Dang…Being Frugal Cost Me Money

September 27, 2007 · Filed Under ·  

Filling CracksAs a frugal guy in training, yesterday was a setback for me. I have a large circular asphalt driveway at my house that needs to be re-sealed every few years. I noticed early this year that it was probably due to be re-sealed as some parts of the driveway were starting to fade and had some small cracks in it. But my frugal mind said, “Oh, I can get another year out of this driveway, no problem.” Bad decision, the 105 degree weather this summer cooked it really bad. Those small cracks turned into fairly good sized cracks and now instead of a routine re-seal which would have cost around $400, it needs a lot of prep work and crack filling that is going to end up costing me $565. Dang it!

This was a good learning experience, the hard way of course! Trying to stretch extra life out of products like your car, household stuff like your A/C unit and furnace, and your asphalt driveway is often going to cost you more money in the long run if not maintained properly.  I know that people often re-seal their own driveway, after this repair and re-seal I think I may look into doing it myself. Anybody out there ever done it themselves?

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Comments

4 Responses to “Dang…Being Frugal Cost Me Money”

  1. Hilda on September 27th, 2007 6:00 pm

    This is a really good example of those things where you have to spend money in order to save money.

  2. Kyle on September 28th, 2007 7:07 am

    Well said Hilda. I am currently trying to find that balance.

  3. Tish on October 1st, 2007 10:18 pm

    My driveway was repaved just before I bought the house a few months ago. It looked so nice, yet now I see a few cracks in it. I think I’ll look into having it resealed before I end up in the same situation as you! Good luck, Kyle!

  4. Kyle on October 2nd, 2007 7:35 am

    Tish - it does look really nice right after they do it, wish it stayed that way! Mine looks brand new now, but yeah we will see how long it lasts. I’d say if you already see small cracks you may have to have it resealed next year….owning a house is so expensive sometimes!!

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