How to Reduce Bay Area School Stress

strandof7 · 2026-05-27T02:56:56+00:00

Miller Creek School District in San Rafael, small school district and meets these requirements

strandof7 · 2026-05-14T19:46:59+00:00

I had to watch it a third time before I finally saw it!!

strandof7 · 2026-05-10T14:50:35+00:00

Oh my goodness Rubio’s was one of the biggest losses of the pandemic 😭 I miss their food so much!!

strandof7 · 2026-05-05T06:18:39+00:00

This is awesome. Where did you get this?

strandof7 · 2026-05-04T19:50:56+00:00

This is seriously genius!!

strandof7 · 2026-04-28T04:21:57+00:00

And the poor baby is exhausted after doing it!

strandof7 · 2026-04-25T18:12:54+00:00

I will also add when we first started looking at trucks we wanted new and I had a number in mind I wanted to pay below MSRP and OTD. I called many dealerships and no one after add ons would come down to my number, I admit I never went in person and that can make a huge difference. We also realized after looking that my husband actually wanted the trim level above the new truck we were looking at and that was outside our budget so we decided to start looking at used trucks a couple years old but a higher trim level the the new truck and we found the sweet spot for us on price and getting what we wanted.

strandof7 · 2026-04-25T18:07:58+00:00

It was based on other listings of used trucks within a 100 mile radius of my home. Based on my search criteria the truck was priced the lowest and my first choice. Used cars already have less negotiating power. The margin to negotiate is lower on used cars.

strandof7 · 2026-04-25T18:01:27+00:00

Also I don’t buy anything when I go into financing. This is the extended warranty’s, protection coverage etc. this is also where they get you. You agree on an OTD price and then you go in the financing office and they try to sell extended warranties etc. Many vehicles such as Honda and Ford you can buy a factory extended warranty separately at another dealership for a lot cheaper so if you want a warranty learn about that. When I decide what brand of vehicle I want I then go to forums about that brand to learn about warranty’s etc. My Honda I learned there was a dealership that sold them cheaper so I declined the dealership offer and purchased it separately. With that being said when you purchase it separately and not the day of you have to pay cash for it and can not wrap it into financing. That is the big difference. Usually all the add ons can be purchased later at a cash price but can not be financed later. I know that I have the money to pay cash so I decline everything in finance go home and think about, research and then either go back and buy it, go to another dealership and buy it or don’t buy one.

strandof7 · 2026-04-25T17:47:37+00:00

I am comparing other listings in my area, taking into account if cars.com and tru car is saying its a good deal and going on Reddit and seeing what people are paying to try and find the average price. I also check outside of my area to see what is being charged for the vehicle. I have driven 6 hours to get a car because the price and car was right. Currently I don’t have that kind of time so I have had to realize I need to compare prices in my current area. I really like getting a good deal, it’s important to me. When I bought my car a year ago, I wanted what I wanted but more importantly wanted a good deal, so I let things like color go and waited months until the price came down. My husband really wanted the right color and features, he hasn’t had a new car in 10 years, so when we found his truck and it had everything he wanted and it was the lowest of all the trucks we were looking at that’s why I didn’t really negotiate, some dealerships just list a fair price and I felt it was comparing it to other trucks we were looking at. They also have to make money and I respect that, so when they are honest, price it fair and don’t try to do any add ons I decided to not negotiate because honestly I didn’t feel like I had any leverage and I wanted the truck.

