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<\/a>A few weeks ago I read an article on the CNBC website about Kakeibo<\/strong>.\u00a0 In case you think that’s a form of sushi, I’ll explain.\u00a0 Kakeibo roughly translates to \u201chousehold financial ledger.\u201d Invented in 1904 by a woman named Hani Motoko (notable for being Japan\u2019s first female journalist), kakeibo is a simple, no-frills approach to managing your finances.\u00a0 In essence, every purchase is made with thoughtfulness.\u00a0 If you practice it you will ask yourself several questions before buying anything – can I live without it?, can I afford it?, will I really use it?, etc.\u00a0 That seems like a lot of thought process to go through when buying toilet paper but it’s probably not a bad concept on anything more important…like that new pair of Manolo Blahniks.\u00a0 I’ve been practicing Ms. Motoko’s approach most of my life.\u00a0 As a struggling college student<\/strong> and then when I had my first job and apartment, eating a solid diet of bologna sandwiches prepares one for frugality.\u00a0 Which, in part, is why I seldom buy a new car.<\/p>\nMy current car, and Acura MDX,<\/strong> has been showing it’s age.\u00a0 Not the body or interior – that still looked pretty good.\u00a0 But the car was 9 years old which, from an electronics standpoint made it something out of the Pleistocene era.\u00a0 Every six months I would get an offer from Acura asking me if I wanted to update the nav system and I always declined.\u00a0 After all, I always carry my cell phone so I didn’t see the need.\u00a0 But my husband convinced me that I really needed a new car if we are going to go on any long trips this summer.\u00a0 God forbid, we would dirty up his BMW<\/strong> taking it anywhere.\u00a0 I decided to go back to the Lexus RX SUV, a car I’ve owned twice before.\u00a0 And here was a contributing factor:\u00a0 Lexus always has a great lounge with baked goods and coffee.<\/p>\n Our first venture into a dealer was our local one and the car salesman had all the traits of a Randy Quaid character<\/strong> – just the slightest bit sleazy.\u00a0 His attitude was “we sell a million of these so we don’t care if you buy one.”\u00a0 So we didn’t.\u00a0 Then we were lucky enough to have our friend Alfy take my husband to Superstition Springs Lexus<\/strong> to meet with Mark Dent.\u00a0 I instructed them to find me a silver car (because that’s really the most important thing about a car, right?) and sure enough they came home with a deal.\u00a0 I would have loved it if they’d just driven it home but nothing is ever that simple.\u00a0 Turns out I needed to be there to sign all the paperwork so, braced for the worst, over the weekend we made the 45 minute trip to pick up my new car.<\/p>\n A “swift” two and a half hours later we drove off the lot with our new purchase.\u00a0 We ran into trouble immediately upon entering the freeway because my husband said the steering wheel was shaking.<\/strong>\u00a0 He was certain that the tires were out of balance.\u00a0 Turns out, it’s the lane guidance system that alerts you when you’re veering out of your lane.\u00a0 OMG – I cannot thank Lexus enough for this.\u00a0 I now can focus on reading or knitting on long car trips, rather than watching for any “drifting”<\/strong> on the part of my driver.<\/p>\n All in all, it was a great experience and I love the car.\u00a0 But truth be told, they had me at the doughnuts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson A few weeks ago I read an article on the CNBC website about Kakeibo.\u00a0 In case you think that’s a form of sushi, I’ll explain.\u00a0 Kakeibo roughly translates to \u201chousehold financial ledger.\u201d Invented in 1904 by … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/img_0240-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>Right off I knew I’d like this place because they had a comfy lounge and…wait for it…doughnuts!\u00a0<\/strong> Ahhhhhh, that’s when I knew I was back at a Lexus dealer.\u00a0 Secondly, and probably more important, turns out that Mark Dent<\/strong> is one of the most likable car salesmen I’ve ever met.\u00a0 He’s actually just a really nice guy, regardless of profession.\u00a0 He even put the big red bow on my car, which was a fun touch.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/img_0247-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>When we got home I made sure that the “captains” chairs configuration in the second row would be suitable for our captain – Dash the Wonder Dog.\u00a0 <\/strong>After all, any road trip must include comfortable seating for his majesty. As you can see from the photo, he snuggled right in to his new ride.\u00a0 Last I saw him he was trying to learn the voice control system so he could request pee breaks and dog treats<\/strong> from the back seat.<\/p>\n