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Routine Maintenance is Necessary
This past weekend I drove my 2011 Nissan Rogue to my mechanic. As a vehicle with more than 100,000 miles, I do my best to take care of it as it’s my lifeline to get around within the city.
“What brings you in today?” the mechanic said outside my driver’s window.
“I’m heading on a road trip soon and looking to get the regular maintenance work done. Also, I’ve noticed a decline in miles per gallon which concerns me,” I replied.
“Got it. You’re smart. I made the same road trip years ago and my vehicle broke down in the middle of the desert. I had to tow my car over 300 miles!”
This got me thinking about the price we pay when we ignore routine maintenance on our cars, homes, and even our health. The items you use every day can benefit from routine maintenance no matter what it is.
Areas for Maintenance
Here’s a list of items you should keep up with:
Your living area
Regular cleaning to avoid dust
Fixing leaks, testing water pressure, window repairs
Vehicle
Oil change per recommended mileage
Tire rotation
Transmission fluid
Air filters
Technology
Cleaning out old files
Factory reset if needed
Replacing batteries
Money Savings Alternatives
The above areas can cost you a bit of money, I’m not going to lie. What I can tell you is that there is always an opportunity to perform the maintenance yourself. When my car had a dead battery, my fiancee and I installed a new one instead of taking it to our mechanic by watching a YouTube video.
This single decision saved us over $200 and hours of time for a task that took maybe 30 minutes from start to finish (meanwhile the mechanic would serve other customers). Each routine maintenance has a “payable” or “free” option most likely, and it’s up to you which to decide.
Don’t Wait Until Something Big Happens
In the story of my mechanic, he chose to ignore signs of a failing vehicle until it cost him more money than worth. Having his own car fail him caused a fun vacation to turn into a nightmare situation. With the above areas, I’m sure there’s an area that you’ve been telling yourself, “I’ll get to that later.”
There’s no better time like the present before it ends up costing you. Paying money for common maintenance will improve your quality of living and save you a headache.
Whoa! If you’re reading this, you might be one of the new subscribers. This past week, I was honored as a 2022 Featured Substack. I’m happy to see my thoughts on personal finance being recognized!
Allow me to make an introduction. I’m Jordan Trevino. I work a 9-to-5 office job in California and I’m originally from Texas. I enjoy physical activities and catching up on the latest movie. In my spare time, I’m consistently reading about personal finance and ways to optimize my system to save me money at the end of each month.
Throughout my journey, I’ve earned, saved, and invested money to build the foundations of my own life. During the pandemic, I saw my friends struggle with money which sparked me to begin this blog.
Thanks for reading and see you next week,
Jordan