People Are Jerks

You don't even really notice it...

I left my car in a Costco parking lot for about ten minutes the other day and came back to a gaping dent in the bumper. At first I thought I went to the wrong car, because my little silver hatchback can be easily confused with any other of the half dozen hatchback style cars out there right now... but no, the spot was mine, that was my license plat, that's my car with the fat dent.

My heart just sank. I bought this car in December brand new, not a scratch on it. Nine months to the day later and someone hits it, hard, and just drives off leaving me with an unmissable hole in my car. And as you can see, I'm not exaggerating the size of this dent. Sure it's in the bumper, probably the cheapest part to replace, and sure the bumper is meant to take a beating like that, but it's still going to cost me a grand to replace, money I just don't have right now and won't have for another month or two. Which means no new bed for my birthday, second year in a row, because something else came up. 

Because it happened in a Costco parking lot (which also had an IKEA and a Lowe's), and the size of the dent makes me think it was someone with an SUV or truck, I would find it very hard to believe that this person did not have the means to pay for the damage they caused. They probably didn't even look before driving away, just hit and run and hope no one saw or whoever did see won't say anything (which is exactly what happened in a rather busy Costco parking lot on a holiday weekend afternoon), but if they had looked they'd have seen a very new, very economy car with a dent that will most certainly not be missed. 

Earlier that morning I took my car in for an oil change, tire rotation and wash at the dealership, taking care of it after a grueling road trip of over 2,000 miles. And the universe repaid my little car with a rear-ending. It's a day later and I'm still fuming mad over it (if that's not coming through already). My insurance deductible is $1,000 so I'll be footing this bill myself, unless it happens to cost more than that, which I kind of doubt. 

Oh yeah, and they scratched the fuck out of it, too. Real nice.

I suppose I am lucky that my car wasn't hit hard enough to push it into the truck my car was facing in its parking spot, and this asshat didn't cause more damage. And I suppose I'm somewhat lucky that I wasn't in the car to experience whiplash and have neck or back pain for days or weeks, still without insurance, and still not be able to catch who did it. But those are very small condolences.

In my anger and frustration at whoever was so irresponsible to put that big of a dent in a car without leaving a note, I made a post to Reddit asking people to please be responsible when driving; if you're on the phone or not paying attention or speeding or whatever, just take responsibility for when you fuck up and don't leave someone else to clean up your mistake. The response I got was not supportive (though maybe that's my fault for expecting support from the internet)... one person even said they wouldn't claim responsibility because the person would just say the damage was worse than it was and try to fuck him over. So, whoever this is would just drive around, hit other cars, and leave them to deal with it, because he has a life savings that he worked hard for and he's not going to let anyone take it from him. It'd be nice if I had a savings to take from to pay for this... but now I'll just have more debt instead. I'm not letting this dented bumper sit until I have the money - I promised I'd take better care of this car and I will. It's not my fault I have this new expense considering I wasn't even in the car when it happened, but now it's my responsibility to keep my new car looking and running the best it can.

Thanks, society. I was just starting to say nice things about you, too.

Ikea: The Wonderland

There are certain establishments I should not be allowed into because of the amount of money I spend there unnecessarily. Ikea tops this list (followed closely by Costco and Target). Every time anyone goes into Ikea for one or two things he or she comes back out with a car load of cheap goodies.

But the reason we drop hundreds in Ikea is simply because it's fantastic. Here are 10 reasons Ikea is so amazing:

10. Bulk Value: Ikea sells items Costco-style: in bulk and for cheap. You can get a complete set of silverware for $3.49, 6 wine glasses for $5 and 100 tea lights for $4.

9. Single Item Value: Even their singular items are cheap! A stylish wood dish rack was $4, a glass pitcher was $1.29 and plates are around $1 each.

8. Mix and Match Goodness: Ikea makes matching designs and colors to coordinate your house, or you can "design" your own style with the wide range of colors and finishes they offer. You can find an Ikea style that fits what you already own.

7. Food: Swedish meatballs. For breakfast, lunch and dinner!

6. Everything Fits Into A Compact Car: Literally everything you just bought. Including the bed. And the dresser. Oh, and the palm tree and lamp.

5. Product Look-Up Computer Terminals: The warehouses have strategically placed computer terminals and catalogues so shoppers can search for the exact location of that one elusive item.

4. Warehouse Set-Up: Everything in Ikea is set up in a home-like situation. The first floor is the "design center" where you walk through the various "rooms" to get ideas of what you want your kitchen/bedroom/bathroom/living room to look like. They keep all of the price tags on their items so you can also get a good idea of how much your dream room will cost.

3. Craigslist: Just search for "Ikea" and set your price range. Almost anything that can be bought new in Ikea can be bought used at half price or cheaper on craigslist.org. I love my $100 used couch (down from $400), and I bought a brand new cover for it in red. It's still super comfy!

2. The Ikea Website: Buy anything and have it shipped to your door if you'd rather not stuff a bed and dresser and desk and TV stand into your hatchback. The website has a feature called "Asking Anna" in which you can ask an employee product related questions.

1. Self Checkout Discount: Just as it's nearly impossible to get out of Ikea with only what you went in for, it's also nearly impossible to scan everything correctly at the Self Checkout Lanes. If you're spending hundreds of dollars to buy dozens of home goods you inevitably forget to scan an item or bring home an item that didn't register the scan. My boyfriend recently tried to return a paper towel rack he apparently never even paid for! Since no one checks the carts or the registers honest mistakes (and deliberate theft) can and do happen.