Comments on: The Pickup Truck Theory of Life

By: J. Money

J. Money — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:00:37 +0000

Thanks again for helping me out with a guest post, Donna! And for the baby gift too! That crazy ol’ pillow dude is hilarious, haha… will send you a pic once he’s old enough to play with it :)

By: Julie @ Freedom 48

Julie @ Freedom 48 — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 03:34:15 +0000

So true! Over the years we have done a lot of home renovations, and we have found the Home Depot tool rentals to be most valuable. We’ve rented (for 4hrs or a day) ladders, wheelbarrows, floor sanders, tile saws etc. etc. We spend a small amount on the rental, and save ourselves tons of money by not purchasing the tool (not to mention having to store it when we’re not using it). Unless it’s going to be something that you use all the time – rent it or borrow it!

By: Mr. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies

Mr. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:45:32 +0000

I love this idea-it forms stronger community bonds; so long as nobody takes advantage of the guy with the tool/truck/etc.

Always happy to loan somebody my jeep or powersaw or whatever…I’m less inclined to loan out my time to help them with the project though!

By: Jenna, Adaptu Community Manager

Jenna, Adaptu Community Manager — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:33:13 +0000

I love the reciprocate part of this post. I like having things to be able to bless people, have a house for visitors, a car to take friends skiing, etc. But I really do appreciate it when my friends notice this and offer to help out with things. Just makes life so much easier. You don’t have to keep track of who has done what, but when people are blessing you it is so much easier to turn around and bless someone else.

By: LB

LB — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:58:52 +0000

My first real vehicle was a small truck. I loved that thing and it was very useful when I was moving since I had been on my own since the day I turned 18. I did get too many friend requests to help move their couches and crap so I started saying no to requests. Pizza and beer? All I got was “Thanks, can you move this box too”. I eventually sold it for that reason, but do miss it since I recently downsized from a station wagon to a hatchback. Oh well, my new little car can still haul a lot, trust me I am very creative, but don’t tell anyone. ;)

By: Miriam

Miriam — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:24:23 +0000

I bought my pickup back in ’04 with the knowledge that I would never buy another truck or trade it in. For me, it has proven its usefulness over the years as my family and I have made half a dozen moves that we didn’t need to borrow or rent a truck for, and we’ve helped several friends move. I just paid the truck off and I will never regret being the one that gets called on first “Hey, can you help me move?”

By: Clever Dude

Clever Dude — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:10:49 +0000

I own a truck and it’s paid off, so the reason of “getting out of debt” doesn’t play into getting rid of the truck. However, both sets of parents (including moms) strongly questioned my decision to get something other than a truck recently when I was looking to replace. Mainly because they grew up owning and/or loving trucks and can’t imagine not having one at home. However, I use my truck for something that an SUV or even small CUV can’t do maybe once a year. That’s about 6 times since I’ve owned it (really, though, one year I got a few tons of gravel dumped into it about 5 times, so it’s more like 11). But even then, I can have that stuff delivered.

After reading this post, I considered whether I should just sell the truck and recoup the equity I have left in it, but I would still need a vehicle (can’t be a one-car household in our situation), so that money would end up going to something else. May as well keep what I own and love and know. And honestly, I don’t get asked to help people move, even though I offer up my truck when I know people are moving. I think most of my friends tend to get professionals to do the work.

By: Serena @ Thrift Diving

Serena @ Thrift Diving — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:54:26 +0000

I use my new Odyssey for hauling home my thrift store scores and estate sales finds, and I couldn’t have made a better choice! Plus, it’s nifty for hauling kids and the mother-in-law all together when needed :)

Serena
Thrift Diving

By: Stan@ DebtsnTaxes

Stan@ DebtsnTaxes — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:41:03 +0000

I rent tools very rarely. I like to buy them instead, like my power washer. That thing gets used probably 100 times a year and renting one wouldn’t make financial sense. I can see the point behind renting if it is something that is rarely used, like a cement saw but everything I buy I make sure to think about how often it will be used, which helps with buyers remorse.

By: Joe @ Retire By 40

Joe @ Retire By 40 — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:40:55 +0000

We rarely need a truck and many time, we can get that big piece of furniture delivered.
I think borrowing or community renting is a great way to go. If you don’t use it often, it’s better to rent.