I’ve been having to utilize DoorDash and Instacart because that’s my only option or I’ll starve. I do online work like surveys. And help manage a business from home. I can save way more money when I can actually get a car because mines been messed up since march and the mechanic has just made excuses and dropped the ball even tho I’ve paid him and it’s shady but it’s life and at this point I know I have to buy a new car. I have bills of course that are unavoidable- rent $3,000, groceries via Instacart DoorDash (don’t have family to help or public transportation and Uber is high so the latter is actually cheaper ), light bill $200, insurance $550 a month, car insurance so it doesn’t lapse which I just switched to liability because it’s in the shop anyway $170 a month, tag registration this month $30. Going to cut out personal training from now on every month which will save $990, Hulu live, discovery+ and that alone will save me $1,100 a month. It would Take me 19 months to reach my goal which is depressing at this point but I’m not doing buy here pay here, the mechanic is always giving me excuses so I can’t count on that, and need a car to make better money I have a real eater degree but need a car to do anything away from home which is super depressing , I don’t have credit, don’t have a dad or co-signer or family,
. There are several things I will be cutting out this month so I can actually save money. At this point I can save $1100 a month. I want a good reliable car and even tho the one I want to be able to buy is $35,000 I’m going to settle for a $25,000 one. I have a real estate degree but need a car to work and do other basic things in life. I don’t buy myself clothes. Won’t be buying anything for myself like nails, makeup , etc. skincare is nice but I can do cheap skincare like dove soap to wash my face and I do have an Estée Lauder cream that will last me 6 months and burts bees toner in the mean time . I do my hair every 6 weeks it’s $200 but can start going every 12 weeks to save money. I’ve missed so many job opportunities and have paid so much money out to fix my car for this mechanic to just make promise after promise. So now I’m buckling down and just going to save because when he’s ready for me to pick it up I will bc my patience has ran out. I poured $9,000 into mt paid for car and it kept me going until this transmission issue that started in march of this year.
Besides cutting out Hulu live; discovery +, personal training I’m thinking about what else. I could cut out. I appreciate everyone for listening. If did get $2500 to put down on a car worth 35000 with no credit or bad credit would they finance it or should I just get a 25,000 car out the door with no financing. Not being able to drive has cost me a lot of money but having to use DD just to eat or Instacart. This month I will get a bonus but only this month and will have $6000 for sure towards my 25000 goal so I guess technically it would Take me 19 months to reach what I need x I’ve already went nearly 6 months without a car and if I had known that would be the case even tho I have already paid this mechanic for the transmission and labor and am just waiting some more for another transmission since the one he put in failed and was worse than the one I had initially I will only owe him less than $1000 when he finally decided to do what he’s supposed to do.
But any tips are appreciated to help save more money so I can maybe get a car before 19 months.
My mechanic was supposed to put a transmission in my car and since march he put one in and it failed instantly. Went to put another one in finally and have to pay him labor twice for this same thing and told me the second one he got it had a big crack in it last Saturday which was heartbreaking. So honestly I think I’ll have atleast half the money saved for a brand new car before this mechanic finally fixes my car and tell me I can come get it . If I would have known it was going to be 6 months to a year for a used transmission replacement that I already paid for and can’t get a refund I would have Already been way further ahead in my savings. But it does make me happy to know that this week I will have $6,000. And $19,000 left to go. I use Amazon prime to get necessities because I can’t really go to town to shop around and it’s just the cheapest alternative right now I’ve done the math:
Also if there are any tips to make more money like work wise besides doing surveys that pay like $200 a month and at home managing a company I’m open to anything I can do from home. Another route I could go is to get my car back and get some trade in value off it too. Thanks
Hey everyone. I’m really needing to save for a car. I need $19,000 min.
byu/DemonCopperhead1 inFrugal
Posted by DemonCopperhead1
16 Comments
Yikes, text wall…
You are spending $990 a month on personal training? Your finances are absolutely wild. You need to make a spreadsheet, and then really make some cuts. Look at each expense, and classify it as a need, a want, or a luxury. If you decide to keep it, see if you can at least cut the cost.
Buy a 2010 toyota for under $10k.
Where are you living that rent is 3k a year but there’s no public transportation or nearby grocery store
That’s a tough situation, but it sounds like you’re making smart cuts and staying focused on your savings goal. With $6k already saved and $1,100/month going forward, you’re on the right track. Maybe also consider remote freelance work or selling unused items to speed things up. Wishing you the best you’ve got this!
Christ what a mess.
Buy a good used car outright for $6-10k (think Toyota or Honda)
You’re a little unclear on the doordash/instacart part. Where I am supermarkets often run their own delivery services. Even if that’s not available to you, it seems likely that you can do a large shop and arrange transport home cheaper than ordering everything via those services.
990 a month on personal training, i was going to buy a 2025 BMW X5 40i and it was like $10 more than this. that was like a 60-70k vehicle.
you can buy like 3 regular brand new cars for 990 a month. come on guy.
How about start with a bicycle to at least decrease the food delivery fees? Could also be used for exercise since you are dropping the personal training.
I can’t read that whole Word Brick. But why is your car $19,000? There are plenty of old, used cars for much less.
OP
The vast majority of people won’t read your post, because it’s just a massive wall of text.
You need to double-space between paragraphs so that they appear on Reddit. Single spaces won’t do.
Excuse me. – I’m single too. But why would one need a horribly expensive car to fetch groceries? I’m getting mine on a 125ccm home. The cheapest Honda on the US market is like $2k5 (new)?
You’ll need to itemize your expenses and income in a spreadsheet.
Cut all your subscriptions except essentials. With rent as high as yours, and some of the figures you’re quoting, I wonder if you’re caring for family members? Obviously you cannot cut cost of living, but it sounds like you might be blowing some of your income on non-essentials or on luxury brands when generic ones would be alright.
You quote figures for your desired car budget that are very high. If your earnings are as limited as they sound, you need to be thinking about buying a used car below $8k (off a friend or contact if possible) instead of aiming for the nicest vehicles out there. You do not need the trim packages, and you’ll be okay with a used car as long as it’s mechanically sound. Your current vehicle is costing you opportunities, so you’ll need a backup soon. Not in 19 months!
I’m sorry but you need to take your car to a different mechanic. I don’t understand the part about them making excuses? If they aren’t fixing anything, get it returned. If you drove it into the shop and it now won’t drive out, get a lawyer
You can easily get a reliable used Toyota for less than the 6,000 you already have. Why do you want such an expensive car, if you’re concerned about saving money?
Get a great toyota from 1992-1997, they are epic when serviced right.