Seriously though, I did some re-thinking about my spending.  And maybe I chose the “fun” route over the [...]]]> I think my credit cards are smoking right now. There has been a lot of spending over the past week. Planned spending, but still. Those credit card rewards are going to look awesome this month!

Seriously though, I did some re-thinking about my spending.  And maybe I chose the “fun” route over the practical route.  But I think it’s worth it.

So what did I buy?  Well, when I bought my house, I set aside some money to have a new fence put in around the backyard. I have a fence now, but it’s pretty old (or at least old looking) and a number of the boards have cracked and warped.  The gates don’t close securely, and they absolutely wouldn’t keep a dog secured.  This isn’t an issue now, as I don’t have a dog.  But the thinking was now that I have a house, I can get a new fence and then get a dog.

Then reality set in.  Yes, dogs are expensive, but that wasn’t the issue.  The issue is time.  With work alone, I leave the house before 7 am and am home sometime between 5:30 and 6.  That’s a long day for a dog to be alone.  Sure, many people have dogs and they do just fine with a schedule like this.  But I don’t know that I want to introduce a dog to that situation.  Plus I’m enjoying being able to just head out on the weekends and do whatever I want.  The cats?  Sure, they like it when I’m around, but even when I am home during the day, they’re just off sleeping somewhere or watching the birds and the squirrels.  They are less concerned about my schedule (plus they would hate me if I got a dog).

So I decided to wait on the fence.  Even without a dog, it’s something that will need to be done, but it’s suddenly less urgent.

What did I buy instead?  A treadmill.  And a bike.

Both are things that I have wanted for some time.   I run a lot, and I know that people say “Oh, that treadmill will become a coatrack in no time.”  But given that I have trained for spring half-marathons the past two years at the gym and run ten mile training runs on the treadmill both years, I think that the treadmill is probably an excellent purchase.  The bike is something new, but it’s an activity that I’ve wanted to take up for a while. I love being outside and I love being active, and I wanted some sort of cross-training to compliment my running (and I kind of want to do a triathlon, but that’s another story).  So the bike makes sense.  It’s going to take some work to get into biking shape, but I’m looking forward to it.  And like the treadmill, I can use it inside – I just have to buy a trainer and get it set up for the winter.  With these two purchases, I have already canceled my gym membership, which isn’t a huge amount of savings, comparatively speaking, but it’s something.

So I’m excited.  I’ve already used the treadmill a few times thanks to the record heat (9 miles this past weekend) and I’m going on a long bike ride tonight with a friend.  Should be fun.

But those poor credit cards.  (And don’t worry – they’ll get paid in full like always.)

The first was about the value of the Obama’s dog Bo.  Because he was a gift, the Obamas had to report the value, which was estimated at $1,600.

Seems high for a dog, but purebred dogs can be extremely expensive.  So I can’t say I [...]]]> Two articles about pet expenses and costs caught my eye this morning.

The first was about the value of the Obama’s dog Bo.  Because he was a gift, the Obamas had to report the value, which was estimated at $1,600.

Seems high for a dog, but purebred dogs can be extremely expensive.  So I can’t say I was super surprised by this.  The cost might be the reason the Portugese Water Dog hasn’t caught on as a popular pet.  Not when you can get a great mutt from the shelter for cheap.  Purebred dogs do have their value though, and as someone who grew up with Golden Retrievers as “siblings,” I’m not one to judge your choice of dog.  Just a note about how expensive they can be.

The other article discussed some of Liz Jones’ expenses.  Liz Jones is a Daily Mail columnist who has revealed her struggles with debt. So much so that people have offered to send her money to help her out.   But after reading some of her expenses, maybe I don’t feel so bad for her after all.   Her pet expenses come to around $580 a month, but she’s got a lot of pets.  Seventeen cats, five dogs, plus horses and chickens.  Food and vet bills for all those animals have to add up.  But then we find out that her cats eat organic prawns.

Organic prawns.

I don’t even buy organic prawns for myself, much less my cats.  I buy good food for my cats, as I want them to be healthy and live long lives, but I don’t know that I would ever feed them organic prawns.

Okay, if my vet told me that I had to feed them organic prawns or they would get sick, then yes, I would.  But until that point, it’s not happening. 

If you have the money to throw around, then go ahead and feed your cats organic prawns.  Buy them diamond encrusted collars.  Do whatever you want.  But if you’re in major debt, to the point where your fans are offering to send you money, maybe see if the cats would be okay with non-organic prawns.

While he was having surgery, I started thinking about what we value.  Because his surgery was dental related, [...]]]> First off, thanks for all the well wishes.  My cat came through surgery with flying colors.  He was pretty woozy when he came home, but before long, he was demanding treats, which meant he was definitely feeling better.

While he was having surgery, I started thinking about what we value.  Because his surgery was dental related, the vet was going to do a cleaning while he was knocked out.  When I dropped him off, the tech asked me if I wanted them to do anything extra if they noticed problems while they were in there – such as other problem teeth and the like.  Of course, I said yes, do whatever you think is necessary.  The cost didn’t cross my mind.

Thankfully, his surgery was exactly what we expected, so there were no added costs, but without thinking, I was willing to spend that money, because his health was the most important thing to me at that point.  And yet when I’m at the grocery store, I will debate over whether or not I need that extra $3.00 worth of fruit.

