Ask The Helpful Housewife

Monday Mama Ranting...

Somebody uncorked the bottle today.  Now, normally no one has to wonder what I'm thinking!  I am one of those people who lets it all hang out there, no matter what.  You want to know my opinion? You'll be sorry you asked!  But some things I've been able to just pass on and keep my thoughts to myself.  Until today.  I guess I've been bottling them up too long?  Or else I have some other deep seeded distress that is making me redirect in this way subconciously.  Who knows...  but apparently I need to get this out of my system.

1.  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PROTEST THE NEW RESTRICTIONS ON MAMMOGRAMS!  Now they say that you shouldn't get them until you are 50 because they are ineffective on women under 50.  Tell that to any woman in her 40's or younger, who had a mammogram whose life was saved!  In an interesting interview on Nightly News with Brian Williams, this "brilliant" doctor from some UCLA think-tank decided to open her remarks with a very tellng statement: [sic] "It's time we caught up to the rest of the world's standard of care and guidelines for government sponsored healthcare systems".  Uh, does anyone else see the problem with this?  Welcome to Obama care!  Listen, I'll be the first one to stand up and demand affordable, accessible care for everyone.  But not when they take away necessary health screenings for one of the deadliest diseases for women in order to have it!  I'm not a Republican, and I'm not a Democrat.  Now you know why I don't buy into our partisanal government crap.  Are you kidding me?  Slap a set of mammaries on Obama and see where his position is then!

2.  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST EAT PEANUT BUTTER IF YOU ARE PREGNANT!  There, I feel better already!  This has been bothering me to no end.  Some idiot pediatrician out there, who undoubtedly has no kids, decided that pregnant women should not eat peanut butter because it increases the risk of peanut allergies in the child once born.  Are you kidding me?  Excuse my language, but common sense tells me this is complete and utter bullshit!  I ate tons of peanut butter when I was pregnant with all four of my kids, and none of them have a nut allergy!  It flies in the face of all logic!  Think about it: if you get allergy shots, what are you getting?  Small inactive doses of the allergen to desensitize you to whatever you are allergic to, right?  So, why should a pregnant woman avoid peanut butter in order to prevent a future possible allergy?  Desensitize the child in the safety of the womb.  Jeepers!  In fact, studies have shown that the longer you wait to introduce many foods, the greater the likelihood of reaction!  So what the heck is this all about?  Oy vey!

3.  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET YOUR KIDS VACCINATED!  Listen people, vaccines do NOT cause autism.  The reality is, autism symptoms just happen to show up around the same age that vaccines are usually given.  Total coincidence.  And parents are looking for something, anything to blame.  Don't jump all over me here.  The science proves it.  And I have twins with mild autism, so it's not like I'm yelling over the fence at you.  Yes, it's hard.  Yes it can be a heart breaking experience to hear it.  I understand.  It rocks your world. You struggle with it, and look for the first thing to blame as the cause.  Leave that to the researchers...  instead of wasting energy on all that hate and fury and misinformation, just love your child.  The reality is, this is just who they are.  Maybe there isn't anything wrong with them anyway?  Maybe it truly is just WHO THEY ARE?  That outlook has helped me cope tremendously.  And I have been able to help my kids progress forward to a happy and stable year of kindergarten, with less meltdowns than I expected.  Because I just accept it as who they were meant to be, not a flaw or an illness.  But if you choose not to vaccinate your kid just because you decide to believe some crap some quack decides to spew out?  You're welcome!  The ONLY reason you have the luxury of vaccinating your kid is because I vaccinate mine.  But watch carefully... mumps, measles, rubella, scarlett fever and more are on the rise again thanks to folks like you!

OK, I've probably alienated enough people for one day.  Stepping down off my soap box now!  I fully expect an inbox full of hate email shortly, but I'm OK with that.  My next post will go back to green housecleaning, recipes, or whatever else housewifey I can come up with!  But please do think about raising a big stink about the mammogram thing with your doctors, politicians, health insurance companies, anyone who will listen.  Your boobies, you lives, are worth it!

Need A New Car?

Today's topic is on how to get a new car and work your best deal in the process.  Or at least tell you what I did and hopefully you can get a glimpse into what is possible right now in the auto industry.  They need to get these cars off the lots and on the roads!  And they are willing to do what it takes to get you to buy them!  Also, you can get a credit on your 2009 tax return if you buy a new vehicle right now, too!  So, here's how we ended up with our new 2009 Dodge Journey SXT...

