Jims5543

I just picked this up from my friends shop. I picked this up on my way back from the courthouse. This made the trip worth while. Its a Harbor Frieght Aluminum 6 pump jack. On sale for $125.



My old jack takes 30+ pumps to get the car off the ground. This will come in handy and road races and autocrosses.



At least my trip to the courthouse was not a total waste.

mazdadrifter

dum dum dum dumdumdudmdumdudmmmm daaaaaaa

Apex13B

can i have some of your money jim..i need food and a waterpump

Jims5543

Been there done that. Used to have $10-$15 left over after each paycheck to live off of. Will never forget those days. My wife and I used to sleep on a futon and our dresser was those cardboard boxes you slide under your "real" bed (that we did not have) to store winter clothes. We didn't have anything dude. When my wife got pregnant with our first son I had to sell my 1st GEN RX-7 to make ends meet. Once she had the kid it just wasn't worth it for her to work we would clear maybe $100 more a month and then someone else was raising our kid. Sometines you have to get your priorities straight. Material things are not as important as family.



I used to do side work for other land surveying companies drafting from like 7PM to 1AM then off to work at 6AM to my day job. Thats how I got by no savings no sports cars. My wife drove a Civic and I had a RED (faded to pink) Chevette. Both cars had well over 100K miles on them and neither had A/C, in Florida that is an issue.



I busted my *** over the last 10 years to get back on top. I had my work truck repo'd my credit ruined for a long long time. Its funny, I cant get a car loan to save my life. My credit sucks I have had a lot of bad setbacks over the years but never gave up. I always knew if I tried hard enough I could get on top. I maxed out a visa card to get my business off the ground and never looked back. I am very lucky and know it. I share as much as I can without being stupid. Who is going to help me if I encounter another setback? I now make sure I will be o.k. in the long run and if I can along the way do nice things for the people I like, good.





Wow,..sorry about the long post.

75 Repu

..good stuff jim..

MonsterMR2

Being broke, definately isn't one of life's finer point's.

Jims5543

Something I have learned these last few years.



Luck = Money



People with money never have bad luck



People with no money have bad luck



Your car breaks down you have $20 in your checking account, you cannot get it fixed, bad luck.



Your car breaks down you have $20,000 in your checking account, you get car towed to shop, you rent a car, your car gets fixed, good luck.





You trying to break into autoracing you have no money and cannot afford to campaign a car, bad luck.



You the son of a famous racer sponsors are falling all over each other to give you stuff for your racing season, good luck.







No it isn't but it builds character. The one thing you can have that people with money "might" have is real friends. Friendships I forged 10+ years ago are by far the best one I have to this day.



Remembering a hot date with my wife was riding our bicycle's to the Circlr K to get 2 hotdogs for a dollar and sharing a fountain coke while we rode our bikes and dreamed of better times. That is better than any car or jack or vacation I can think of.



Make the best of where your at. I never was consumed with what other people had or jelouse of them. I knew I wanted to have fun cars and a nice house and nice vacations but it never consumed me. As long as I could live the moment happy for who I am and who I am with, nothing else really mattered. Stuff is nothing more than stuff its not that important. It never was to me when I didn't have anything and it isn't now that I do.

Dramon_Killer

wise words.

banzaitoyota

Good things come with time. Jim and I are a LOT a\older than most of you who are just starting out. John

Jims5543

Exactly!! I have been working longer than most of you have been alive.



If I could do one thing over again. Its the advise from a fiancial book I read 15 years ago. It said to take 10% of your take home pay and put it in savings never to be touched. Its the first bill you pay.



Another old man wise proverb for you:



I have shitty credit. I cannot get a car loan. Having your Toyota 4X4 Repo'd and leaving a loan balance of 6K will screw up your credit.



Now refer to that 10% into savings rule.



I took out a loan on my 2002 Dakota Quad Cab. How? I got a secured laon against my savings account. I have "frozen" a given amount of money in my savings a colateral for my loan. I am now making loan payments on time and re-establishing my credit. If I didn't have that savings the bank would have laughed at me when I tried to get a loan.



Start a savings account and NEVER touch it. It is you retirement* and your financial life preserver.



You will want to invest in a higher yielding accound eventually. But opening a savings account is easy and you will do that quicker that opening a money market account (preferred) or a Mutual Fund.