Hicktard Update - with opinion

From our very own lawnmowerman (because I am currently in the Windy City - and yes, it is windy. All these skyscrapers make for a lot of wind tunnels):

HickTard replaces a car; but not the crappy Metro that left him stranded at the office, oh, no; rather, his wife's clapped-out Escort.

HickTard buys a Tercel from a fellow church member.

HickTard's emergency fund is, yet again, depleted to zero.

It seems to me that HickTard has a car-related "emergency" every two months or so. Maybe I'm using an overly-strict definition, but I would say an emergency that happens that frequently isn't actually an emergency; it's an expense which can and should be anticipated. And yes, look: missing from HickTard's zero based budget is a line for "car maintenance/repairs". Maybe this is because his budgets all seem to be month-by-month affairs. He's focused on the now and has no visibility of the bigger picture; expenses which happen only sporadically are a perpetual surprise and source of his beloved drama.