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Affiliate Links, Q&A, Tesla

Common Questions I Get with Baymax (Tesla Model Y) Random Q&A

Sirua

Q: Why a Tesla?

A: Cause it’s cool. Haha kidding (mostly). I like the idea of investing in a greener future. Adding on the car has been named one of the safest vehicles and the acceleration was nice. I couldn’t help but feel attracted to making the purchase.

Q: Is it better than gas?

A: Depends on the person. I like the quietness when driving long distances with only the music playing. Also, lack of oil changes means spending less time on maintenance. It’s a personal preference really…

Q: Have you really saved money?

A: Again this might be a personal preference. At the time we purchased the car. The difference in numbers was about 350-400 dollars a month. Currently with the gas surge according to “Charge stats” we are saving somewhere between 130-158 dollars a month. Along with Smart charge rewards we’ve been averaging about 10-25 dollars a month in rewards which is put towards supercharging or our electricity bill. The difference with current NYC gas prices is about 165 dollars extra a month to own an EV. I can only imagine in other places where people’s commutes are longer. I want Baymax around for as long as possible so I would say in about 4-6 years time. I would see the possible savings. (My referral link for SmartCharge Rewards to earn an extra 25,000 bonus points which equals 25 dollars!)

Q: White seats with kids!? How?

A: Don’t let them drink anything besides water. I occasionally take the car seats out and my husband vacuums the car. I wipe it down with warm mild soap water and use a microfiber clothe. Between the cleaning I have water wipes to clean off if I see anything. We’ve had Baymax since November 2021 and the seats are as bright as ever.

Q: How do you charge?

A: Whenever possible I charge from home which benefits me with the Smartcharge rewards but occasionally I’ll supercharge when I can’t since I rent at the home and the driveway isn’t mine. It’s trickle charge (level 1 charging) so overnight I charge about 10-15 percent at a time. I try to connect the car when it’s 60 percent or higher. Any chance to charge I’m thankful for regardless.

Q: Do you like it?

A: I have to say that I love Baymax. It’s a fun car to drive and my dream car for a while. Living in NYC it wasn’t necessary for us to have a car. But after having kids and them being so young. Traveling became difficult. Our Honda CRV was a nice first car and I enjoyed the trunk space I admit. Of course, there’s always it’s pros and cons. But I wouldn’t trade it (unless for another Tesla. Another Model Y?) if we ever happen to own a house in the future.

Q: Is it worth it?

A: Personal preference but yes to me it is worth it. I see it as an investment and a better tomorrow for a greener future. Safety comes first for us. And without much of a different cost wise. I would say so. There have been issues going around with Tesla service, panel gaps, and maintenance issues. But I think that comes with the territory at times. But I do agree with how much money is being spent for this vehicle. I wouldn’t want to settle for anything less or too troublesome.

Q: Isn’t charging difficult?

A: It’s interesting at times. It can be another errand at times. Needing permission to park in the driveway to charge, super charging when I’m unable to, or having to run a charge as an errand. Luckily, now where I supercharge is close to our medical doctors, 10 min away from my job, the gym we attend to is super close by, playground for the kids, places to eat and there’s stores to shop at. So lately it feels like a family outing or good day at the gym. Road trip wise we need to stop anyway for the kids so I don’t see it as a hassle. Sure filling up a gas tank is quick if you’re traveling alone or with adults I suppose. But with children it’s inevitable we will stop for diaper changes and food. By the time it’s all said and done we are on the road again with 80-90 percent.

Phew! So these are the top questions I get about my Tesla Model Y so far. Others have been more of a quick response or teaching people how the car works and runs. Our Baymax officially has social media accounts! Follow if interested and of course my personal accounts will always be below. Stay sweet everyone!

IG: @ teslabaymax_nyc

Twitter @ teslabaymaxnyc

Affiliate Links, Discounts, Life, weight loss

Two Month Post Op VSG (Vertical Gastric Sleeve)

Sirua

Has it been 2 months already!? Time flies especially when you’re busy. I remember feeling so nervous about the pain and procedure I thought I would stay up all night worried. I was able to get some sleep but was scared most of the day. Now here I am 24 pounds later and it’s only the beginning. I still have the same comments in pros and cons (referring to last blog post). It’s difficult to enjoy uh of a meal when you get full instantly. It’s like a tease of your favorite food then your stomach stops you.

