So, my wife wanted some pine straw....

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 11/13/2019 at 16:19 • Filed to: None

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The Outback was with my daughter for the day, I couldn’t put it in the rental, and the only thing left was my WRX.

The guy at the landscaping place thought I was joking when I told him to stack it on top. I was only going a couple of miles on back roads, so I didn’t feel the need to break out the cargo net. A few wraps with some cord and it was fine. Pine straw delivered and installed.

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 16:28

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Well done. We do what we must. When my daughter was in fourth grade, she and I went down to Garden Ridge and brought home a 7 ft Christmas tree that we  lashed part way into the trunk of my RX-8.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 16:28

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rent a truck!!!

Ash78, voting early and often > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 16:29

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I’m still torn on bales vs rolls. They say the rolls have 2.5 bales worth of straw, but I’m still skeptical. They are definitely less messy, but I still think they’re also less economical (the opposite of what you’d expect).

Half of my backyard is pine straw, so when you’re spending $100-$200 on it each year (plus 3-5 hours spreading) , you tend to think about it.

Well done on your transport!

Cash Rewards > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/13/2019 at 16:31

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Amateur.

Craigslist beater truck!

TheRealBicycleBuck > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/13/2019 at 16:31

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Obviously there was no need for a truck. :)

TheRealBicycleBuck > Chariotoflove 11/13/2019 at 16:32

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The landscaping guy said he’s lashed a bunch of Christmas trees onto cars, but never pine straw. I bet your daughter had a great time with that little adventure!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Ash78, voting early and often 11/13/2019 at 16:39

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Thanks! I just needed enough to deal with one large bed. There wasn’t time to mess around with which solution gave me more straw. There was a need, a short time frame, and limited options, so I did what needed to be done. I prefer the look of bark mulch, but my wife says the straw works better for our needs. If she were spending as much as you, I’d think seriously about a load of gravel instead. :)

TheRealBicycleBuck > Cash Rewards 11/13/2019 at 16:43

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And this is where I admit that I still have my old truck. It was put out to pasture when it couldn’t pass inspection. I wanted to make the repairs, but money was tight at the time and my wife was nagging me to get rid of it. I signed the title and told her to deal with it if she hated it so much. For some reason, it’s still sitting in the driveway.

Ash78, voting early and often > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 16:43

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Gravel d ifficulty: Kids’ play area :)

Pine straw is a pain, but on a slope it’s a fantastic erosion preventer and good general ground cover. As mulch, it technically sucks — doesn’t prevent weeds or retain water.

I liked pine bark for small beds, but after heavy rain it always washed away. Cypress mulch tends to hold its ground a little better. YMMV...gardening is full of potentially expensive mistakes.

wafflesnfalafel > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 16:49

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picturing a WRX flying down a back road at about 7 5 spraying pine needles then getting home, “hey, where did all my mulch go?”

Chariotoflove > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 16:50

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Oh yeah, anything that’s crazy and makes a good story she’s down for.

I’m a little worried about when she gets to college...

TheRealBicycleBuck > wafflesnfalafel 11/13/2019 at 16:51

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My first thought, too! That’s why I kept it under 45 mph. I was most concerned about the curves. It was  really tempting to step on the gas and carve a few corners, but there wasn’t much lateral support on the bales.

Under_Score > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 17:19

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What was the rental?

Boxer_4 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/13/2019 at 18:59

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Why?

TheRealBicycleBuck > Under_Score 11/13/2019 at 20:18

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The rental this time around is a Ford Edge. It’s getting close to swap time again, so there’s no telling what it will be next time around.

Cash Rewards > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 20:23

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I fought the Craigslist beater idea until my wife got sick of going to rent the home Depot truck and it’d be out. I love the thing more than I thought . I just did an O2 sensor to get it to pass emissions, I hope it works. Maybe you'll get yours back on the road one day

TheRealBicycleBuck > Cash Rewards 11/13/2019 at 20:54

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Maybe one day. I inherited a trailer which has been fine for most hauling duties, but since the Explorer was totaled, my only tow vehicle is the Outback. I may trade the trailer for one that has removable sides to make it a little more functional for hauling flat things.

It was custom built for hauling a small lawn tractor, but it was way overbuilt for that purpose. I can put flat things on top, but loading it that way is a bit awkward.

Under_Score > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/13/2019 at 21:52

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And why do you have these rentals?

TheRealBicycleBuck > Under_Score 11/14/2019 at 06:50

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I’ve been traveling for work for about 2 years now. I live close enough to Houston to drive instead of fly, so I get a rental, drive it until either it needs an oil change or something bad happens to it. Then I swap it out for something different. Here are a few of the things that happened over the last year....

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/picked-up-the-new-rental-today-it-is-big-1831528607

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/new-rental-1834047416

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/losing-faith-in-humanity-1834441044

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/downgrade-1834443948

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-latest-rental-truck-has-arrived-1836233007

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/here-we-go-again-1837658724

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/another-bad-day-in-houston-1838299990

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/goodbye-fiesta-1838606913

Under_Score > TheRealBicycleBuck 11/14/2019 at 08:21

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Wouldn’t it be cheaper to use your own car rather than keeping a rental for a while?

TheRealBicycleBuck > Under_Score 11/14/2019 at 09:10

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No .

I   put at least 2,500 miles a month on the rental . Those are miles not going on my WRX. While I’d get compensated about $1,400 a month if I used my own car , I’d have to take care of my own maintenance and the insurance claims (four so far: one windshield, one dent, two smashed side windows in two separate incidents ) would go against my personal insurance, not the company’s. That extra income would count against my taxes, although the company would “gross up” the costs to cover the increased taxes. The downside is that those are treated as income, further increasing the estimated family contribution   when my daughter starts college next year.

Sure, I have to swap vehicles once a month or so, but it’s worth it. Besides, I get to drive a variety of cars. So far, I’ve had two F-150s, a Silverado, three Challengers, two Maximas, a Fiesta (!), an Explorer, and several others so bland that I’ve forgotten them. Plus, I’ve racked up enough points for a couple of weeks of free rentals which I plan to use for vacations.