If you recall, last Thursday I totaled my Toyota Highlander when I hit a deer on the way to work. You can read more about that here: Crazy Week: PART TWO
While inconvenient, it definitely could be much worse. We had some rain and snow the following day which meant Craig wasn’t in the combine. We REALLY loved our Highlander but we really didn’t know if we needed the full third row seating in the back. We had to really re-evaluate our families current needs and how much we could afford. Thankfully, because he had the day off, we drove up to Rochester (who seemed to have the largest car selection) and tested out a few models before we settled on the Toyota Rav4. They didn’t have any that were in our price range but at least we knew what model we wanted and could continue the hunt from there.
We had a great time together, it’s been a CRAZY season for us so any alone time we can get is great. They are just wrapping up harvest this weekend (only about 30 acres left as I’m typing this) so hopefully we can start on the path back to normalcy once all the shit is hauled and the hay bales collected.
I got my Highlander serviced in the town I work at – the dealership there has excellent customer service. They give me a ride to the hotel if I’m getting my car serviced between night shifts, they’ve given me a nice loaner, I’ve always been really impressed. They just HAPPENED to have a WHITE (my favorite color) 2014 Toyota Rav4 in stock! It was RIGHT in our price range too with only 91,000 miles! I pulled into the dealership lot, I saw the car and without knowing if that was the car that I had come to see, I said “that’s my car right there” and I was right!
The insurance company has been excellent to work with so far, the dealership has been wonderful, I’m so excited for my new to me car! I’ll hopefully pick it up on Tuesday. We had considered going all out and looking at a newer Hybrid car but it honestly made me feel sick to my stomach to think about taking out that large of a car loan. This math made much more sense!
I had a 2013 Toyota Highlander with 168,000 miles – I had $3,400 left until it was paid off.
I’m getting a 2014 Toyota Rav4 with 91,000 miles – I’ll only have about $6,000 to pay off on it once the dust settles.
I’d say that’s not too bad of a trade! In the meantime, my mom has been SO KIND to let me borrow her Pacifica to get to work so I don’t have to deal with a rental.
I’ve overall been very pleased with this unpleasant situation. I was pretty upset when it first happened. We’ve really made some progress with our debt pay off the past 6 months and I was certain this would derail our efforts. I was so dead set on driving my Highlander until the wheels fell off. I was NOT in the mood for a new car or to go car shopping but we will actually come through it alright (some may say even better!) ESPECIALLY with the scarce automobile market! We didn’t have to compromise our budget at all (we were looking at $26,000 Rav4s and sweating bullets!) This is a much better price and we don’t go backwards in our debt free progress.
ONE MORE THING before I go – Orders for the Quiltmaker Sweatshirt and pre-order are due tomorrow morning at 7 am! If you haven’t got your order in please follow THIS LINK!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/kalissageorgia
At this time, we will not be offering this pre-order with any other designs, this will be a test to see how it goes and how it sells! Again, we’ve never done this before! Oh my gosh guys, these are the COZIEST sweatshirts EVER! Do NOT size up – order your true to size shirt – if you’ve ordered from me before the sizing is the EXACT same as the previous shirts! I’m always tempted to size up when it comes to sweatshirts but I don’t recommend that with the Bella + Canvas sweatshirts! They are TRUE to size 🙂
Here’s how to order our most popular design yet – here is a link to the listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1107102874/quiltmaker-cutting-up-fabric-to-sew-it
- Go to the listing, select the size and whether you’d like a hoodie or a crew neck.
- Check out as per usual.
- Your sweatshirt will be shipped within 2-3 weeks!
And finally, STATIONARY! I sold 45 stationary kits in 12 hours – message received! YOU GUYS LOVE this stationary! I love it too! I’m working to quickly restock this again! I’ve wanted to release a product for months now but it’s such a risk if it doesn’t work out! I feel so confident placing a second order now because they went over so well. Thank you so much for the support, I can’t wait to hear your feedback! Because it was SO POPULAR I’ll also be holding a pre-order for the stationary as well! I’ve changed the processing time to 2-3 weeks – same timeline as the sweatshirts so if you order a sweat shirt and stationary, I’ll ship them together! I’ve had some trouble with the note pad design so there may be a slight difference from the pictures as I might switch it up a bit but you’ll receive the same amount of cards! Again, please place your order by next Monday, November 22nd at 0700 to make sure you are guaranteed a set!
Here is the link to the stationary: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1107491698/quilt-block-stationary-sets-8-blank
Anywho, that’s enough drama for the day! Thanks for reading!
Hungry for more? Check out my latest posts!
- Thoughts on COVID in 2023…
- Friedman Family Update – March 2023
- ONE MORE MONTH!
- PROUD MINI VAN OWNER!
- Gannon Update – Genetics 🧬
Have you visited my Etsy Shop Lately? See what’s new!
I design and create a variety of quilting, cross stitching, and graphic tees as well as quilting themed stationery, stickers, notepads, cards, and more! I’d love for you to check it out!
You are the bomb! I made a post about your Etsy store, shirts, quick shipping and my freebies you sent, which I just squealed over! Thank you so much! So glad you got another Toy, they are great!
When I hit a deer and totalled our Honda Odyssey last spring, we went through almost the same discussion — and also wound up with a RAV 4. I didn’t know that was the car I needed, but it’s got just barely enough room for us and the boys and still has a decent amount of cargo space…..and MUCH better gas mileage!
I drove my 2008 Rav 4 until this year (246,000 miles) when we traded for a 2021 Nissan Rogue. My Rav was super reliable and handled well in snow & ice. I hope yours is a dream to drive and just as reliable.
I’m so glad you find a car that fits your needs and price!! Makes me feel really good about the Tundra (2016) I bought the day after Christmas last year as it now has 30,000 miles on it – that’s what happens when you take a road trip to visit family half way across the country (the truck has 18,000 miles on it when I bought it). I also plan to drive my truck until the wheels fall off – hope it will last the rest of my life. Toyotas has a good reputation for lasting trouble-free. I wish mine was white, but I ended up with candy-apple red.