Frugality Pays Off.

Jordan and I decided it would be a smart idea to get a second/spare key for our car. We took it to the dealer and they wanted $51 to cut the key and then $55 to program it. Plus tax it was going to come to $113.42. For a key. Ridiculous.

{For those of you like me who don't know what programming a key is, it's a security feature on most cars where you can cut the key and it will unlock the car and even fit in the ignition, but it can't start the car until it is programmed to that car. Makes sense.}

Jordan was bold enough to ask why it was so much money to program the key and the lady's response was "Well, uh...they have to hook it to a machine. And...that's it." 55 bones straight into their pockets for doing NOTHING. My brother-in-law gave us the idea to buy the key online, get it cut ourselves at a key shop, and then program it ourselves using online instructions. Clearly, it would take a bit more time and work than just walking into the dealership and five minutes and $113 later having a new key, but we thought it was worth a try.

Here is how it worked out.

Key: $18.48

Cutting the key: $2.14

Programming it using very bizarre/black magic instructions: FREE

We were worried that programming it ourselves wouldn't work because the instructions included doing things like "Hold brake and accelerator pedals down at the same time and release. Insert old key into ignition. Press and release accelerator pedal five times within 15 seconds of inserting key. Press and release brake pedal six times within 10 seconds and remove key. Insert new key, more strange requests, wave your magic wand, etc..." But this is the text I got from Jordan this morning after he tried it.

"Key + programmed + success = yes. Jordan + happy = always. $93 + saved = awesome. While I was doing it I felt like an idiot who had just been ditched on a snipe hunt. But when the car started, I felt like Batman."

Total cost: $20.62

Total saved: $92.80

Jordan's text: Priceless.