Bike update:

Well i some how crammed my bike into my toyoto camery and when I got to heather's we transfered it to the back of her jeep... (so much easier to get it in and out of in a jeep)

I didn't need new tires... the man put air into them for me and told me that the bike was just to small for me... (apparently even I, of the 5 foot flat persuasion have outgrown my mountain bike..)

Well i tipped the guy 10 bucks. He told me it wasn't necessary but i insisted.
A) its the holidays and its nice to be nice to people, especially when they decline and then say thank you.
B) he put air in for free and checked the seat for me
C) he didn't try to sell me something i didn't need. He could have told me i needed new tires and i would have believed him and paid for them... and then discovered that the bike was too small and would have been out of that cash.

but the salesman is right...the bike is too of small for me. yes i can sit on it and ride it, but i have outgrown it. I rode a couple of their bikes around and he pointed out the differences. So after thanking the man, we loaded up the old mountain bike and i went "bike price-ing." Kind of like browsing... but with intent to make a future purchase...

and i found one i really like... it's $350.00 tho... plus i'd need a light sense i'm biking early in the morning and that is about another $30 ... so were looking at a whopping 380... then tax puts it at 410 bucks!!!!!!!!!!!

I really wasn't planning on buying a new bike right now... Heather and i are planning on going leisure biking on mondays, (she wants to shed some lbs and because she just bought a house with her boyfriend, money will be tighter for her and she doesn't have a gym membership and already has a nice bike. )

------> So i know i'd use it for mondays...

But the question becomes.... will i really bike to work and get up at 4:00am, leave at 4:15 am and bike to work.... Because it makes no sense to buy the bike now if i'm only doing it for a little fun on mondays. If that's the case, then i slowly save for it and make due with what i have... tiny bike.

But Heather and I came up with a game plan to make sure that this bike purchase isn't just on a whim... but something that i'll actually use! Here's how:

• Were going Biking tomorrow. Heather and I will alternate on the crappy to small bike. this way i can decide if that bike is manigable for the time being.
• I will be borrow heather's bike tuesday (which is very similar to the one i want to buy... but mine will be a 3 speed not a 7 speed). I want to time the ride and also make sure i can do the distance. I told the store guy where i'd be biking and he told me that i should be able to do it in a half an hour, kind of leisure like... but there is that blasted hill.
• If i can make the hill, then in january i will buy the bike.

i know this is kind of a whim idea for me... but i think i can afford it. This is how i'm define it by affording it:

1. I still make what i promised to do on my debt repayment plan
2. I don't accrue anymore debt in the purchase.

How i'm going to pay for it:

1. I'm working 16 hours of overtime for the holidays. I will get this paycheck on jan 5th. (approx $300.00)
2. Half my left over gas money this month approx $50
3. Fun money from Jan's budget $30
4. $ 50 x-mas present from my grandpa.

That's $430... which should cover everything! I'm still going to put this fridays' overtime on the car, as promised. I know the extra 300 would be nice to throw at the debt, but i'm looking for a way to get in shape and save money in the long run. I think it's stupid to keep driving more when gas is going back up... when things get expensive, your suppose to limit your consumption, not cut out other areas and let them continue to charge more and become a slave to it.

I know i can't go completely without gas sinse i have to drive to school still late Jan... but its now only 2 days a week not 4. (i'm officially a tuesday thursday student. No monday nite class, and heather has agreed to drive to incahoots on wed since her bf pays for gas (because he can write it off for his business)

I guess i look at the bike as an investment. even if i can only cut my gas by 1/4 that's $50 bucks a month. 8 months later, the bike is paid for... and/or i'll have a little vegas fund.

any money i win in Vegas will go to pay off my cute little car.