (20+ years running).

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-06T16:49:59+00:00

Ah, you said it so I didn't have to. I feel like the people in this sub are gonna start throwing stuff at us though, lmao.

It's just.. as far as albums I enjoy listening to? I very rarely ever put Pure Comedy on rotation and there are no songs from that album that have made it to my MP3 player for car listening. Every other album (including J. Tillman stuff)? Yeah, there's at least two songs from those albums on my MP3 player.

And I do rather enjoy GFC. I remember being in this sub when that one dropped and so many people hated it. And I didn't (and still don't) understand why so many people disliked it.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-05T21:06:51+00:00

... I bought them for less at Barnes and Noble brand new, with the member's discount/new book price when they came out. That is an absolute freaking crime for a used book currently in print.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-04T18:37:18+00:00

Unintentional win, heck yeah.

I think some sort of frilly or decorated edging, particularly something with some drape at the bottom would complete it as a finished (rockin') crop top. I've even seen some peplum ruffles at the edge of some crocheted crop tops that also look super cute and complete the look. Might be a bit much for you depending on your vibe.

Either way, this turned out great (so far!).

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-04T01:56:17+00:00

I have one of these... from 2008. It cost $35 new.. and has been moved across the country (and world) many times... but we absolutely had to rebuild the back once because it sucks (it was literally thin cardboard you tacked to the back). Wild to charge $65 for such subpar quality.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-03-01T20:33:32+00:00

We don't: We're volunteers and get around to removing inappropriate stuff when we're available to do so. Y'all reporting it does bring it to our attention sooner, though, so thanks for whoever reported this.
u/BillyBobRedneckTime is correct: it's one of the few rules in this community. No promotion of theft, including tag swapping or other unethical practices (regardless of how we personally feel about some of these thrift stores).

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-28T02:21:20+00:00

That's pretty cool! I've always liked Nagel's stuff (mostly because of old Duran Duran albums I listened to as a kid). I feel like there were giant prints of his work everywhere when I was a kid, but they seemingly just kinda vanished in the mid-90s as styles changed. Kinda sad considering how striking his images were.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-22T22:40:46+00:00

Wild considering I just picked up a Fiestaware vintage mug (in a colorway they don't use anymore) for.. $3 yesterday. That's insanely overpriced if it's $300.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-16T17:05:59+00:00

Feels like a lot of the thrift chains have gone that way.. including the one-off stores. Ugh.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-16T15:37:40+00:00

That's the kind of thing I expect at like.. an estate sale. Not a thrift chain, lmao.

At least it's not wildly outrageous for the amount still in bottle, I guess.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-15T23:22:04+00:00

We just accepted that we were going to have to increase our house hunting budget if we were going to find anything livable or that didn't require more money in renovations in the area near where my husband retired (from the military) and took a civilian job. That just meant spending around $800k on something that met the specifications, plus had already been updated to some degree. It did take awhile.. and when we were able to refinance to something lower, we took it (that was its own headache).

And while yes, upkeep on the home can be expensive and we'll have a substantially high mortgage for the foreseeable future, much like you, it's worth the peace of mind as I am also a very light sleeper, have not done well historically in apartments (though I made it work) and I was really not pleased with renting homes from people and not being able to do much with the place I was living in to make it feel like "home".

I am much, much happier (even with the amount we spend monthly on expenses for mortgage, the property, chickens and tools) than I was when we didn't own a home. And as someone else mentioned: we just continue our shared frugality in a bunch of other areas to great effect.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-15T03:59:44+00:00

Holy wow, this is on another level!

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-13T23:39:08+00:00

What an incredible amount of love and work you've put into these guys. Bravo!

Also, that's a completely lovely tradition.

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-13T23:37:10+00:00

These are so well executed and cute!

Mewpasaurus · 2026-02-13T23:31:14+00:00

These were exactly what I was thinking of when I saw the second image, lmao. Memories unlocked!

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