As I prepare to descend into the bowels of destitute studenthood, I thought it prudent to read a few finance books about being thrifty (read: cheap). After all, I'd need all the help I could get given that I am part of that widely detested and spat upon Middle Class--that socioeconomic group which receives virtually no help from the government and even less from multi-million dollar franchises like McDonalds. Tragic, I know.So, what do all these personal wealth gurus suggest as a means of becoming rich? Why yes, it is to SAVE MONEY! Basically, one should try to skim wherever one can, even if it means cutting a corner or two. Being somewhat lazy, I thought I might manage to put this wisdom into practice in my own life!
I might've mentioned how enamored I was with how people got around in Asia--namely, by foot or bike. Since the subway system around my house is pretty limited, I decided that I would start riding my bike more. The first thing I thought about was getting a trunk rack like that pictured above. That was the rational option. However, being influenced by trashy self-help literature, I opted not to spend the $90 and came up instead with this brilliant idea: "why don't I just try to cram my 21-speed mountain bike into the backseat of my car??!!!"
Yup. It was a frugal epiphany.
In fact, last weekend (before my car died for other unrelated reasons), I shoved my bike into the backseat and drove off to the trails like a proud soccer mom. Granted, it took me 15 whole minutes to maneuver the bike into my car and out again, but hey, so far so good.
That is, until the return trip.
I had stuffed my bike into my car butt first, handlebars last. When I arrived home, I took it out the same way, not realizing that the handlebars would get caught on my low-ceilinged sedan and rip the top to shreds. As I tried to manhandle my bike out of the car, the front wheel and handlebars got stuck on the frame while the rest of the bike hung out of the car rather pitifully. It was so sad that my neighbor who had been smoking and watching me for quite sometime eventually asked, "you need some help with that?" I hope he was entertained by my half-hour struggle.
Fortunately, I got the bike out, but not without scratching up my car and detaching the front wheel unnecessarily. After that experience, I learned a very good lesson: never take life lessons from a financial adviser. If you need to transport a bike, then BUY A TRUNK RACK. Trust me, you'll thank me one day.
But you can thank me now by sending me $1 to laginnad@gmail.com. Thanks!
3 comments:
Sheesh! A cheap bike rack is only $40 and if you didn't even want to muster that, you could have popped off the front wheel. But no, you have to try to do the 'manly' thing and put a square peg in a round hole. Good job! You're learning from the breed that you love to disdain.
If I were a man, I probably would've just bought the bike rack. Women tend to underestimate the importance of proper sporting gear.
Besides, the $40 ones apparently scratch up the paint on your trunk. Not that it matters now anyway. The damage is done.
A man would just ride the bike to the final destination, why take the car?? A real man would invest in a $3,000 road bike! LAG, you'll be going about 2 mph faster on avg(save the extra 56 secs on memorizing one more side effect of a random drug that treats the African River blindness disease!), and $3000 out of a 6 digit debt is nothing!
Post a Comment