It seemed cool to me

I guess I never really thought about it before. I could not only get my towels, cat food, outdoor furniture, but also pick up a bottle of wine all at the same location.

Being in the bi-state region our groceries have been dominated by the 2 local players; Dierbergs and Schnucks. These two have such a stranglehold on the town that we have not seen the likes of a Super Target or Super Walmart around these parts. To go into a Town & Country Target (I am pronouncing it the fancy way now that I bought vino there) and seeing a merlot on the checklane endcap really threw me. So, I had to buy a bottle to along with all of the household items I was stocking up on.

What really gets me is the part that Target is so good at merchandising sections in their store. Yet, they have not done well with this section. It would be any old aisle, just this one had finely aged grapes. I would expect so much more from the fashion leader of mass-merchandising. How about dressing up the shelves a little? Bringing in some faux wood? Maybe to trite? Maybe...but I was very underwhelmed in this section. So much so that I just found a bottle with the red Target clearance sticker (also classy for wine) and got out there.

If target can get their merchandising together, could they be like Sam's Club? I think of them for decent to great bottles of wine. It's all in the merchandising...and I guess some awareness, as it took my until May 22, 2009 until I bought alcohol from Target.

ugh...time to buy a new car

A few years ago I thought it wise (and fun) to buy a Jeep Cherokee. I realized quickly that I am not a big-car guy. I didn't like the way is slurped gas (it was a record summer for gas prices at the time). I didn't like how long it took to cool down the inside of the SUV since the cool air had to flow all the way from the front of the cabin to the back storage area. I didn't like how when I played a sport and put my equipment back in the car that the stank would take over the entire SUV. There were some things I liked. I believe twice I was able to take curbs with no fear. And I think I used it twice to bring home a real Christmas Tree from the Meert Tree Farm. As you can see, the cons far out-weighed the pros.

So, I went smaller, nimbler. I leased an Altima. Back to my4-door sedan life. For the most part I love this car. It gets good gas mileage, it looks somewhat sporty (for a 4-door sedan), it is reliable and it has a concealed trunk. But...I leased it. Now I sit three months away from the end of the lease. The pains of buying (or leasing) are upon me again. First of all, how will Nissan bend me over to extract every last dollar in the end? New tires, fixing scrapes on the bumber, new floormat...they all add up. So, getting out of the car is going to cost me a couple hundred bucks. That is before I drop the first dime on a new(er) car for me to drive. Yes, I could just buy out the lease on the Altima. However, with auto prices dropping faster than gravity the residual value on my contract of the Altima is higher than the value of the car. Not to mention, it has 50,000 miles on it. But it is still reliable.

So, where to go from here? Drop $400+ a month on a nice car loan? Drop $600+ a month on a nicer car loan? Lease again and be ready for this same thing in 3 more years? Try to milk the poor car market for a good deal on a used car and cross my fingers I am not buying someone else's problems?

I need a car. I love the time I have in a car...my car. My music, my stuff where I want it. I am in control in my car. So public transportation is out of the question. Plus, I live / work off the commuter train route.

My heart tells me to go with a car that I would love to drive. Right now, that would be the Mini Cooper S. Put, I am not one who typically goes with his heart. I am more practical than that. Do I go with another Altima? It has been the best car I have ever owned. Maybe Altima 2.0 will be the same? Am I entering my mid-life crisis time? Do I need to get that sports car? A G37x? A Porsche? Too much of a heart/ego/look-at-me associated with those. Let's cross those off the list for now.

So, here I sit. Three months until I need to trade in my lease. I need to start looking at options, I needed to look at options beginning about a month ago. In reality I will not start looking until July. Will dealers continue to wheel-and-deal? Will I be able to get the deal that I want on the car that I want?

It is a necessary evil - buying a car. It is a huge decision for me. I love my car, I love it because it is my sanctuary, it plays my music, it goes my speed, it keeps me physically connected to the people and places that matter to me. So, who will join me in this journey?