How I Stopped The Grinch From Stealing My Christmas
December 21, 2018A few months ago, I got to travel to one of my favorite cities, San Diego, on business. Having lived in Kansas most of my life, I appreciate any opportunity to see the ocean and enjoy the warm weather, especially when things are getting cooler back home and a cold winter is just around the corner.
Navigating Southern California traffic
Although I’ve visited San Diego before, I’ve never driven in the city and I’m not familiar with the highways and roads. I took a few wrong turns in my rental car, was startled by the motorcycles whizzing between the lines of cars on the highway, and caught a couple of rude hand gestures being directed my way (or maybe there’s a secret “welcome to San Diego” sign I’m unaware of).
Anyway, I trusted my phone’s GPS when she warned for two miles that my exit was coming up on the left. Being the planner I am, I gradually maneuvered my way over to the left side of the highway but avoiding the lane marked for “carpools.” When Ms. GPS finally said “take the exit on the left” … well, I did just that.
The Grinch wearing a badge
At the end of the exit ramp, a member of the California highway patrol leaned down, pointed at me, and promptly waved me over. He explained I had been driving in the carpool lane. I tried to respectfully argue that I had not. He further explained that I had illegally taken an exit for “HO’s only,” which further confused me. Apparently “HO” stands for “high occupancy” and since I didn’t qualify as a “HO,” I was not allowed to use that exit.
Where I come from, HO is what Santa says
I didn’t score any sympathy when I asked why they had to make it so complicated. I explained that I understand “carpool,” but I’ve never heard of “HO,” and I’m from out-of-state in a strange city, and I’m in a rental, etc. Long story short, he was feeling Grinch-y and I received my first ever traffic citation for a whopping $490. To really rub it in, the deadline for payment was just a few days before Christmas.
I fought the law and the law won
My first instinct was to fight it. I used my complementary consultation with an attorney that we have through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). I also tried to beg for mercy with the court, which was time-consuming from another state. Eventually, I realized the holidays were nearing and I just needed to put on my big girl pants and pay it.
How I kept the Grinch from ruining Christmas
While $490 is enough to be a potential set-back in my financial world, the good news is that I had set two goals back in January, 2018 that would help me through this and ensure my holidays were still festive:
- First, I had made automatic deposits into my emergency reserves with every check, so I was more than able to pay the ticket without impacting my ability to pay my December bills.
- Second, and most important for me, I had set up a separate savings account for gifts only and deposited a small, set amount from every paycheck to have enough for Christmas gifts (like my colleague explained in this blog). So, despite the unexpected wallop to my personal finances, I had saved enough to still get gifts for my family and loved ones.
Paying a traffic ticket, especially a ridiculously expensive one that I don’t even feel like I deserved, really rubbed me the wrong way. But I’m not about to let it ruin this time of year for me. I think I’ll just pretend the fat payment I made to the beautiful city of San Diego was a well-deserved gift for the holidays.