Back when I first got my 1969 Camaro, I bought a manila folder. In that folder I kept every receipt for every purchase I made for that car. If it was something I paid by cash or check, I scribbled the sum on a piece of paper and put it in the folder. I've kept this folder all these years, since getting the car back in 1996. Recently, while visiting my parents, finding the last of my stuff up on the shelf in my closet, I came across this folder and put it among the stuff I'd take home with me. That has been several weeks now, and the folder had sat atop my chest of drawers ever since.
As I began to thumb throught the folder, I realized something, what's the point? So here I sit, shredding about a 2 inch tall pile of receipts. Perhaps one of the least appealing parts of being an auto enthusiast is the amount of money that you put into your hobby. I once added up the total of all these receipts, though it has been some years, and I can't even guess how far along the car was, or whether it was on the road at the time. I do recall that the total was in the mid $20,000 range, and I knew I still had money to spend. Today, that same car sits in the garage, nothing more than a shell with a 12 point cage in it, and several thousand dollars away from being road worthy again. This time around, I'm not keeping track, I'm simply gonna spend what needs to be spent, and never have the agony of looking back at how much it cost. This shredder is about to get one helluva workout.
