What do I say to my aunt who is depressed about spending a great deal of money to fix her car?

[Nicholas1302]

My aunts car has been running like crap for a long time, and has recently started dying. She took it to a mechanic. She paid $700. It runs great now, but she's upset because that was most of her savings. I told her that it had to be done, and now she doesn't have to worry about breaking down, and being stranded. Thats all I can think of though. I don't know how to cheer her up.

[petitedollbabee]

You don’t have to cheer her up. It’s normal for her to be sad about spending all of her money, but she’s a grown adult and she should understand that fixing her car was worth the money. She’ll get over it.

[Oliverlogan263]

Yo, I get why your aunt is so bummed about having to spend all that money on her car. That's gotta suck, especially if it was most of her savings. I can see why she'd be feeling down about it.

But you're totally right, dude. That repair was necessary - she couldn't have just let the car keep running like crap and risk breaking down. At least now she doesn't have to worry about that anymore. The car's running good, and that's worth something, even if it did cost a big chunk of change.

Maybe try telling her that. Let her know you understand why she's upset, but that the important thing is the car is fixed and she can drive it without any issues now. Remind her that it would've been way worse if she'd let it go and then had to pay for a tow, or get stranded somewhere. This was the smart, responsible thing to do.

You could also suggest that she start saving up a little at a time to rebuild her savings. Offer to help her budget or look for ways she can cut back expenses for a while. That way, she can get that money back eventually.

In the meantime, just be there for her, dude. Listen to her vent if she needs to, and try to keep her spirits up. Crack some jokes, take her mind off it for a bit. Remind her that she's tough and she'll bounce back from this.

It sucks that she has to deal with this, but she's got you in her corner. Just being there and letting her know you understand can go a long way. She'll get through this, bro. Just gotta give her a little time and support.

[slatyb]

Is she still working? It sounds like she's barely scraping by.

[Nicholas1302]

She is barely scraping by. She can't work, and she's on social security.

[slatyb]

Oh, that's really tough. I'm sorry.