I’m still drinking about 1.5 of premier proteins per day while trying to eat healthy as I possible can with the occasional Oreo or two when my period hits (darn you aunt flow!). What’s helped me as a busy working mother is ordering a meal service for myself full of veggies and some protein. The service is called Splendid spoon. This company wants to make healthy eating as easy as possible. The meals are 100 percent plant based, whole and unprocessed ingredients, organic, non-gmo, gluten free with no artificial sugars. Besides the meals they also have freshly made smoothies that are functional and keep you full. The meals can be microwaved for on the go convenience and they add new recipes every once in a while. Since the containers are 12 oz and I have reduced what I can eat to 4-5 oz. The meals can be 2-3 meals for the day. If you’re on your own vsg journey or looking for a meal service to try use my Link to get 25 dollars off your first order to try it out! Let me know what you think about the meals or smoothies you try. I personally enjoy Beans and greens, vegetable bolognese, creamy mushroom and spinach noodles, and vegan meatballs with marinara noodles.

24 pounds down and the major difference I’ve felt is my energy levels. I’m getting up more and sleeping better (could just be exhaustion at night lol) organizing the house faster and cleaning more. I honestly couldn’t keep up with the maintenance and kids. I can tell with progress photos there’s a difference and in my underwear as well. Things are loosening up and I appreciate every pound off me. I haven’t experienced any dumping syndrome and I do my best to remember my vitamins but it’s hard to remember at times. I can do better in drinking more water and that’ll be my focus now that food wise I’m doing better. I’ve also starting walking and thinking about a gym membership to get my mind into working out. My best friend and my husband are to come with my to motivate me and themselves. It’s wonderful to have an amazing support group when you’re on a journey this difficult. It’ll be lovely to look back on this one day. Here’s to a healthier lifestyle!

Thanks for reading this update. I hope you enjoyed! Always feel free to reach out with any questions. Stay sweet everyone!

Affiliate Links, Discounts, Product Review

Wonderfold Wagon Luxe: First Impressions

Sirua

Mother of two kids can get hectic sometimes. My old son who’s now 4 is 3’6 or even a little over. And my 1 year old doesn’t like to be held as much when we are out. We had bought the baby trend wagon which was nice at first but it was hard for the boys to share and they weren’t strapped in since they didn’t have much space. As many know my 4 year old is on the spectrum and needs constant adult supervision. This makes going out to run errands on my own difficult or traveling with both kids highly unlikely unless I have my husband or someone else with me.

I came across Wonderfold and was excited to see how both the kids would fit and be strapped in with a harness. The canopy would block out a good amount of sun. Thus I started to compare all the types they had and settled for the Luxe W4. I was grateful they provided a special needs discount to help us save a bit and was one of the deciding factors for us to buy one. To receive this discount, they have a form which you bring to your child’s physician to fill out. Upload the form and you’ll hear back within 7-10 business days.

The wagon is spacious and feels solid. Putting it together wasn’t too hard. Definitely easier if there’s two people involved. It holds about 4 kids but with my 4 year old it’ll be 3 in case we have anyone along. The harness keeps both kids secured and with the all terrain wheels it’s ready to go!

Shopping with the W4 Luxe

The kids loved it overall and my husband was impressed with how easy it is to have both the kids safely in the wagon without a hassle. It’s definitely a hit with us!

Of course things come with its minor cons. But this one is more car related. I highly recommend measuring your car space before purchasing and checking the dimensions on Wonderfold’s website. I would imagine a full size SUV fits this easily. As a Tesla Model Y owner. It was a hassle to figure this out. We initially folded it and put it inside and at first it didn’t fit at all. I lost hope until my husband removed the wheels. This can be done easily since the back wheels have a piece that holds it together on each side. The front wheels you need either a small key or tool and they slide right off. We put the wheels to the side and it fit perfect inside! This is obviously a lot of steps but it was the only compromise we had to face due to limited trunk space.

