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earlier this year, last winter was my first "true" winter with my Hyundai Kona, and it was a nightmare. I hadn't done any research into how Konas handle ice and snow...the answer is "not very well". The previous winter had been mild, and I wasn't working, so if the weather was bad, I just stayed home. But last winter, there were at least a half dozen times I was driving to and from work in snow and ice. Complicating things even further, my work town is basically in a valley. There's no way to get in without going down hills and there's no way out except uphill. I'm used to sliding while turning or nearly sliding through stop signs and stop lights but this is the first car I've had that struggles to go up a snow or ice covered hill. Or maybe it's just the first time it's been challenged, since there was not any serious hill on my way to and from my previous two jobs.

My tires are due to be replaced soon anyways--the car's a 2020 and you're supposed to replace tires every 6 years no matter what conditions the tires are in (mine still look pretty good). Confession: I don't recall ever having to purchase tires before. Most of the time, I got the car as an older vehicle and the tires lasted until I was ready to trade the car in. The one time I needed new tires, my folks kindly bought them for me. I had *no* idea a) how many options there are, b) that the trim on my car matters (I figured I only needed to put in "2020 Hyundai Kona" when searching sites for appropriate tires) and c) how freakin' expensive tires are. I was thinking 4 tires might be around $400...nope, even with "buy 3, get 1 free" deals, any tire I might actually want (something good in ice and snow) will cost $150-200 EACH, plus there's the cost of putting them on and disposing of the old ones.

Dad generously offered to buy me new tires but I told him absolutely not. He then recommended replacing the front two tires now and worry about the rear two tires in the spring, as my car is front wheel drive. So now I'm shopping around, trying to figure out which tires I want and who has them for the best price.

*sigh* Some days, I hate adulting...