On spending and saving

This is my very first WBB post (kind of a dream come true for me), so please be gentle.

Two quick consumerism-ish thoughts for you:

1) This seems like as inane a way as any to waste about $177 thou. If you ever see me shelling out six figures for something that doesn't have a doorbell, four tires or a lido deck, please feel free to slap me on the head with a fish - it doesn't even have to be a tuna.

2) I've figured out a great way to save money on a Weber grill. Follow these instructions and see if they work for you:

• Go to your nearest Home Depot and proceed directly to the "special services" counter.
• Get in line behind a 70-year-old dude who keeps changing his mind about how many 50-pound bags of sand he wants to buy. And then talks it over with his wife. And changes his mind some more. For like 35 minutes.
• Have a young woman stand in line behind you. Be sure she's in a rush so that when the 70-year-old dude takes 35 minutes to order his sand, the woman asks to speak with a store manager and then - when the store manager decides not to come to her rescue - she yells that Home Depot has lost her business! and storms out of the store.
• Proceed to the counter and smile politely as the clerk - without prompting - offers you a 10 percent discount on your grill and accessories as a thank-you for your patience. (On Weber's entry-level propane grill, that's about a $40 savings.)
• Order the grill and request Home Depot's free grill assembly service. Plan to pick up the assembled grill the next day.
• Show up the next day and find out that the grill has not been assembled.
• Smile politely as the clerk - again without prompting - offers to refund another $20 to your credit card for the inconvenience. And then, for some reason, actually refunds $21.95.

Six simple steps and more than $60 in savings. Think of it as my new year's gift to you.

Cars, cars, cars

I recently decided to nickname my car--a trusty 1997 Buick Century--Agnes, because it's sturdy and also because it sort of looks like a lunch lady. Agnes is almost at the 100k mark--just about 200 miles away--but she's still soldiering on.

Although I plan to drive Agnes for quite a bit longer, I've recently had to come to terms with the fact that one day Rob and I will either need to replace Agnes or at least have a trusty second vehicle on hand. Also, although I love Agnes' reliability, she's a bit large, and I feel kind of like I'm driving a boat.

Anyway, I thought this article from Forbes was pretty cool--it lists 10 frugal new car picks. I've always been more of a used-car gal, but I admit that I'm kind of into the new sub-compacts, and these cars certainly provide a lot of bang for the buck.