Financial Hack

I washed my car last weekend. It’s been a month shy of a year since I last washed my car so perhaps… I’m not the best person to give this kind of advice (Actually, my car has been ‘cleaned’. The windows are washed by Jiffy Lube every time I get an oil change). But… I did learn something…

Wash before it rains.

I’ve gone such a very long time without washing my car for the following reasons:

1. We don’t have a long hose in our front yard. Sure I could put on a water nozzle and attempt to spray it down from 15 feet away but most of my life is spent looking like an idiot… I’d like to take a break from looking like one… for once.

2. We (California) are suffering from a severe water crunch. Our water company has upped the rates twice this year – and it’s only March. I’m quite positive that the water needed to scrub off a year of dirt would cost me $900.

3. We have Water Nazi’s everywhere. Thanks to the water crisis, our county has been asked to report blatant misuse of water. There can be no run off, otherwise… say hello to a nice fat ticket. Neighbors spy on neighbors here. Sure, the stuff rolling off my car wouldn’t technically be water, it would be sludge, but I didn’t want to take my chances.

Washing my car hasn’t been ‘convenient’ to say the least.

I was starting to forget what color it was so I drove up to a nice car wash down the street and… maybe it’s because I’m a girl, maybe it’s because my car looked so sad, maybe it’s because I’m a redhead, maybe it’s because I’m good looking (*snicker*), or….

Maybe it’s because EVERYONE else knew it was supposed to rain the next day (can you tell I don’t watch the weather?) but the place was dead and the sales guy kept lowering the price after every ‘Um, I’m not sure. How much for JUST a wash?!?’

In the end, I received a $120 detail for $30.

I spent 2 glorious hours under the shade of an awning listening to Jack Johnson and Donovan Frankenreiter on my iPod while someone washed every filthy nook and cranny in my car.

It rained on Sunday but there wasn’t dirt to streak my car so it didn’t matter.

They gave me a hand written coupon for half off a wash of my choice to be used before April 30, 2009.

In light of my wash history… I wonder if I can scratch in 2010?

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