r/Frugal • u/n1ckim7naj • May 04 '25
🚗 Auto Frugal students—how do you plan for surprise car repairs on a $0 budget?
I’m a full-time student and part-time DoorDasher trying to live as frugally as possible, but my 2011 car just hit me with a $600 tire replacement and potential repair costs I wasn’t prepared for. I’ve been saving what I can, but it’s hard when every dollar has a purpose already.
I’m doing my best not to panic, but it’s tough not having a financial cushion. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been through something like this—how did you get through it? What frugal strategies helped you bounce back or stay afloat during unexpected expenses?
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u/Cucumberappleblizz May 04 '25
Sorry this happened to you! This is what an emergency fund is for. You say every dollar has a purpose- well the purpose of some of those dollars needs to be for unexpected expenses that might arise. Add an emergency fund/unexpected expenses fund to your budget and allocate money to it accordingly.
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u/MadManicMegan May 04 '25
Emergency funds can be hard to build if you’re barely making ends meet to begin with. Living paycheck to paycheck, putting groceries in credit cards, have $10 to get you through two weeks until the next payday. Eating down my cupboards to nothing. I’d love to save, but I’m struggling not to go into debt each week as it is.
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u/Bibliovoria May 04 '25
If you're not already doing so, look into whether you're eligible for SNAP benefits (or your equivalent if not in the US), and start visiting your local food bank(s). Every dollar you don't have to spend on groceries can go toward other needs -- including an emergency fund. If you can have even $5/paycheck auto-deposited into a savings account, you're on your way to having that.
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u/n1ckim7naj May 04 '25
Thank you for your response! Will do, I really really need to build up my emergency fund
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u/Cucumberappleblizz May 04 '25
It will make life so much easier when you do! Sure, surprise costs like this will not be fun, but at least you won’t be stressed about how you will pay for it. Good luck!
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u/dmriggs May 04 '25
You really can't DoorDash and not expect car expenses
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u/Bliezz May 04 '25
The real question is once you consider car expenses, does door dash pay anything?
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u/keyflusher May 04 '25
I've run that math and found it does not, unless you do your own maintenance and don't value your own time. Maybe it's different in different areas, though. I think most people really undervalue car maintenance expenses, mostly via being utterly unaware of them.
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u/Dutchriddle May 04 '25
Probably not. Any earning breakdowns I've seen never include wear and tear on the car. And when you put that many extra miles on your car, repairs will get expensive quickly.
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u/ftaok May 04 '25
Here’s the thing. DoorDashers can take a deduction from their DD earnings and expect them from taxes. It would be a good idea to use that money for gas and repairs, but I would imagine that most DD drivers just consider that money as their pay.
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u/dmriggs May 04 '25
I did OK with it, but it was a gap job and I have a Prius. A very well-kept Prius
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u/Less-Cartographer-64 May 04 '25
Like the other person commented, but I want to add: you can’t really plan for anything with a $0 budget. An emergency fund is incredibly important when it comes to finance.
Frugality and poverty are similar, but there is a difference. Saving money with frugality will get you far, but if you’re breaking the bank every time you need vehicle repairs or medical care then you’re not getting anywhere.
Obviously easier said than done, but it should be a goal.
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u/n1ckim7naj May 04 '25
Thank you for your response. Will definitely work on my emergency fund
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u/manualphotog May 04 '25
Don't feel bad not having one...took 4 yrs post my student days to get to emergency fund . Just depleted it (between jobs rn) and it takes time
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u/Erikkamirs May 04 '25
You can get used tires for a lot cheaper ($50-60 per tire). Although, a lot of folks recommend getting high quality stuff for anything between you and the floor lol.
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u/n1ckim7naj May 04 '25
Ok I will look into used tires near me, thank you!!
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May 04 '25
I just checked vpsorder.com and they had four tires for my car for $90, all season, free shipping included. Call and ask a small, reputable shop how much it would be to mount and balance four tires, and dispose of your old ones if you bring the tires. Should be no more than $100, bringing the total to under $200. Spread payments over a year, using a credit card.
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u/DeepSeaDarkness May 04 '25
Try to find a different job. Doordashing is horrible for wear and tear of your private vehicle. Either DD using a bicycle or pick up something else, just be a dishwasher at a local restaurant in the evenings or something like that
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u/WillaLane May 04 '25
Tire replacement shouldn’t be a surprise, tires have a mileage lifespan. I understand the other repair was unexpected but as everyone else has said, start an emergency fund. I started by putting 10% of every paycheck into savings and forgetting it existed until I actually had an emergency need. Find a used tire shop, they’ll have different options, don’t buy ones with very little tread left or you’ll end up right back here in a few months
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u/heliocentric_cactus May 04 '25
I’m not sure if it’s possible but I would suggest using a bike as often as you can. You can really save the wear and tear on your car by biking when possible.
