Last year, about this time, I wrote about my trip to the Secretary of State. It was a long day, that one.

It seems only fair then, to give some credit where credit is due.

This morning I stopped by the downtown branch of the Secretary of State to transfer the plate from my son's truck to my wife's car. My wife drives a 1998 Mercury station wagon with 160,000-ish miles on it. The car is valued at less than $2,000, but the plate costs $210 to renew! A couple years back, a helpful SOS employee told me about a frequently used loophole to save some money.

I simply transfer the least expensive plate I have to the station wagon, and then re-plate that vehicle. Here's how it works:

Option A:
Renew plate on station wagon: $210
Renew plate on truck: $54
Total cost: $264

Option B:
Renew plate on truck: $54
Transfer plate to station wagon: $8
Purchase new plate for truck $54
Total cost: $116 - a savings of $148!

Frankly speaking, the savings alone would have made me a happy SOS customer today. But even better than that was the efficient, friendly service I received today. It took 16 minutes from the time I parked until the time I pulled out of my parking place today. And, I was helped by a friendly professional named Nancy.

Today's grade for the Secretary of State: A+