Goodness gracious!!
Many kudos to you, Daisy, for wrestling with that spare!! I'm looking up prices right now to buy one for myself (that will remain LOOSE in my trunk!) along with a tool and tire patch kit.
Does your insurance include roadside assistance or can you add it on?
I just mention it because I used to have my regular car insurance and AAA as well, and I was just using Triple A for the roadside assistance and a few travel discounts.
It got to the point where the membership wasn't paying off for me anymore -- especially when I found out that adding 24/7 roadside to my already existing car insurance policy was only $10 -- and my experience with their service was top-notch.
(I have Safeco in case this would help anyone.)