Nineteen months of car costs, every receipt
Gas, repairs, insurance and three registrations since March 2025. What each of our vehicles cost per mile, and the one that surprised me.
Starting a car fund for the next van: $250 a month
No payment on the next vehicle, if we can help it. Where the $250 comes from, where it sits and how long it takes to reach $15,000.
What we still watch after eight months of Garrett driving
Miles, gas money, the app score and the phone rule. What we check each month now, what we stopped checking and why.
We're keeping the Sienna one more winter
At 205,000 miles the van owes us nothing. The repair math against a car payment, and the three things that would change our minds.
Roadside help after the starter: add-on or club?
July's tow was covered by a $16-a-year line on our policy. How it compared with a $79 club membership, and what we kept for three cars.
A clunk, a squeal and $447 for the Civic
Sway bar links and rear brakes on Garrett's car. Which part I did in the garage, which part the shop did, and how we split the bill.
Rotating tires in the driveway every 6,000 miles
A breaker bar, a floor jack and a chalk pattern on the garage floor. Why I bother, what it costs a shop and how long ours last.
Back to school with two drivers in the house
Garrett drives Lainey in the Civic now. What that did to the van's miles, our gas bill and Tina's mornings in the first two weeks.
Six months licensed: Garrett's passenger rule changes
In Missouri the one-passenger limit loosens after six months. What the law allows now, what we allow and how we talked about it.
Three extended warranty quotes for our truck
$2,870 for 36 months with a $100 deductible. What the contracts left out, and why we put $80 a month into a repair fund instead.
Garrett's first drive home in a hard rain at night
His closing shift at the grocery store ended in a July storm. What he did right, what he told me later and the wipers we replaced next day.
A dead starter 40 miles from home: $312 and a tow
The van clicked and quit at a gas station in Cameron. The tow, the shop that took us in and what the day cost before supper.
Garrett's parking-lot scrape: $640 we paid ourselves
A light pole, a rear bumper and a call home at 8 p.m. Why we didn't file a claim and how Garrett is paying his half of the fix.
What a newer minivan would cost us now
I priced 2019 and 2020 vans at three lots in St. Joseph and Kansas City. The sticker prices, the fees and why we closed the laptop.
A long weekend at Lake of the Ozarks: $68 in gas
446 miles round trip in the van, a rented cabin split with Tina's sister and a cooler that did most of the work. The whole receipt.
Transmission shudder in the Silverado: a $289 fix
A shake at 45 mph that felt like rumble strips. Why the shop tried a fluid exchange first and what we'll watch for next.
A driving-score app for 90 days: what it saved us
Our insurer's app tracked Garrett's braking, speed and phone use. What it flagged, what the discount came to and the argument it started.
Selling my dad's 1998 Ranger for $2,450
Dad is 75 and done with a stick shift. Photos, the listing, nine messages and one cash buyer. How we sold an old truck without a dealer.
Garrett's first oil change on his own car
He did the work and I handed him tools. Four quarts, one filter, $32 and an hour, plus the drain plug lesson he won't forget.
Should we sell the Silverado at 145,000 miles?
A neighbor asked if the truck was for sale. Private-party numbers, what a replacement would cost and why I didn't take his offer.
Gas hit $3.29, so I started carpooling twice a week
A coworker lives six blocks away and works my shift. What sharing the drive saves us a month and the two rules that keep it friendly.
A shop bill line by line: $918 for the Civic's struts
Garrett's car bounced like a boat. Parts, labor hours, shop supplies and the alignment: reading a repair estimate as a non-mechanic.
Dropping collision on a 15-year-old minivan
The Sienna is worth about $4,800 and collision cost us $412 a year with a $500 deductible. How I ran the numbers before we dropped it.
Garrett's first month with a license
The curfew, the one-passenger rule and three rules of our own. What went fine, one phone call at 11:40 p.m. and what we changed.
The Sienna turns 200,000 miles
Original engine, original transmission, its third set of tires and a cake Lainey insisted on. Everything we've replaced since 2016.
Good student discount: what Garrett's 3.4 GPA saved us
One report card emailed to our agent took $164 off each six-month bill. The other discounts I asked about and what they were worth.
The ice storm and a $386 four-wheel-drive repair
When I needed 4WD in the January ice, the truck wouldn't engage it. The actuator, the diagnosis fee and why it waited until February.
Driving Valentine's deliveries for Tina's flower shop
61 bouquets, 118 miles in the van and one very nervous dad carrying roses. A florist's busiest day from the driver's seat.
Adding a 16-year-old to our car insurance: +$1,140
The six-month bill went from $1,240 to $2,380 the day Garrett got his license. The quote, the line items and what we changed.
Garrett turned 16, and his driving test is Thursday
Ten months on a permit, 40 logged hours and a test at the exam station. How we got ready, including the parallel park we did 30 times.
Starting two old vehicles at 6 below zero
The January cold snap tested every battery we own. What started, what didn't, the $164 battery for the van and our cold-morning routine.
Our 2025 gas bill for three vehicles: $3,604
Every fill-up since March in one notebook. Gas per vehicle, per mile and per month, and the month that cost the most.
Titling Garrett's $6,400 Civic at the license office
Signed title, bill of sale, a safety inspection and proof of insurance, then sales tax. What the Missouri paperwork cost us in December.
Garrett's Civic, first weekend: fluids, wipers and $74
Before it ever went to school, we changed the oil, checked every fluid, put on new wipers and found the bulb that was out.
