Proof positive I'm livin' right

Remember that Home Maintenance System we bought last week for a lot of money? Well, there was this discussion at the time we were deciding whether or not to fork over the wad, about how I had this money saved up to get a new car, and probably the van would last another year or so, and if I wanted to, I could use the car money to get the HMS. Don't tell Bret, but secretly, in my heart, I thought to myself, "I always get everything I want anyway. I'll probably end up getting a car too." Then I decided that was really kind of bratty and selfish and unworthy of me, so I would go ahead and use the money for the HMS and be happy about it, even if I didn't get a new car, too. I can drive the ugly, gas-guzzling van for another eight months until we get our next tax return. Big of me, I know.

Two days later, Bret was sideswiped on the freeway, driving my van, by a guy who claims he swerved to hit a piece of tire. The car was virtually undamaged, except for the big, black scrape down the entire side, and one of the plastic panels is now about to fall off. Oh, wait, it was always about to fall off. Now it's really going to. Bret didn't want to call the insurance company, because he didn't think it would be worth it. I encouraged him to just give it a shot. Best case scenario, we would get a couple hundred dollars out of it, 'cause there's no way we're sinking money into fixing this van if we don't absolutely have to.

A couple of days after that, the transmission on the van started going crazy. And it started doing a lot of other things weird, too, indicating that maybe it's not going to last the year. Now what?

Yesterday the insurance guy came over to appraise the damage. He then cut us a check for exactly the amount that the HMS cost us (within $2). Whoa (said in manner of Keanu Reeves in every movie he's ever been in).

So there it is. I'm livin' right. Can there be any other opinion on the subject?