I Almost Bought a Tesla the Other Day, and Then I Snapped out of It

My mouse hovered over the Apply Pay button as I stared at the screen. In a trance. I was envisioning myself cruising down the 101 in my brand-new Tesla, breathing in the new smell of seats made from vegan synthetic material while zooming past mansions in Malibu, windows down, hair blowing in the wind, Tom Petty and I belting out Free Fallin'.

I had done the research, watched some YouTube videos, investigated the charging station and the cost, checked which rebates I could get for buying an electric vehicle in California, and even emailed my accountant to make sure.

Even the order looked sleek on my screen. I chose the exterior paint and the interior color for the vegan seats, the rims I crave (you know the ones); everything was ready, I just had to push down on my mouse pad, and my Tesla would be here in three to five weeks. All I had to do was pay the $100 fee, and my order for the Tesla Model 3 would be placed.

I can afford it. I have very little debt, a great credit score, and a reasonable down payment for the car. I haven't bought a car in a while.

I'm a true believer in the product that is Telsa. I'm a car girl. I've been coveting the Tesla since funny man Musk popped onto the scene introducing this sweet ride. I stop by the Tesla store often, just to sit in it. I don't know a lot about the man, but I know a lot about the car he produces. I liked the look of the Tesla right away - the first electric car I would be happy driving purely for its design.

Years ago, I was one of the first in LA to buy the unattractive boxy Prius when it first hit the market. I like the idea of not buying gas and getting off our dependence on fossil fuels. We are killing the earth, and I like the earth and the animals on it. I'm also fond of clean air. What bothers me most is we have another way, and we aren't maximizing that alternate means of transportation. We have electric-powered cars. And thanks to Musk, we finally have a beautiful one.

I love Tesla for its bells and whistles, you can run it on an app, but mostly I love its minimalistic design.

The more simple something is, the more attractive I find it. This includes everything from clothes to jewelry to houses. The less that is going on, the more attractive it is to my eye.

Regarding the environment:

Full disclosure: Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was the second crypto I bought after Etherum (CRYPTO: ETH). I'm most likely going to sell it. When I bought BTC, I didn't know about proof-of-stake vs. proof-of-work and the energy needed for each. ETH is headed towards PoS, which consumes less power to mine than PoW.

Now that I'm more educated on crypto. I don't feel right owning BTC, just like I would never feel OK owning stock in Facebook.

You have to feel good about where your money is and how it's multiplying. If you don't feel good about it, you're not in the right investment. If you aren't putting good feelings into the world surrounding money, change your investments or spending habits because the negative feeling is working against you. It might sound strange and woo-woo, but it's true. I don't feel good about owning BTC. I was feeling this way before Musk's latest tweet on the energy consumption of mining BTC.

If you feel OK owning BTC, that isn't for me to judge.

Since I was a little girl with pigtails, I've liked cars. Probably because my dad was into cars.

He wanted boys. He got four girls.

He had the coolest vintage Porsche I've ever seen. Red leather interior and black exterior. It was gorgeous. I still remember the feel of the red leather steering wheel and the smell of the car, and how small and fast it was.

When I was about four, before I knew stealing was frowned upon, I took a little boy's Mattel Batmobile home with me when he wasn't looking. I just had to have that little car. I can see it in my mind right now. My mom was furious, and I had to give it back the next day. But I slept with it that night. The entire incident made an impression on me. It's one of those memories you don't forget, no matter how old you get. I didn't know who Batman was but to my little four-year-old brain, that black car with wings on the side was the coolest toy I had ever seen. That Mattel car goes for about $250 today.

I love sleek cars. I know in the grand scheme of things, what you drive doesn't matter, and it's not social status I care about. I don't care one iota what other people think of me when it comes to what I drive. I've owned beaters, Toyotas, Hondas, Volkswagens, and Volvos. A Tesla would be my first American car. I like the comfort of nice cars, and love the way fine cars are built to drive and hug the road.

If I could spend 100 grand comfortably on a car in cash, no problem, I would.

Here are some of my favorites; Audi, Volvo, Porsche, Maserati, and Tesla.

The Model 3 Tesla isn't as expensive as other Tesla models. It's in my price range.

I didn't hit the buy button. My Tesla will have to wait. I would rather shovel that monthly payment into more savings, investments, assets, and real estate.

When I thought of having a monthly payment each month, the Tesla was less attractive to me. I respect money, the work I put in to make it each day, and investing it. A Tesla, although a beautiful and safe car to drive, is going to take money from my bottom line and not make money for me.

It is a liability, not an asset.

I have a car that drives, and next year, when my child goes to school a mere two miles from our house, my need to drive will be drastically cut in half or more. That means I finally have the life I want.

Even though I live in LA, where everyone drives, I've set up my life so that everything I need; friends, restaurants, coffee, doctor's offices, grocery, schools are within two miles. I can walk, bike, or drive the short distance to these places I frequent. I don't need a Tesla, I have a car that runs fine, that doesn't require a monthly payment.

I'm going to buy a Telsa when I can comfortably afford to do so in cash. My priorities are building a healthy nest egg, savings, yes, but mostly in investments.

When I thought or the hefty (a few hundred dollars or more) monthly payments, I was bummed. I sat with that feeling for a few moments, and it didn't feel like something I wanted to have and feel - monthly - when payment comes due. I don't want to have a payment for something I don't really need. It is beautiful but unnecessary.

My monthly payments right now are low, and I'm enjoying that feeling of freedom. Freedom to make different choices. Freedom to not have to work if I don't want to, or at least not have to work all the time. Freedom from the pressure of paying for things I don't need.

This past year has taught me I don't really need much. I have everything I need - savings, good food, a healthy child, friends within a block of me, my health, money in the bank, very low debt, my writing, and a car that is paid for.

My writing is important to me, and I want to work on it and make it better. If I have to make more money because of buying things I don't need or not being able to save the amount of money I should be saving at this time in my life, my writing will suffer.

And that is the opposite of freedom.

All those things I have I mentioned above that don't cost money make me feel light, peaceful and in the moment, not loaded down with anxiety and stress. I can sleep at night because I'm not worrying about money, making it, or how to pay for things other than the responsibilities I currently have. The bills I have now are under control, allowing me to save a lot of money each month.

My Tesla will have to wait.

I own stock in Tesla. I am not an investment advisor. All opinions are mine alone. There are risks involved in placing any investment in securities or cryptocurrencies. None of the information presented in this post is intended to form the basis for any offer or recommendation. It is for informational and entertainment purposes only.