My new ride.
First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for their comments, tweets and emails about my search for a bicycle. The response from both the personal finance community and my local cycling community has been phenomenal. Because of your suggestions, I ended up visiting a few local bike specialty shops and made a purchase with confidence that I was buying the right bike.
So what did I buy? A 2014 Kona Coco. It’s got a light, aluminum step-through frame (check, check), lighter tires (check) and nine speeds (check). In case you aren’t keeping score, that’s everything on my need list. It also has fenders and a bell, so I also got to check off two wants as well.
I’ll need to purchase a few things for it: a rear rack, a basket, a mirror and lights, but there’s no rush for those things. I can purchase those items slowly over the summer. I’ll probably also eventually replace the saddle, which isn’t that comfortable, but that’s low on the priority list.
I’m sure you’re wondering how much I spent. Since this was last year’s model, it was discounted about 20%, which helped it stay within my budget. Just barely, but it did. I count that as a win! I also got the chance to have it fitted by the folks at the cycle shop, which was an interesting experience.
Overall I’m very happy with my purchase. It rides like a dream, and I know that this is my five-year (or maybe forever?) bike. But enough about that, let’s move on to the wins and losses of the week.
Big Wins This Week
I’m home, which means I’m getting back into my routine of waking up at 5:50am and writing first thing in the morning. I had lost the habit of this while I was away for work, and I knew that this week would be “do or die” for this habit. Either I go right back to it or I give it up forever. Fortunately, I’m back on track with getting up early. I’m also back to meditating and running, so I feel like my life is back under control again.
Big Losses This Week
Shelling out money for my new bike is my biggest loss this week. Even though I have the money in the bank to pay for it, I’ve still had a bit of a hard time spending this money on myself. I’ve spent thousands more than this on things like travel, but travel is a different animal because it’s something my husband and I enjoy together. This bike, this is just for me. I’m paying for it with money I earned from side hustling, and it’s only mine. I think it’s a healthy step for me, but I’m not going to deny that it feels…strange.
Content I Enjoyed This Week
I’ve been bad with reading blogs this week, so I don’t have anything to write here. Instead of randomly grabbing articles from the internet, I’m going to leave it blank.
This isn’t technically content, but I’m currently in love with this condo. I can totally see the potential for a new kitchen and some character touches. The building itself is from the 1850’s, but the unit looks like it’s from the 90’s. We could change that! Maybe some day.