We bought Garrett a 2012 Civic with 142,000 miles
$6,400 cash from a retired couple in Savannah, Missouri. What we checked, what we negotiated and every dollar Garrett put in.
Thanksgiving in Lincoln, Nebraska on $61 of gas
Three hours up I-29 and across in the van, four of us and a pie on Tina's lap. What the holiday drive cost and where we stopped.
The $125 inspection that talked us out of a Corolla
A clean 2010 Corolla, a nice seller and a mechanic who found an oil leak at the rear main seal. Why we pay for an inspection every time.
We hit a deer on Highway 36: $3,860 in damage
A week into our new policy, a doe came out of the ditch at 6:10 a.m. The bumper, grille and headlight, and the claim so far.
We switched car insurers: $1,396 to $1,092
Same two vehicles, same coverage, same deductibles. Why we moved for $304 every six months and what I double-checked before signing.
Deer season and my 6 a.m. drive to work
Fall is when deer and cars meet around here. How I drive the dark commute out Highway 36 in October and November, and what I watch for.
Getting two old vehicles ready for winter for $118
Wipers, a battery test, antifreeze strength, tire pressure and the ice scraper hunt. Our October list before the first hard freeze.
Our fall renewal went up again, so I called an agent
$1,308 became $1,396. Three quotes from an independent agent in town, what I had ready before the call and how close the numbers came.
Shopping for a first car: 23 listings, 4 phone calls
Online listings, a sign in a window on Frederick Avenue and a coworker's cousin. How we search for a cheap used car and what we skip.
DIY or shop? The three questions I ask first
Do I have the tools, can the car sit for a weekend, and what happens if I'm wrong. How I decide, with five recent jobs as examples.
Garrett's first merge onto I-29
Six months into his permit, we tried the interstate on a Sunday morning. The on-ramp, the speed, the semi and what we practiced first.
Reading our auto declarations page line by line
Coverages, limits, deductibles and two small add-ons I'd forgotten we pay for. What each line on our policy page means for us.
Cleaning out a garage nobody had touched since 2019
Two Saturdays, one $40 landfill run and a pegboard wall. How I got enough room back to work on a car with the garage door shut.
How many miles the school year adds to the van
Two schools, volleyball practice, a mowing route and church. I tracked August's miles and what the extra driving costs us a month.
Silverado water pump at 137,000 miles: $612 at a shop
A sweet smell, a drip under the front and a temperature gauge that moved. Why I let a shop do it and what the bill broke down to.
Setting a budget for Garrett's first car: $6,500
Garrett has $2,300 saved from mowing. How we decided on a total, who pays what, and why we said no to anything that comes with a payment.
Does a permit driver go on our car policy? I called
Garrett had been driving for four months before I thought to ask. What our agent said about learner's permits and when the bill changes.
Fixing the van's sliding door cable for $86
The passenger sliding door quit in a grocery store parking lot. Two months of opening it by hand, then a video, a cable and a Saturday.
Night driving hours, the part of the log we put off
Ten of Garrett's 40 hours have to be after dark. Country roads, the Belt Highway at 9 p.m. and what scared me more than it scared him.
A Royals game day trip from St. Joe for $163
An hour down I-29 to Kansas City, $20 parking, four tickets and a cooler in the van. What a summer ballgame cost the four of us.
The Sienna's AC quit in June: $1,140 for a compressor
93 degrees, Missouri humidity and warm air out of the vents. Why we paid a shop for this one and didn't try it in the driveway.
Cabin and engine air filters: $31 and 15 minutes
Both vehicles were overdue, and the cabin filter in the van looked like a bird's nest. Where they hide and what a shop would charge.
Raising our liability limits cost $54 every six months
Missouri's minimum is 25/50/25. Why we moved to 100/300/100 after a talk with our agent, and why it cost far less than I expected.
What our two old vehicles are actually worth
I priced the Sienna and the Silverado on three valuation sites and asked a dealer. Trade-in, private party and the number that matters.
Filling a 40-hour driving log with a 15-year-old
Missouri wants 40 supervised hours, 10 of them at night, before an intermediate license. Our notebook system and where we practice.
A check engine light, a free code read and a $19 gas cap
The van's light came on the morning after a fill-up. How a free scan at the parts store and a new gas cap saved a $150 diagnostic.
What a 22-mile commute costs in a V8 pickup
Our Silverado averages about 16 mpg on my drive across St. Joseph and back. The math per day, per month and per year at $2.89 a gallon.
Front brakes on the Sienna for $142 in parts
The shop quoted $489 for pads and rotors. One Saturday, a borrowed torque wrench and my dad in a lawn chair. What it took and cost.
Our spring car insurance renewal went up $186
Two vehicles, two adult drivers, no claims, and the six-month premium still went from $1,068 to $1,254. What I asked and what I learned.
An oil change on a 2014 Silverado: 8 quarts and $46
The quick-lube place wanted $94 for synthetic. The oil, the filter, my drain pan routine and the one bolt I always check twice.
Garrett passed his permit test on the second try
25 questions at the Highway Patrol exam station, one bad guess about following distance and a return trip a week later. How it went.
Hello from a cold garage in St. Joseph, Missouri
Two high-mileage vehicles, a 15-year-old about to drive and a dad who isn't a mechanic. Who we are and why I'm keeping this log.