There were three bills that were not covered in the bankruptcy. Two were 401k loans we took out that were related to the accidental business. We still have the loans. But we pay ourselves back. The other is the leased car we have. The car was leased at the advice of our attorney who assured us we would lose it if we purchased it outright. Actually, the only reason we got this car was that our other vehicle (the one we replaced) had an airbag issue and I wasn't about to let Polly drive a car with defective airbags. Otherwise, we would have still had that car.
Speaking of cars, our transportation situation is tentative. For three people working, we have one standard transmission car which Marty and I can skillfully drive. Polly is struggling with learning a stick shift. We also have the 2016 leased vehicle with limited mileage. Polly can drive that one. And does. I also do a fair bit of driving and as much as I like the standard transmission car, it sits low to the ground and manual transmission cars don't necessarily feel safe in heavy traffic. So, Polly and I share the good car. The true issue with the leased car is we are penalized if we go over our allotted miles per year. This wouldn't be an issue if we had a third car or a car Polly could safely drive the 1996 Camry--which she has successfully proven is not in her wheelhouse just yet. What we really need is: 1) Polly to learn to drive the manual so she can put miles on that one and 2) another vehicle.
These three bills (the two 401ks and the penalty for the additional mileage on the leased vehicle) are holdovers from our financial choices. With any luck (and a lot of real estate sales) I will be paying back the first of the two loans in the next couple of months. After that, comes the second loan. Then we save for another car. My personal goal is to have a third vehicle by April. We have calculated, it isn't feasible to keep the 401k loans and get a third car, for no other reason than our monthly insurance skyrockets and we will be cash strapped longer.
Of course, we could buy another car on payments right now. This week I was desperate enough to consider it. But getting another car sooner than later doesn't change a couple of realities. First, I can't guarantee I won't have a self-loathing issue if I have car payments, especially in light of why I have car payments. And second, it doesn't change the fact our monthly insurance bill will be higher than the monthly car payments. I can comfortably afford one, but not both. At this time, I realize we are stuck in our situation for a few more months. We have survived this issue since June. We can make it a bit longer.
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