Overall this wagon has been perfect for our family and outings so far. With summer coming around and traveling plans. I do plan on taking this everywhere I go for our needs and adventures.

If you’re interested in purchasing a Wonderfold wagon or wish to know more click this link to find out more about their options and find what’s perfect for you. Ready to checkout? Use the code Sori for a discount! I’ll be posting more updates and adventures on my Instagram with it. So feel free to follow me below on my social links. Much love and stay sweet everyone!

Affiliate Links, Hobbies, Tesla

Tesla Model Y: Update on Ownership after 6 Months in NYC

Sirua

This month makes 6 months since I went with my husband to pick up our Tesla Model Y we named Baymax. 6 months of ownership and I’m still in love. Husband doesn’t drive much but he has little complaints so far. We love it. It’s been lovely. But of course with it’s small faults.

Issues

I love wagon strollers. It fits both the kids. I can take them anywhere and it’s fun. The kids love it. 4 year old with diagnosed autism and a 1 year old. Both full of energy. I love the wagon strollers. But we ran into space issues. It’s difficult or damn near impossible to get our babytrends stroller wagon inside. I’ve debated the wonder wagon at this point. But not sure dimension wise if it would result in the same issue even though it folds. To fit the wagon we need to push the middle seats very forward. Car seats and all. It makes the front seats uncomfortable and have to find a comfortable position to drive beforehand. Takes a lot of planning. Unfortunately might have to give up the wagon for a smaller stroller. But we shall see if we get the wonder wagon (review on that when it happens. Yay)

Savings

As a New Yorker or living in the city. I don’t drive enough everyday. I work a hybrid schedule and run errands: groceries, appointments, pick ups, drop offs, occasional travels to nearby states. In this moment as I write this blog, I’ve put on 4,629 miles on the car. Monthly that would be about 711 miles. But in days to be more exact: 26.45 miles per day. We owned a CRV previously which on average gave us 27 mpg. Held about 14 gallons of gas. Average 370 miles we would get out of the Honda. I usually filled when it had 100 miles left. Every 2 weeks and spent 27 dollars at the time. Now with raised gas prices: 42 dollars. According to the Tesla App with their new updated I’ve supposedly saved about 98 dollars.

Current Charging Stats

Personally it’s more like 85 dollars but with the occasional road trip I can tell why the numbers would be off. Where I go I can plug into a family members home and let it trickle charge for the weekend. Saving more without supercharge. As you can see I tend to charge more at home which is slow but good for the weekend and the amount of driving I do. I would say the savings goes up since we use ConEds Smart Charge Rewards program.

If you don’t know what that is. It’s a program from ConEd for your EV where you can earn a bit of money back (goes to your PayPal account). It’s like cash back for EV. Use it towards your light bill and the amounts vary each month based on your usage. Average I get back somewhere between 10-17 dollars a month from home charging. The savings go up to 95-102 dollars or use that towards a super charging visit since it tends to be around 15-17 dollars for a 30-85 percent charge here. Whatever works for you. I love the program although it does need my Tesla account to access information. Not sure how I feel about that but I hope the savings are worth it. Here’s my referral link where you’ll get about 25,000 points which converts to 25 dollars your first month of trying the program!

Key Fob: Worth it?

I know the car uses our phones but sometimes it’s in my pocket or jacket. My hands are full. Or maybe I closed the app by accident. The keycard is confusing for the valet people sometimes. I figured why not the key fob. It’s pretty nice to have as back up in case anyone needs to drive the car for emergencies, opens the trunk and frunk, plus I can lock the car right away instead of waiting for a confirmation lock as I walk away. Worth it? Maybe not for everyone. But I have noticed the car unlocks much faster and more reliably than with phone only. Yes I’ve had moments I’m standing in front of Baymax. Trying to unlock and sentry mode is on. It’s like “hello I see you. Open up already” as soon take my phone out. It unlocks. Granted it doesn’t happen often but when it does. I’m stuck fumbling for my phone when I usually have my keys in hand. To me personally, worth it. But I know some people wouldn’t think so.

Tesla Key Fob
Side profile
Keychain cover and accessories. AirTag included.

