Temptation #1: Tim checked out the value of his car at the Kelly Blue Book site which led me to do the same. Since I’ve been accelerating the payments on my car, and since I got it pretty cheap to begin with, my car is worth about $4,000-$5,000 more than what I owe on it… the trade-in price is still $3,000 more than what I owe. The upshot is that I could sell it and lease a new BMW 325i for three years, my car payment would go down by $65 a month, and I’d either break even on the initial lease payment ($3k), or have $1k+ left over. (The primary factor against that is I’d pay the $300/mo. for 2 1/2 years after my Audi would be paid off.)

Temptation #2: April 15th is the release of Kelly Clarkson’s debut CD. I’ve heard extended samples or the full version of 9 tracks now, and a very brief snippet of the 10th track… and every song is very good. Naturally I’ve already pre-ordered the CD but I’m considering making a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up another copy. The Wal-Mart in question is in Burleson, TX, home of Kelly Clarkson, where she’ll be giving a free concert on 4/15. So, $300 for a plane ticket + FREE = not entirely out of the realm of possibility… especially if I sell the car and get a Bimmer. I’d have cash left over! :)

Even if I did travel 1,000 miles to see a free concert and buy a CD at Wal-Mart, that wouldn’t be the furthest; someone is driving 26 hours for the occasion. Well, there is an autograph signing as well. It’s totally worth it dude!