Do you have a back up plan?
@lookatdesktop (27132)
Dallas, Texas
April 11, 2017 10:19am CST
Do you have a back up plan for things that might go south?
One good thing is to be prepared for the worst but hope for the best.
For me, I am facing the possibility of not passing State Inspection for emissions.
The problem is, I can't be certain, but do I have a back up plan just in case our car fails State Inspection? No!
I used to own several cars, not just ONE.
But, the expense of keeping two old Cadillac cars insured and running like new was too much. We chose to keep the '95 Seville and sell the '87 Deville even though the '87 Deville was running like new and the only problem with it was it needed a bolt to hold down the slider under the right side of the front bench seat to the floor board. That was really the only problem it had. The tires were brand new, and the water pump had been replaced for a new one, and the spark plugs, wires and hoses and belts were all new. It had a brand new Pioneer in dash car stereo and new speakers that were as good as it gets for music on the go.
If I had kept that second Caddy I would have spent, by now, enough to purchase a 6,000 dollar used car but of course, you don't think this way when you are driving a car you have become attached to, like a pet or a metal family member.
Do you have a back up plan, just in case your car or your pick up truck breaks down at the credit union from a busted upper heater hose? Do you just sit there and mope? Or do you take action. Get help and even if you may not even have triple A or Allstate Roadside advantage, you do have a cell phone right?
I mean, if you were stuck with steam coming up from the top of your radiator and your engine's coolant temperature going up to 160 degrees? I know of just such a situation. I called my brother yesterday and he told me he had to get off the phone because there was an important emergency phone call he had to get to. I hung up thinking he was lying but he called back moments later and told me our good friend was broke down off I-75, aka Central Expressway with a busted radiator hose.
I jumped to conclusions right away. Thinking the worse. Your truck is broke down on the interstate during rush hour? What a bummer!
He managed to find a pocket knife, while waiting in the parking lot, he was not on the freeway, stuck in heavy traffic. He had the foresight to get off the expressway and get to the parking lot just a block away, while the steam rolled off the radiator and up from his hood.
He cut off the torn portion of radiator hose, managed to obtain an extra hose clamp, he had in his tool box, Yea. He had a back up plan. He is the type of person who carries his tools with him on the road, with some minor provisions. His back up plan was, his sharp bladed knife, extra pair of vice grips, hose clamps and the Red Green recommended thing we all need to have handy, Silver Duct Tape!
He got home with time to spare. But, had to lose a few days pay so he could go get a new upper hose and coolant along with additive to stop a possible head gasket leak, that is, if it happened to occur from the temporary overheating while driving home with the radiator cap on loosely so as to release the extra pressure cause the hose was not on as tight as it should be due to him not having exactly all the tools and extras in his tool box.
Now I know to go buy extra hoses, belts, clamps, Coolant and pliers and a slotted screwdriver not to mention SILVER DUCT TAPE. and pack it all away in the Caddy's trunk, just so I have it in an emergency. Yea. I will certainly have a BACK UP PLAN.
Do you have a back up plan for when the next unexpected bummer when the SHTF?
This was not a major emergency but what about those major ones? Here is a link to help you get prepared for the unexpected:
![](http://img.mylot.com/110x110/2865886.png)
Skip to main content Navigation × Close Navigation Enter Search Term(s): Search × Close Search Enter Search Term(s): Languages × Close Languages Skip Secondary Nav Main Content A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:Reco
6 people like this
5 responses
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
11 Apr 17
I try to cover all avenues. I like to be prepared and not left hanging. But things are not always in our hands. Mishaps happens. ![](/Content/images/emotes/silly.gif)
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@lookatdesktop (27132)
• Dallas, Texas
11 Apr 17
Stuff like Floods, tornadoes and diseases and such, yea. Nobody is really prepared for those.
1 person likes this
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
11 Apr 17
@lookatdesktop Even preparations fall short in those cases. We can't predict them properly
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@Brittnyrose (1444)
• Aberdeen, North Carolina
11 Apr 17
No matter what I always try to have a back up plan. No matter what the situation is its always good to have back up plan.
1 person likes this
@lookatdesktop (27132)
• Dallas, Texas
11 Apr 17
That is the reason I made this discussion and glad to hear that you are prepared. That is always best. Many simply do not plan ahead and suffer from the consequences.
1 person likes this
@Brittnyrose (1444)
• Aberdeen, North Carolina
11 Apr 17
@lookatdesktop I've suffered once and trust me that how I learned. Now. I try to stay ahead.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (176745)
• United States
11 Apr 17
Not really, if my car doesn't pass inspection or it will cost too much to repair it. I will look into getting another.
1 person likes this
@lookatdesktop (27132)
• Dallas, Texas
11 Apr 17
If I only had that option. It would take too long to save for a new one since I am flat broke. I can manage with public transportation but I got friends who know about cars and hopefully if it don't pass, I can get a few things tweeked to get it to pass one more year. 1995 is pretty close to antique.
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
11 Apr 17
I always have a back up plan in anything i do and I won't be ashamed to to confess that I am a "prepper" even before the internet had a name to what I do and how I think.
1 person likes this
@lookatdesktop (27132)
• Dallas, Texas
11 Apr 17
That is very sensible. I think I should do more to plan ahead because I see others in panic mode while I try to calm them down but it often fails. When I am in panic mode, I too have trouble with other people's practical advice at the time of an event that catches me off guard such as being late for Jury duty because I forgot my bus voucher and did not have enough for bus fare. I don't want this to happen to me ever. It's just a worst case scenario.
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