But the changeover reinforced the cost of aging.
For any number of years, we haven’t had to lift the tires into the trunk for we have improvised a makeshift ramp. It makes it much easier than lifting the blessed things.
Last week, however, while rolling the rubber up the ramp, I had the thought of having the tire shop store the dadblasted things to save me the hassle of loading and unloading twice a year. It’s not that we can’t do it or that it is all that difficult, but I just felt like I don’t want to be bothered anymore.
So I asked about the service, and it isn’t cheap. It’s 60 smackeroos per season, or 10 bucks per month. It’s a lot, but I decided to do it anyway.
I experienced one payoff right away when I got home and didn’t have to contend with getting the tires out of the trunk.
You see, that would have involved a bounce. Rather than roll the tires down the ramp, I would drop them, rather carefully, from the trunk and let them bounce. I would then try to contain and control them on the hop and then roll them into place. It usually worked well enough, but I was glad to not face the struggle this time, for this unloading was almost as bothersome as the loading by rolling them up the ramp. I say almost, but perhaps it was even more of a hassle.
When you add that to other costs of aging, it mounts up. I am thinking specifically of the horrendous expense of hearing aids, which averages out to about $1000/year. My first car cost less than the tiny things that I now stick in my ears. Significantly less as a matter of fact.
But I am still here and hanging on, and I rather appreciate that.
Speaking of aging, when I quickly scan messages on the computer, my deteriorating brain often misreads them — just for a second or two, you understand. Then, I have to pause and reread more slowly. For example: I thought the subject line of this ↓ email read: How to Make the Perfect Bikini Without a Recipe. Fortunately, I am not so far gone that I fail to realize that there must have been something amiss with that reading.
23 comments:
Storing winter tires sounds like a good idea - sometimes the expense just has to be the reward of having more space in the garage & less hassle of the to & fro. $1000/yr for hearing aids!! I presume that is for the batteries, but O M Goodness!
Morning chuckle of your bikini making without a recipe
Where I live we just have tires, no changing seasonally. That sounds like a pita. The state banned winter tires, usually studded, many years ago because they did a job on the road surface.
My hearing isn't as acute as it was, but I'm not ready to respond to the numerous e-mails and paper mail I get from audiologists, because of being in the age group that's likely to need them.
I worry about the hearing thing. I can tell a bit of a dif and have had more than one visit to the ENT. He said at the next one -- six months-- he wants me to do a hearing test. As he said when I told him, "I think I hear OK. A lot of people just talk quietly," -- "You can't hear what you don't hear."
Yup. You get added expenses, some because you chose them, others not. And things you buy don't last the way they did decades ago. I had my old stove for 57 years and it still partly worked. I don't expect a new one to last nearly so long. But then, I won't, either!
Ha ha .... like that .... the Perfect Bikini Without a Recipe.
We’ve been changing our tires ourselves for a few years now since we have our extra tires on rims. We do it together and it hasn’t been a problem. I don’t know how much longer that will last.
I find myself more inclined to spend money for convenience these days so I don't blame you a bit. Now you will have some extra garage space to fill up with other things.
I guess I'm a male. I think the perfect bikini is none at all. I don't need a recipe.
Me too...my brain coddles up lots of strange sounding things that make me slow down and read more carefully. I like the bikini without a recipe. Good choice of tire storage that will ease your back. I am glad you can get hearing aids, as the people around you most appreciate that you can hear what they want to say to you!
Yeah. We have three vehicles at present - his, hers and the grandkid's in storage for the end of snow. So, two sets to change. JG used to do it, but we now pay. So, yeah.
I am afraid to add up all the age-appropriate add ons. Too damn discouraging.
I used to change my winter/summer tires by myself...not anymore. You made the right choice.
I am very familiar with leverage and that bounce then trying to control it to roll it to my storage area. Our places don't offer that because not enough of us have winter tires. It's a great milestone to have the regular tires put back on! Will that cause a snowstorm?
Sounds good to store the tires. If it's indoor storage, the tire should last longer. One time I had to buy new tires on my car that lived outdoors. The morning and evening sun eventually cause a type of crazing or cracking on the sidewalls. Had to change my tires for safety! I wish studded tires were permitted in K.C. 8-9" snow storms aren't fun. Linda in Kansas
You and I , my friend, are twins on both of these things!
Another benefit that may soothe the sting of the cost is that you will now have more space in the garage to store some new doo-dads you can buy. 😜
PipeTobacco
Hopefully you don't wind up regretting it with a major snowstorm.
We made that decision 3 or 4 years ago.. Now we pay for lawn-mowing and snow clearance too. And don't bother checking the cost of power wheelchair! Thank God for good insurance.
I do that too often. I read the word I want to see, not the word that is there.
Join the club. I have a deteriorating brain too so I hope people will forgive me when I write the wrong thing on comments or on my blog posts.
I once read pancakes as horses (pannenkoeken and paarden in Dutch), so you are not alone in that regard.
But if the tyres you have on now are all season ones, why not leave them on the whole year through?
@Mara: That's what they're called, and they work for all seasons in much of the world, but our winters are special. 😎
I think that's a smart thing to do. We don't have enough snow around here to require snow tires and the switcheroo. :-)
Years ago, I can remember having snow tires on my car when I lived in NJ and was still living at my parent's home. Now, I can't recall how my father had all that room in his garage for storage. Oddly enough, we live in New England and do not use snow tires, but then we usually stay indoors until the roads are cleared. As you said, your winters are different and you seem to have more snow and for longer periods. Storing the snow tires off-site and not having to work at putting them away seems worth the cost.
We've been misreading things, too!
We've been watching curling, and the ad painted on the ice @worldcurling I read as @woodcurling, but JB read it as something different but similar.
Ain't old age grand? It is better than the alternative, however.
JB thought we should buy rims for both the winter and summer tires. Since I can't lift them with the rims, and said nope!
That's why I don't have hearing aids and have to say "what?" a lot and use closed caption as much as possible. ;)
Post a Comment