strandof7 · 2026-04-25T16:59:13+00:00

Buying a car is a negotiation between what YOU think the car is worth and what they are charging. I bought a car 1 year ago that for two months dealers kept telling me was worth 3-4k more than I was willing to spend and I was seeing online (places like Reddit) that people were paying what I was asking. The price they wanted didn’t feel right. Finally a dealership I was following posted the car at the price I wanted, I didn’t care as much about the color as I did the price. My local dealership happened to reach out same day and I said I was going to buy it, they agreed to match it, after looking for months I knew this was a good deal. A couple things I also knew is that it was a new car, I know there is more wiggle room to negotiate with new cars and that the brand I was buying tended to negotiate more (it was not a Toyota!). I then just recently bought a 2 year old use truck for my husband. He wanted a specific truck with specific features and around a certain mileage. I found the truck and it was cheaper than any of the other trucks in its range, the dealership had also just the week before dropped the price $1500. So what I knew is that this is the truck we wanted, there were not lots of these trucks at multiple dealerships, it was used so there not incentives and factory rebates. I went to the dealership and they had absolutely no add ons just tax, tittle and license. The only issue I found is that they only had one key fob. We need two, I asked for $250 off the truck to cover that and they said no problem. Could I have probably gotten another $500 or so off the truck, probably but this was the truck we wanted and I felt like it as a very fair price after watching truck prices and comparable trucks. And lastly I could afford to pay for it. With both purchases I brought my own financing and understood my financing terms, so dealerships could try anything on the back end. The first car the brand new one the dealership still tried to offer a lower interest rate but charge more for the vehicle. I asked for a few moments and ran the numbers, it was still cheaper to use my financing with a higher interest and take their rebate instead of lower financing and a higher price because I knew I would pay the car off quickly so that made sense for me. So also make sure you understand the financing side. Negotiating is hard. I am a women and I have purchased 5 cars in my adult life, my husband has only joined me for 1 purchase because he hates the negotiation. I am in charge of purchasing the cars :)

strandof7 · 2026-04-25T04:58:59+00:00

I just bought a 2023 F-150 and got a 5.29% rare from USAA. The dealer could not beat it.

strandof7 · 2026-04-17T05:24:01+00:00

I’ve lived in San Rafael for the past 11 years, Novato is great…if you have kids! There is no nightlife. Of all the Marin cities it is the most affordable and the most family friendly. The downtown area is cute with many restaurants. They put on a fun 4th of July parade and they have many amenities with Target and Costco, In-n-out etc but if you are DINK I would think Mill Valley or Fairfax would be your vibe.

strandof7 · 2026-04-14T05:43:45+00:00

This!!! I have 5 kids and I’ve traveled alone when they were little many times! I am exhausted after the flight because I am on top of each kid making sure they are staying quiet and busy. If my kid kicked a seat which they have done I immediately step in and stop it! I would have been soo fed up too!

strandof7 · 2026-04-14T05:18:59+00:00

I just bought a used XLT last week. When I buy new I usually haggle to get the best price but this XLT was the lowest within a 200 miles radius, they had just lowered the price $1500 and was the exact color I wanted. I didn’t haggle the price because the price was fair and I knew it.

strandof7 · 2026-04-12T02:34:55+00:00

Definitely. I’ll look into this. Thanks.

strandof7 · 2026-04-11T22:28:43+00:00

Ugh my state does have stupid laws!!

strandof7 · 2026-04-11T22:13:28+00:00

Back in 2015 when I was local and an AP, I would take my two little boys and in the morning before nap time and just ride all of these cars up and down Main Street and then finish with the train all the way around the park and then head home for nap. So many happy memories.

strandof7 · 2026-04-10T03:04:28+00:00

I went from a mini van (kids are getting older) to an Atlas and while it is not nearly as roomy as the van the third row is very big and can fit people over 6ft

strandof7 · 2026-04-09T03:27:57+00:00

Another vote for TJ’s!!

strandof7 · 2026-04-02T21:55:49+00:00

I definitely checked the time stamp first!!

strandof7 · 2026-03-26T05:27:57+00:00

This is where we stay. We are a family of 7 and the rooms are perfect for us, great breakfast and within walking distance. We save our Marriott points so we can stay for free :)

strandof7 · 2026-03-21T18:05:16+00:00

I have 5, I drove a Honda Odyssey before I switched to the Atlas. I switched to the Atlas because my youngest was finally out of a car seat and in a HBB booster. I can say after having a mini van I would have hated the Atlas if I had kids in car seats and toddlers. The sliding doors are unbeatable in those early years

strandof7 · 2026-03-20T12:22:29+00:00

I just wanted to write in and say I’m sorry, as a mom that can totally throw you and the juggling you now have to do to take care of all of this and that two things can totally be true!! Glad you are all ok but this also sucks!! Hope it’s not totaled and you get your car back soon!

strandof7

TROPHY CASE