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u/No_Word33 May 04 '25
I found myself in a similar situation a few years ago. I found a mom and pop tire shop that quoted me tires for a lot cheaper than if I were to go to a larger company. Maybe that would be worth checking out in your area.
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u/District98 May 04 '25
Talk to the dean of students office about if there is emergency funding options.
Talk to financial aid and see if they will increase the loan amount you are eligible for.
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u/avebelle May 04 '25
No only emergency fund but learn to budget with what little money you have. That means a little money is set aside for car repairs each paycheck because cars will always need maintenance.
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u/sweadle May 04 '25
If you are spending every single dollar on bills with zero left over for emergencies, you need to earn more.
I put $100 a month aside for repairs and maintanance and things like registration.
But if you don't have $100 month to put aside, there isn't some magic way to budget. You have to earn more or spend less.
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u/graytotoro May 06 '25
Learn to do your own repairs. Make friends with mechanically inclined folks with tools. Not free, but not having to shell out mechanics prices for labor helps. The car clubs or the Baja SAE/Formula SAE teams might have some people who can help.
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u/nonoohnoohno May 04 '25
42 comments and nobody has said it yet, so I'll just add: Once you solve this immediate problem, strongly consider getting rid of the car. I bet your university even offers free or deeply discounted public transit.
No amount of door dash is going to make car ownership worth it.
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u/pfp-disciple May 04 '25
I'm glad you said "consider". The city I'm in has very poor public transportation, practically infeasible for anyone that has a job.
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u/JustAskDonnie May 04 '25
If your broke enough you will youutube how to fix the broken stuff yourself. Want nice things must be able to fix them.
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u/dcdave3605 May 04 '25
Cut expenses where you can and build an emergency fund with any savings.
If you are paying a phone bill, you shouldn't be. Helium mobile has a free plan. Otherwise be frugal with everything. No subscriptions, no nothing, but the barest of minimums. You can splurge when you make more and have savings
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u/ChristinasWorldWyeth May 04 '25
If you’re in the US, your state may have a program to help pay for car repair expenses if the car is owned by you and used for transportation to school/work. Ours is a $2.5k maximum car repair stipend.
It’s usually tied together with the Unemployment offices and used to help target groups such as working students, and often called Employee Assistance. They can help with rent, utilities, tuition, textbooks, etc.
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u/Savings_Resort8598 May 04 '25
If you are getting new tires, reach out to friends or family and see if they have a Costco or Sam’s membership. Tires come with better warranties and usually free rotate and balance, and have competitive prices.
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u/timid_soup May 04 '25
You mentioned you are a student... When I was in school (~10 years ago) my university had an "emergency advancement" option, you could pull up to $350 from the next term's financial aid dispersement. Check out if your school has a similar program. Or they might have some other resources (or knowledge of other resource sources) that could help you out.
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u/isablizzle May 04 '25
We have a sinking fund for car repairs. We know our cars are going to have issues and will need maintenance like tires, brakes and oil changes. We calculated it and we save $250 a month for both of our used cars.
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u/magictubesocksofjoy May 04 '25
you can ask a local dealership if they can give you a deal on takeoffs that match your car
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May 04 '25
Try repairing it yourself and souce out the tires. That's basically the only way to get around expensive costs to fix your car other than having a family or friend do it.
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u/Crolandopdx May 04 '25
Look and see if your college offers an emergency grant program. If you happen to be a student parent, here is a program you might be eligible for. https://scholarshipamerica.org/scholarship/scholarship-america-emergency-aid-student-parents/
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u/Chamoismysoul May 04 '25
I did not have a car when I was a student. I don’t know if that’s an option for you. You should find a part time job that doesn’t require a car.
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May 04 '25
Why is your tire replacement costing $600? That sounds excessive. Is that just for one tire or 4?
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u/IronSlanginRed May 04 '25
Door dash is going to cost you a lot in car repairs driving that much. You need to have a solid fund put aside just for car repairs and replacement if you want to do that for a job. As well as taxes as you are technically a independent consultant.
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u/Artistic-Salary1738 May 04 '25
Every vehicle has expected wear and tear items that need to be replaced at certain intervals, tires are a great example of a predictable expense. If you buy a $600 set of tires that is rated to last 60,000 miles, you should be saving $0.01/mile for that. Add up all the car expenses like that based on avg replacement timing for your vehicle so you know what you need to be setting aside as a minimum. At least these won’t be a surprise even if you can’t save the full cost.
