Paying for the Peaks

One of the key components of avoiding wasteful spending is only paying for what you need when you need it. This flys in the face of American cultural convention. As discussed previously buying in bulk is a risky proposition. This does not only apply to food however. There is a strong tendency to load up on everything. Let's focus on the automotive expenses.

The average family has four members, requiring four seats. The roads however are filled with minivans, and massive SUVs that easily seat seven and eight. The average increase in cost per seat is around 30% (according to KBB). Generally the excess room only sees use during excursions with extended family. This means many families are paying up to 60% more for transportation that is rarely needed. Is the inconvenience of driving seperate vehicles worth this cost?

Maintenance also holds costs of over capacity. Would be shade tree mechanics often buy specialized tools, or set up shops that gleam with lack of use. The sad reality is that nearly all of the necessary tools are available to be checked out for free from local parts stores. Not only is the cost of buying these tools to be considered, but the space they require for storage also has a cost.

As an example a ball joint press can be purchased here for $115 and a ball joint separator here for an additional $18. Ball joints are typically only replaced, at most, once in the lifetime of a vehicle. In this case it makes no sense to lay out $133 for something that could be borrowed as needed for no cost at all.

Bulging three car garages and detached sheds are often built to house these unnecessary collections.