In 2004, we had the twins.  At that time I was driving a 2001 Buick Century that I absolutely adored.  I LOVED that car!  But I couldn't fit 3 car seats across the back once the twins needed to go into the full size seat and out of the infant carriers.  So it was time to get a new vehicle.  So we ended up getting the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country van.  We leased it.  We got hosed.  I refuse to tell you the details because to this day my husband and I are still not quite over that whole rift in our marriage.  Needless to say, I was put in charge of getting the next vehicle when our lease was up.  Actually, I declared it.  He didn't have a choice in the matter.  When it comes to vehicles, I had a pretty darn good track record for getting great deals prior to marrying him, and he didn't want to admit it.  Time to prove it.  And prove it I did!  Mind you our lease on the van doesn't expire until June 9th...  That's key to the story I am about to share with you today. 

I began researching new vehicles about 9 months ago.  I didn't want to be forced into something I would hate just because my lease was up and I was in dire straits for a car.  I knew I didn't want another mini-van, and vehicles that hold 6 (4 in car seats) are a finite group.  I had seen the Journey on a lot at one point and really liked the looks of it.  I began price comparing online, and I kept coming back to it.  It had way more features than any other vehicle in this class but was half the price!  I looked at Yukons, Trailblazers, Explorers, etc... all of the domestic and foreign models that fit the bill.  All of them that had the fully loaded options were at least $48000 to $60000 and more, while the Journey was, at most $31000 for the features we would have on our dream list.  I mean, come on!  No brainer! 

So then I drove one.  And I fell in love.  It handles like a dream!  It still sits up a little higher than a car, so you can really see more of the road, but you don't have that tippy, unstable feeling from the minivan.  It is comfortable to sit in.  And although it's 4 inches narrower than the van, we actually have MORE cabin room for legs and arms and heads.  Amazing!  A much more space efficient vehicle for comfort.

On to the deal we got.  I went out on cars.com  and looked to see what incentives were available for the Journey.  I was so happy I did!  They had some listed that weren't even advertised by Dodge!  So I went on the Dodge website and built my own.  I then printed out my vehicle specifications, and called my dealership.  Brian, the sales manager, was very helpful when I told him what I wanted.  The incentives were going to expire on March 2nd, and this was February 26th.  He promised to do a vehicle locate for me, and find the car I wanted and bring it in.  He called me back within the next day and said they found one but it was 200 miles away.  It wouldn't be here in time, but we could sign the papers anyway.  Here's where it gets interesting.

The vehicle I wanted was the Dodge SXT, black, Chrome exterior package, Family Seating package (built in booster seats), Flexible Seating Group, Convenience group 1, Rear Video Group,  and the Safe & Sound Group (because you had to pick an option with the Rear Video Group).  This is what I had my heart set on.  They found the only one in the country.  Bless them!  So I go in to sign the papers.  And just to make sure I still liked the Journey, I drove one on their lot.  Yes, I still loved the Journey.

So, at this point we're getting the following incentives:

Employee Plus Plus pricing, $2000 Customer Loyalty, $1000 Chrysler Incentive, $500 Military Cash Back, $1000 Great Lakes Bonus

Good deals, right?  It gets better.  So, the model I drove was Inferno Red.  My second color choice.  It also had a power sunroof.  And the Sirius satellite radio, gps, u-connect tunes, built in 6-disc dvd player (just no rear video screens), the backup camera, the in-dash cooler, the 5000 storage compartments that I loved, in-steering wheel audio controls, chrome package, fog lamps, built in 115-amp outlet, flexible seating, towing package, 19" tires, you can upload your photos into the hard drive, and oh, by the way, a 30G hard drive for the u-connect tunes you upload from a flash drive or an mp3 player, etc...  Basically this car will run NASA.  I loved it! 

So, Brian asks me if I would rather take this one home instead?  Sure, why not?  But it's $31,000.  The one I want is only $27,000.  And the one I want has the video monitors for the dvd player for the kids.  So I'll stick with the black one.  And I'd rather have the black one.

"Are you sure?  Because I'll pay the last 2 lease payments on the van for you, too?  Oh, and by the way, you can keep the van until June when you have to turn it in...."

"Hmmm, let me think about that, Brian", as the seconds click away on the clock.  "I'll take it!"

So, when we sign the paperwork, we do the deal as if the van isn't even there.  We just purchase the Journey.  Then the dealership cuts us a check for the last two lease payments on the van.  That way, there's no loophole where we don't get our money.  And we ended up getting our new Journey for the same price as the black one I priced out. And actually it was even less than that because of the insane $4500 in incentives we got on top of the already low price.  

I'm telling you, now is the time to get a new car!  They will literally pay YOU to drive them off the lot!  I'm living proof!  And the best part?  My husband has now agreed that I am the one in our family who is now in charge of all vehicle purchases...   turns out that women are smarter than we are given credit for!