These past two days have been extremely eventful. With Tuesday and Wednesday being my days off and having Spring Break from classes, I took the opportunity to get a few things done. Tuesday I affected several car repairs as well as some dental repairs, and Wednesday I took the opportunity to visit my Dad.

I knew that once I purchased my car it was going to need new struts within a year. I had attempted to save up several times but it wasn't until my tax return came in did I have enough to get them fixed. I also had the problem of finding a good place to get them repaired. My dad's favorite mechanic has become unreliable as the owner had suffered several health problems. The shop I was using locally does good repair but their prices were too high. My supervisor(and good friend) at work who also lives in Lockport recommended Housel's Repair Station. At first I was skeptical but I looked into them. It turned out that their estimate for the repairs was almost $300 cheaper than my other shop. Given this I decided to take the chance. At first glance their shop is almost overlooked- they have no large sign stating who they are but upon close inspection you can see their name written on the wall. Their waiting area was typical for a small-time repair shop- somewhat dirty, chilly, and most of all empty. However there was a sign that stated that this place was voted "Best Auto Repair Shop" in Lockport for 2008. I had the feeling I came to the right place. Their work was quick and efficient- I waited only an hour for it to get done. While the car was raised up they noticed that I had a loose tie-rod. They offered to get that fixed with no extra charge for labor since the struts are in the same location. I agreed and it was all done at once. The mechanic said I could use an alignment later on and he was surprised when I told him it was only done a couple months ago at my dad's favorite mechanic. Needless to say when they did the alignment they failed to notice the loose tie-rod then. Good to know these guys spot all these things. It really is hard to find a good mechanic and I think I found one.

The dental work when much better this time around than the last time. Dr. Retell numbed me up much better and I only felt some discomfort. He filled 4 cavities on 3 teeth. Previously I had 2 cavities filled on 2 teeth and was supposed to have a third one done, but I couldn't stand it. The Novocaine wasn't strong enough so I had to quit while I was still coherent. This time around... oh man, was it better. So the plan is to finish up the top teeth and then get a crown for a root canal, and after that I'll have to get a crown for my front tooth. After all that, maybe I can spend a little on getting them whitened

Wednesday I spend most of the day with Dad. It was great- we got to talk a great deal and got a ton of plinkin' done. For those who might not know, plinkin' is the practice of shooting a .22 rifle at a bunch of targets. We had a blast with so many targets. My Dad fired a round of his high-powered .22 and blasted a pop bottle clear over the hill at the firing range. I also took the opportunity to take numerous shots at my final credit card.

With that I had the opportunity to discuss my plans to be debt-free. I never want to use a credit card again, and I never will. I've been following Dave Ramsey's plan. This guy is very smart and knows what he's talking about. He's inspired me to get off credit cards and pay only in cash and I know I can do it. I tried explaining this to my Dad and to my aunt, but they both said "you still need a credit card." I disagree, and there are thousands if not millions of people who are doing it right now. I hoped that I could inspire my Dad to do the same and at least he's open to the idea. I'm going to save up a little cash and buy him an mp3 player so he can listen to Dave Ramsey's show, as well as the audiobook lessons I picked up when I took the financial class last year.

And I'll leave you with a little scripture today. "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." - Proverbs 22:7

I will be a slave no more.