White Seats: Yay or Nay?

6 months is still early to tell for owning white seats. I personally LOVE the white seats. It appeals to me and of course I added the eye stickers so it looks like I’m sitting on a Baymax. It’s silly and fun. Kids love it. People see it and find it hilarious. Cleaning it has been easy as well. I use water wipes that I buy for my kids and wipe it down. Dry it off with bounty and call it a day. I don’t really eat or drink in the car so no stains that I’m worried about. I hardly wear jeans and if I do. They’re not new jeans, most of my jeans have been washed several times. Overall, white seats have been amazing for us even with both kids. They mainly eat puff snacks and things I can easily vacuum on cleaning day. Crumbs and dirt show more but a good vacuum easily makes everything disappear.

White Seats with Baymax

Charging in the City

Living in NYC, charging is well difficult and get out of the way. I say this because super chargers in the city tend to be in parking places where you have to pay on top of the charging costs. I personally find that a bit silly considering but understand it’s a business aspect. I mainly go to Yonkers in Ridgehill for supercharging if necessary. Free parking (for now) and it’s right to your left when you enter. Lots of teslas and it’s close to my office job. Mainly I charge at home where we rent. I’ve been fortunate that where I rent they’re understanding of my charging situation and accommodate by letting me charge mainly on the weekends over night. I’m thankful and I know it can be difficult otherwise for others with apartments. No driveways. No Level 2 charging. I’m curious as to how other New Yorkers with Tesla charge. If you’re one, please comment below!

Conclusion

It’s a wonderful car overall. Might be bumpy for some since I did notice that switching from my Honda. Hopefully some kind of upgrade will help with that but the kids love it. Husband loves it. All of us love it. Safety and investing in the future was our primary goal. I truly believe this will be our car for long term. There hasn’t been any maintenance costs as of yet. Mostly buying things such as pet liner, weather mats, seat covers for the car seats, armrest cover, little things for aesthetics, and such. I do also try to clean the car by hand myself. But might once a year get it detailed for maintenance. Let you all know how that goes.

Affiliate Links, Life, Product Review

Getting my License and First Car Experiences in NYC

Sirua

As someone who’s never been interested in cars before. It’s funny how interests change as we get older or wiser. Living in NYC I never thought I would drive technically since I never saw the use of needed to since I traveled everywhere. But, things change after having kids. Its difficult with a stroller, two young kids, diaper bag for both, and my own things. Especially doing all of it alone and going upstairs? Downstairs? My anxiety peaked of from the thought of it alone.

After having our 2021 baby. I recovered and threw myself into driving lessons (again) and focused on passing the road test. Thankfully I did and a few days later purchased our first car: A White Honda CRV (Wayne…Batman reference anyone?)

Buying a first car is not exactly a walk in the park sometimes. You can spend hours at a dealership for paperwork and registrations. License plates and signatures. Dealing with insurances and what’s the best price etc. It’s a whole ordeal I didn’t think I’d find myself in. But here we are.

Wayne was good to us. A nice 6 months of learning to drive with an suv type car and slowly learning the roads and responsibilities that come with a car and being on the road. I realize owning a car is a luxury and it’s something that once you have it, driving responsibly is key and should be practiced every day. (Don’t drink and drive, always signal, etc you know the drill)

Now, we decided to order an electric car. And recently we took delivery for the long awaited: Baymax our Tesla Model Y. Pictures incoming!

First Day
Baymax Decal Sticker Add on

We are rather excited to see what’s in store with owning an electric vehicle. It’s been interesting so far. We do charge with a 110 volt every few days if possible. Slow but gets the job done and it’s so fun driving this car. It feels sturdy and it takes time to get used to since there’s the one pedal accelerator and regenerative braking. Shifting gears with the right lever and the screen being the central control of the car. It’s overall a completely new experience. I hope this car lasts. And if you’re like me and love Big Hero 6, the Baymax decal sisters make the white seats look adorable. Updates coming soon about our ordering experience and pickup plus accessories we ordered. I’ll also do a tarot and Oracle draw over the weekend to make up for the week. Stay sweet lovelies!

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links through Amazon. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.