feedtheartist

As part of our adaptation to our “frugal” lifestyle, we are selling our SUV.  It is finally paid off to the point where we can realistically sell it.  Our friend said Carmax gave him a good price, so we decided to check it out.

Our SUV is in good to excellent condition.  We owe $12,100.  Trade in value showed as $11,500, private party as $12,500.  Before going in, I checked to see what Carmax was selling similar year/make/model/mileage for: $15,700.

We expected the offer there to be a little low, but we were willing to let it go as long as it was close enough to the pay off amount.  We need to get rid of the payment before we can’t keep up with it.  Dealing with Craigslist scammers was getting old, and we were going to have to pay to post it elsewhere anyway.

The salesman was nice enough, and the appraisal took less than 20 minutes.  We took a short walk in their lot to see what the cars were listed at, and saw several that would be the same or less new.

Unfortunately, the amount provided was unrealistically low: $9,000.  He briefly tried to justify it with “we will probably only sell it for around $11,000.”  I am not a big fan of being lied to, so my reply was “that’s not exactly true.”  We left without any overcoming objections.

I can see how it would be worth it to some not to have to deal with buyers directly, or deal with high pressure sales.  I think their price is too steep for that luxury.

Oh, the wonders of a bidet.  This is something I wish I discovered earlier in life.  It would have been especially nice after giving birth to my son, but that is what catalyzed the life changing installation.

We decided to cloth diaper our son, and went with a spray bidet because it looked better constructed than diaper sprayers.  In the end they are both sink sprayers that mount on the side of the toilet tank.

We purchased a Mini-Shower – Bidet & Multi-Use Hand Held Sprayer from Amazon.  The so-called bidet begged to be tried.  I mean, being domesticated into average American families, neither of us had experience with one of these mystical contraptions.

The second bathroom suddenly became the more popular potty destination.  We eventually admitted to enjoying the bidet, and decided to go with something more elegant.  It was time to stop sending a spray of water up the wall.

The resulting purchase was a Blue Bidet Bidet BB-2000: Dual Nozzle Room Temperature Water bidet.  We were already using cloth wipes for our son (Fuzzi Bunz Wonder Wipes, 10 Pack to be precise), so we just started using those on ourselves to dry off.  We are planning to go to designated hand towels instead.  The wipes are more for wiping, not patting dry.

I can truthfully say I have not used toilet paper since it was installed.  I will when I go back to work from leave, and that makes me sad.  The bidet actually cleans your parts, and as a result you feel clean all day.  When I wake up in the morning, I feel less not-as-fresh before my shower than I did before.

You would not think a stream of water to the butt could be described as “life changing,” or maybe you can, but it is.  We have failed to articulate how classy and clean it makes you feel to family, friends and co-workers.  Many people seem to think it is dirty, which is funny to me.  Why would you want to stick your hand down there and wipe with a handful of paper when you can give yourself a mini shower every time?  The toilet paper lobby must be good at its job.

Aside from the cleanliness factor, a bidet saves money and it’s green.  We were never shy with the quantity of toilet paper used, so we easily save over $100 per year.  Being “green” is not one of our hobbies, but we keep finding these options to be preferable to a disposable lifestyle.

I did not have a bidet when I was bleeding for six weeks after giving birth, and I really wish I had.  It beats a squeeze bottle any day.  For any woman about to have a baby, get one.  Don’t think about, just get one; you won’t regret it.