While money is money, and $25 is $25 no matter what you spend it on, it’s interesting how priorities differ and when money is more important and when what you’re spending the money on is more important.  I think for me, the times when I don’t think about money are when it comes to my pets’ care, my own healthcare, plane tickets home for the holidays (though I do try to find cheap ones), and a few other things.

Not that I always think about money, of course.  Some of it is automatic, or more savings focused.  “Do I need to buy this or not.”  But sometimes, there are more important things to consider than money.

Thankfully, my boss is understanding about the situation.  I have to drop the cat off this morning and [...]]]> My cat is having surgery today.  You non-animal lovers are probably confused and/or laughing at me, but I’m really worried about him.  It’s just minor surgery, but surgery is surgery is surgery and it still involves some level of risk. 

Thankfully, my boss is understanding about the situation.  I have to drop the cat off this morning and can pick him up before 6:30, but the vet recommends that if you can, to pick up your pet as soon as they’re ready to go home, because the fear can make the healing process a bit more tough.  If he goes home immediately, he will be happier.  And I will be happier because I will know he’s okay and be able to watch him and sit with him.  So my boss is letting me do some combination of telework and leave to cover the day.  Considering that I’m out for 10 days over the next month for various training sessions, she’s being very generous.

So, pet lover or not, send your kind thoughts to my furry black friend today.

I was at the grocery store, picking up a few items on my list, and one of the things I needed was cat litter.  Now, I usually buy the medium sized container.  It weighs 20 pounds.  There is a smaller container [...]]]> This weekend, I saw something that reaffirmed the adage that bigger is not always better.

I was at the grocery store, picking up a few items on my list, and one of the things I needed was cat litter.  Now, I usually buy the medium sized container.  It weighs 20 pounds.  There is a smaller container and a larger container, but for me, the medium size works quite well.  On my list of tasks this weekend was to clean out the litter box and refill, which takes more than 20 pounds of litter, and while I usually have at least one half-full container at home, I hadn’t kept up with my purchasing.

I had never really looked much at the big container.  I’m not sure what it weighs, but it’s big and heavy and I walk to the grocery store.  20 pound containers fit in my awesome tote from L.L. Bean.  The bigger ones would not.  But since I needed more than 20 pounds, I considered it.

Until I noticed the shelf tag.  Cost per pound for the 20 pound container?  Around 41 cents.  Cost per pound for the bigger container?  44 cents.  Forget that!  Conveniently, 2 20 pound containers fit in my shopping tote,  so that was the final decision.

I’m lucky that my grocery store posts all of these numbers.  Of course, if something is on sale, the sale tag doesn’t show the cost per unit, but I can work around that.  I think the assumption is always that buying the bigger container will save you money.  And that’s what the manufacturers want you to think.  If your store isn’t like mine, you might want to consider walking around the grocery store with a calculator every so often, just to get an idea of unit prices.  Who knows what you might find out?

I grew up with lots of family pets, so when I moved into my first pet-friendly apartment, I knew I wanted to get pets, but I also [...]]]> I have two cats.  I like to tell people that two does not make me a crazy cat lady, but I still get the jokes all the time.  

I grew up with lots of family pets, so when I moved into my first pet-friendly apartment, I knew I wanted to get pets, but I also knew that there was more to the decision than that.  There are a lot of responsibilities that go along with pet ownership, both financial and otherwise.  With all the talk of what sort of dog the Obama Family will get, it seems like a lot of people are thinking about adding a pet to their family.

I love dogs.  I have always wanted a dog and I still wish that I had a dog.  But with my lifestyle, I don’t think it would be fair to get a dog.  I’m gone much of the day and would feel guilty leaving a dog at home alone all day.  Plus I’m regularly gone 11-12 hours in a day.  That’s a long time for a dog to go without a walk.  I could hire a dog walker, but then we get into the financial responsibilities.

Instead, I have two cats.  Two because they keep each other company during the day so I don’t feel so guilty about leaving them.  Of course, two cats costs almost twice as much.  (I say almost because there are things they share – toys and the carrier, for example, plus my vet gives me a discount when I bring both cats in for shots on the same day – I don’t get charged the same as I would for two separate visits).

Cats don’t seem like a huge expense at first.  What do they need, after all?  Food, toys, litter, shots once a year?  That can’t be that expensive.

My cats are relatively healthy, and I spent $1385 on them last year.  That included all of their supplies, a pet sitter while I was out of town, yearly shots, and surgery for one cat to have a broken tooth pulled.  They’re also on prescription food because one cat has a slight weight problem and the other has trouble with crystals in his bladder.  Admittedly, while that seems like a big expense, when I compared the price of the 30 pound bags of food I buy to the pet store variety I was buying, it’s not that much more expensive.  Sure, I could buy cheaper food, but after doing research, I decided that the cheap grocery store brand was not what I wanted to be feeding my pets, not if I wanted them to be healthy and live a good long life.

Even with all those things, I’m lucky.  My cats are healthy.  There have been no emergency expenses.  No major surgeries, no big illnesses, nothing.  But I know that at any point, something could happen and I could have to drop a chunk of money to take care of them.  That’s a huge consideration when you’re thinking about getting a pet.  I looked into pet insurance and decided it wasn’t for me, but your mileage may vary with that.  It’s really a personal choice.

Pets are wonderful.  As I’m typing this, I have a cat draped across my arms, “helping” me write this post (and probably getting fur in the keyboard).  Even with the expense, I wouldn’t trade the companionship for anything.  But if you and your family are thinking of adopting a new pet, I really think you should sit down and consider the costs of owning a pet, both in terms of finances and in terms of your time.