Wednesday, May 15, 2024
There was a time, not that long ago, when people seemed to be more concerned about how they spent their money.
As a youngster, I can remember dad bringing home his paycheck and handing it to my mother. She would take the income and divide it up by the things which had to be paid. The biggest items were rent, utilities, food, and transportation expenses (car payment, oil changes, new tires, and repairs). She would set out enough money to cover those expenses, and then take what was left over to make allocations for clothing, savings, and entertainment. By the time she got through with the list, there was little left over for frills or casual expenses.
The Houston house did not go out to dinner while there was perfectly good food at home to eat. We did not go to the movies, unless it was the drive-in where the carload could enter for $5, and we always brought our own drinks and popcorn from home. Clothes were bought for their practicality and utility, not for their fashion statement, or the name of the designer.
We were not poor. We were middle class, and my folks wanted to be able to send their kids to college and have funds for retirement when they finally quit work. They were conservative, and practical, and used their head in distinguishing what was truly needed, as opposed to what was desired or convenient.
This past week, the dashboard on my car started flashing a warning that three of my tires were low on air. With the sudden seasonal weather change occurring, I knew I had not run over a handful of nails, but rather it was the temperature change which had caused the pressure to drop in the tires.
There are long ago recollections of pulling into a full-service gas station, and while the gas was being pumped, an attendant would check the oil and water, wash the windshield, and check the tire pressure in all the tires. As a young boy, sitting in the backseat, I would observe the gas station employee running around the car to accomplish all his tasks before the pump turned off. It was a fascinating process to observe and very impressive.
Nowadays, if there are any full-service stations, I do not know where they are. We all pump our own gas, and, if we are lucky, there is a squeegee located on the service island to wash our dirty windshield. Few places have an air compressor to add air to your tires. If they do, it is located at a distant edge of the business, and there is a fee. Not sure the last time I needed to add air to my tires, but if my memory serves me right the coin machine attached to the air compressor charged 50 cents. When I pulled up to the station this week, I learned the price had been raised to two dollars! Yes, two dollars for air!
When I saw the price, I stopped in my tracks. Then I thought, wait a minute. The people who own the station had to buy a compressor, keep it maintained and operational, and have it available for when I pulled up. That would cost a lot of money, and, as a businessman, I could understand the need to recapture that expense. Maybe two dollars is not an unreasonable fee?
On the other hand, I knew I had a small compressor in my garage which could air up my tires. It would require me to dig it out from behind the assortment of junk which fills that building, and then drag it out to my car. In doing so I would save two dollars.
A part of me said, “Heck you are already at a pump, go ahead and spend the two dollars you tightwad. Afterall, my time is worth something. Get this over with and move on to something else.” On the other hand, I could feel my dad’s hand on my shoulder saying, “Can’t you do this at home?”
I left the station, drove home, dug the air compressor out of the garage, and aired up my tires. No, I did not go to Starbuck’s and spend six dollars on a cup of coffee to celebrate! A penny saved is a penny earned.
Thought for the day: Don’t buy things you can’t afford with money you don’t have, to impress people you do not like.
Until next time...I will keep rid’in the storm out
sam@hcnews.com
