Just say NO to Texting and Driving

One thing that really bothers me is when people text while driving. It's so dangerous and irresponsible. You can put your phone down and focus on the road. It's so important not to drive distracted. I can not stand being in the car with someone who checks their phone. I don't care if you are at a stoplight. If the car is running, your phone is down. I knew a girl who always texted while driving with her son in the car. I just don't understand. She would hold the phone in her hand above the steering wheel.  I will admit I check my phone a lot but there's a time and place for it. I also can't stand when you are hanging out with someone and they are constantly on their phone. It's pretty rude in my opinion. You are ignoring the person you are with. I try not to check my email or texts when I am spending time with people. Sometimes I check my phone because they are on theirs.

I have found my voice and have told people not to text and drive when I am in the car. I ask them to please put their phone down. I am a mom and Noah comes first. If you put my life in danger, you are likely to be gone from my life. When Noah starts driving he will not text and drive. It's not worth it. I will monitor his phone and I will take it away. I have a zero tolerance policy. There will be no sorry I forgot or another chance. One text and it's gone. Have you even seen the texting and driving ads? They are really scary. It only takes an instant.  You can't do it. You don't want to be another statistic.

Please read about the dangers of texting and driving and please don't do text and drive.

The Dangers of Road Rage

Have you ever experienced road rage? It's really scary. It makes me think of the movie Joyride. That's like the ultimate road rage movie. It's about three kids that play a trick on a truck driver and he uses the road to get his revenge. People get so angry at other drivers sometimes. It's crazy. There's different degrees of road rage. Some are mild where you yell and cuss. Other times it can turn violent. It seems to be worse in those with anger issues.

My ex-husband had really bad rage and not just on the road. It can be frightening when you look over and see someone speeding up and resembling Cruella DeVil. Depending on the type of day you are having it can be easy to get angry too. It's extremely dangerous to deal with road rage because you never know what the other person will do. You may not know how to deal with it. Some of it is geographical. When I lived in south Florida, you had to drive the moment the light turned green or there would be a bunch of people honking. Everyone was always in a hurry. I witnessed some mild road rage down there. It wasn't anything really dangerous but it could have turned at any moment. There was a lot of cussing and an elderly woman shaking her cane at a car. It was funny for a few minutes but then it seemed serious. It's important to share your feelings and stay calm while driving so you don't turn in to an angry driver.

Here's a post about Road Rage and what to do. Hopefully you will never deal with it.

Don't get Scammed by your Mechanic

Most of the time when you go to a mechanic, it is a smooth experience but every so often you can get scammed. Someone who is close to me, got new tires recently and they ended up doing something to her car battery. She had no choice but to purchase a new one. She never had battery problems before this. Of course the mechanic would not admit it was his fault. He blamed it on the “cold weather.” Cold weather meaning 50 degrees, which was not cold compared to what the car had been other times. They also set the tires to 40 instead of the suggested 30. Thankfully, she had an oil change and they fixed it for her.  It’s really important that you know what you are getting in to.  The mechanic can be intimidating when you don’t understand what they are talking about.  It’s easy to trust someone because it’s their job. Most of the time, they are trustworthy and don’t try and rip you off, but you need to be educated. Some prey on women or older people who may not know that they don’t need new brakes or that’s their engine is sound.

 Here’s an infograph by Active Insurance to help you know what the warning signs of auto repair scams.  It also gives you an estimate of what certain parts cost and just some good tips. I love the tip about asking for the old part when it’s replaced. I would have never thought of that. It’s to make sure they really replaced it. You are in the waiting room and you never know what they are doing in the garage. 

Are you comfortable with getting car repairs? Do you get them yourself or do you send your husband or dad to take care of it?  Did you learn anything new?

I Need a Used Car

I am going to be in the market for a new car soon. Buying a car is a very serious deal. It is usually a large purchase and requires a lot of thought and shopping around. You have to be smart about it. You don’t want to be swindled or land on The People’s Court. When you are making a big purchase or any purchase for that matter I know to grab the nearest roll of toilet paper and crayon and get a receipt. I know that cash does not leave this hand without a receipt going in other hand. It is crucial to protect yourself and avoid sites like Craigslist, which you know I don’t use to buy anything. It is pretty risky in my opinion. I will definitely check out dealerships when I am ready to make my purchase. It will take me some time to figure out what exactly I want. Since I am a mom safety is something I think about a lot. I want to keep my precious son safe while we are running errands and traveling. I have some concerns about the safety of the cars on Craigslist because it’s not regulated by anyone. You are also opening yourself up for being a victim of a scam or someone could take advantage of you. Cars are supposed to last a long time so it is vital to not to be careless. It’s not like picking out an outfit. I love to travel so traveling will be done in this new car. I have family all over and I would like to spend more time in 2015 with my loved ones who are only an hour or two away. We have such busy lives, we don’t spend as much time together anymore. Since I have had my health problems, it makes me really think about them. We live in an area where there is pretty much anything you could want within twenty miles away, but traveling in a car is a must. I want Noah to have memories of car travel when he is young.

Be sure to see what you need to consider when buying a used car, it could save you from a lot of stress and grief.