(no subject)

Well, we're off to see about getting that new car. Wish us luck!!

(no subject)

Well, we are now the proud owners of a new 2006 Ford Focus. The deal we got isn't as good as we'd hoped - for example, we didn't get a 2005 model (they're all sold out - only 5 new Focuses were left on the entire lot), so we weren't able to get the $2,500 cash back for clearance. That changes our plans a little bit (we were going to use the cash back to cover sales tax and payments for the first few months), but not too badly. Payments are a bit more than we'd originally hoped, but before the extended warranty, they were still within our theoretical range. We opted for the extended warranty (which added about $30 a month) based on past experiences with our last car - plus we get our first 24,000 miles of scheduled maintenance (oil changes and the like) free. Add in a 5-year roadside hazard warranty (free with the extended), and we're in a really good situation in case anything happens to our car in the next 5 years.

So, it's more than we originally hoped, but still well within our budget, and we got a newer car and some extra protection/piece of mind. I've run the numbers on our budget, and we're in no danger of missing bills, gas, or groceries, and we've still got a decent chunk of discretionary income each month (some of which we're going to put into savings). None of this includes Z's commissions/art sales, so that's all bonus funds. All in all, I think we'll do okay.