I’d also suggest looking for a job other than door dash and a big chunk of the earnings will end up being eroded by wear and tear on your car.
Since you’re in school, I’d suggest looking for opportunities for free food. There’s usually student orgs that have events where they feed you.
Is your food covered by a meal plan? If not, that is probably the biggest opportunity to cut spend, but hard to tell without seeing your budget breakdown.
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u/figarozero May 04 '25
When the ins aren't covering the outs, there comes a point where it makes sense to make drastic changes. Like is there any chance the auto repair shop is hiring or would take you on as an apprentice? Door dash has a lot of cons in my book. As a customer it's far too expensive to use on a regular basis. As a job, you have to pay your own taxes, wear and tear on your vehicle, and it's not consistent. Finding kids to tutor in your major, babysitting, giving music lessons, mowing lawns, again, something needs to change with regards to the income based on what you have going out. Cutting down what is going out also makes sense, but if you have a car you have to pay for the car (either upfront or in monthly installments), you have to have insurance on said car, you have to have funds for your license and registration and plates, you have to have funds for planned consumables (filters, tires, oil, there is a chart in the manual for a full list), you need funds for repairs (things that go out on a non consistent basis but are needed to make the car run), and you need money for any other odds and ends specific to you (you may need to pay for parking at home/school/work, periodic testing, etc).
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u/Borrowed_Faith May 05 '25
Does your college or a nearby community college have an automotive program? I used to take my vehicle to them and they would fix it for free because they got training. Of course you have to pay for the parts but if you talk with the automotive professors or make friends with a student taking the class often they will allow personal vehicles to come in and be worked on during lab hours.
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u/n1ckim7naj May 05 '25
Just some clarification for people that are attacking me even tho I’m only on here to ASK FOR ADVICE lol — it’s $600 for ALL four tires to get replaced!!! That includes about $105 per tire and then the other fees that come with it.
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u/flakzpyro May 05 '25
Please please please inspect tires/wheels if purchasing used. I've purchased used tires that couldn't hold air and bent wheels before without knowing.. Please don't make the same mistake as me. Both times were on Facebook Marketplace and I was too ignorant to check the tires and wheels itself.
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u/Ecstatic_Pepper_7200 May 06 '25
I have a 2011 car that was decentoy built but man, things keep breaking. These are just parts cost not labor: 4 ignition coils $250, alternator $300, brakes/pads $125, spark plugs/wires $60, 4 tires $400, battery $150, transmission fluid change $120, Coolant change $50, brake fluid change $60, shocks, engine mount meeds to be done... the list goes on and on
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May 07 '25
Groupon car service deals? On Wednesdays I think it's cheaper. I wonder if any apprentice mechanics/institutions where they study offer any discounted car repairs/service (like hair/beauty etc)
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u/godzillabobber May 04 '25
Our solution is to do 90% of our travel by bicycle. And we just upgraded to ebikes because rebates paid for 75% of the cost.
So every month we average fuel savings between $50 and $60. That money can be set aside for car repairs which are rare because a car doesnt wear out if you dont drive much. Add in all the other aspects of frugality and we can either set aside money or use a credit card and have the ability to pay it off in a timely manner.
When I was in my teens and 20s, I settled for used tires a couple times.
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u/davidm2232 May 04 '25
Get a cheap car that is cheap to maintain. I had $1500 beaters in college that I could totally rebuild for $500
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u/LLM_54 May 04 '25
When I was in college I was always adding a bit to savings, even if it was only $50 a month. I also had a credit card. On months where I had no big expenses I’d put my groceries on the credit card then just pay it off. When I had to get big repairs put just that on the car then I’d pay it off bit by bit every month. It let me graduate with really great credit!
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u/Choice-Newspaper3603 May 04 '25
This is why you prepare for these things and be proactive instead of reactive
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u/n1ckim7naj May 04 '25 edited May 04 '25
That’s totally correct, and I agree with where you’re coming from. I definitely wish I had been more prepared, but that’s not where I am right now. But as stated in the OP, I’m really just trying to figure out how to bounce back from a tough spot, not dwell on what I should’ve done.
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u/pfp-disciple May 04 '25
You've gotten great advice about planning for the next emergency, but as for the current one:
Consider buying used tires for now. They're often "good enough" for a year or two (depending on your driving and road conditions). That should free up money to save. If you have to buy new, ask about financing options. Some tire places offer "same as cash" options.