Money Well Spent

Among the things you don't want to see next to the highway halfway into the 8-hour trip to see Boys#1,2, and 4:

Dead armadillos.

Nebraska fans.

This.

For some reason, when we were dating I had a run of bad luck with flat tires. Husband-to-Be changed four of them during the six months we were engaged, as I stood by wringing my hands and admiring his masculinity. Immediately after the wedding ceremony he decided he had had enough of that and we joined AAA. (That's the one for flat-tire-prone people, not the one for alcoholics.)

Since then we have paid $300 per year for the privilege of carrying this gold card, so over the course of 27 years that means we've spent approximately $8,100 on auto club membership.

As we sat waiting for the tow truck yesterday we counted the number of times we've used their service. Once when I had a full-leg cast after knee surgery and a flat tire at work. Once when Boy#3 was in the car with someone and the alternator went out. Once when Boy#2 was stranded with a group of friends and a non-starting car after a ballgame. Once when a friend locked her keys in the car.

So, since he is an accountant, during the hour we waited for roadside assistance we were able to calculate that each incident has cost approximately $1,600. And as the pickup shook every time a semi whizzed past, which was approximately eight times a second, we agreed:

Worth it.