Saving Money: Pet Care

Since the beginning of November, Todd and I have been scrutinizing our expenses.  We realize that our dream of full time RVing will not be possible if we are frivolous with how we spend money.  I am almost positive that my mother is rolling her eyes right now as she’s reading this (I love you, mom!) because she already feels that we go above and beyond frugality.  For us, we believe there is always room for improvement and we have found a way to cut down the expenses on one of our largest expenses: the animals!

Presently, we live amongst 7 animals.  Please do not report us to pet hoarders!  It’s not like that at all, though sometimes at night when we are all in bed (oh yes, we fit in a queen sized bed with two large dogs and 5 cats) it feels like we may have taken in one or two (or 5!) too many strays.  I believe that when we decided to take in all of these animals, we chose to take on the responsibility of feeding and caring for these animals to the best of our ability.

Recently, we have found ways to save money on caring for our critters.

Spay/Neuter

Prices for spay/neutering can vary.  We have paid over $250 for one of our kittens to be spayed whereas we have paid less than that amount to have 3 kittens spayed/neutered at a no-kill shelter.  After being unhappy with our local vet, we decided to look elsewhere and found a place that spays/neuters cats for $35 (boys) to $45 (girls)!  They have a program that if you have more than one cat, you buy one spay/neuter and you get one free.  We have had 6 of our animals spayed/neutered at this no-kill shelter and have been very pleased with the results and how our animals bounced back after their surgeries.

Kitten Kaleidoscope!

Food

We purchase very high-quality food for our dogs that is formulated for their breed to help keep their joints healthy and to maintain a healthy weight.  We could buy the food at a pet store for $55+/bag; however, Amazon carries the same brand for $44/bag! We also found that our cat food is $8/bag less expensive at BJ’s versus the same exact brand at WalMart.  In other words: shop around!

Vaccinations

Our vet charges an arm and a leg to vaccinate our pups; however, there are clinics that are offered at Pet Supplies Plus that come around every few weeks to vaccinate dogs and cats starting at $10!  By doing this, you avoid the fee that the vet charges just to see your pet, and it helps your pocketbook!  Also, the no-kill shelter offers these vaccinations for a fraction of the price as well.

Flea Treatments

Flea treatments for the dogs are extremely expensive at $10/dog per month and we have been purchasing product from WalMart for the cats.  I found that Fipronil has the same ingredients as Frontline and Advantage flea and tick control.  This can be used for both dogs and the cats.  We purchase this product in bulk (30cc’s) from a seller on eBay at $52.97 delivered to our door and administer it ourselves.  The treatments last us 5 months for all 7 critters to be free of fleas and ticks.

Buddy and Lana on Christmas Morning

Cat De-wormer Treatment

Our cats are great hunters and because of this, they tend to get worms from their prey a couple times a year.  We have tried the $8/bottle over-the-counter product from WalMart and Tractor Supply with no luck until we take the cats to the vet to get treated.  After doing some research, I found that Praziquantel is a generic form of de-wormer that kills tapeworm and is used in many vet clinics and shelters to help cut costs.  We now purchase 20 capsules of Praziquantel a year from a seller on eBay to keep on hand and administer to our cats when they have worms.  The cost is $19.99 and each of our 5 cats can be treated 4 times!

Grooming

Being Labs, our dogs do not need groomed; however, they need their nails trimmed.  Lana has black nails so it very difficult to cut her nails without having a bleeder.  Buddy’s nails are easier to trim because you can see the quick; however, he cannot stand to have them done.  I wait until he is zonked out before I can cut his nails.  We didn’t purchase any fancy schmancy nail-clippers, just regular ones that can be found at the dollar store or WalMart. 

I have yet to find an alternative for the dogs for their heartworm medication: if you know of anything, please let me know!

I want to make it clear that even though we save money on flea treatments and de-wormers, we take our dogs to the vet twice a year (for their heartworm shots and general checkup) and cats when needed.  I believe that when we took these strays in, it became our responsibility to care for them and to keep them healthy!

DISCLOSURE:  These items have been provided for informational purposes only.  Please note that I am not a veterinarian.  Please consult your veterinarian before administering these items to your pets.

What do you do to save money on your pets?

2013 Year in Review

It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone.
I decided to take a look back to see what all we have been up to here on the homestead.

January:
At the end of 2012, Todd and I decided to attempt to pay off half of our mortgage balance in 2013.  As of October, we succeeded!  After reading through this post of what our game plan was for the year, I am happy to report that we were able to live on half of our income without really cutting back our lifestyle.  We still completed a home-improvement project (updating the kitchen counters for $125) and we have another one in process as I type (new floor in the living room).

February:
In February, I made my own laundry detergent and to this day, we are still using the product!  We have another 2 1/2 gallons to go until it will be time to make another 5 gallon batch of concentrated detergent.  This recipe is a keeper, and we have all of the supplies needed to whip up another batch in the next few months.

March:
In March, I started to feel like we have way too much "stuff" and that our house is much more than what we need/want.  

April:
The first week of April, we had a family trip to Aruba with my mom and her husband to celebrate their 10 year wedding anniversary.  I could use a trip like this every year.

May:
May is always a special month for us because it is the month we married.  This year, for our 6th year of marriage, we took a short 3-day trip to Columbus, OH and had a blast.

June:
Every year around June, I wonder if I want to keep the blog going or to just let it sit.  This month, there was only one post about my internal battle to decide whether we should hire a housekeeper or if I should just do the housekeeping myself!

July:
July of this year was a busy one!  A yellow lab adopted us, my car turned 7 years old, and we started talking about downsizing our home.

August:
I gave up on gardening in August.  I realized that as much as I love to plan the garden every year and plant the seeds, my priority is not to see the garden through and make it all it could be.

September:
I documented some of the fun things Todd and I did over the summer for very little (or no) money at all.

October:
A new member of the family came to join us in October and I started a new cleaning routine that has been easy for me to keep up with!

November:
The only post in November included pictures of a covered bridge tour we did throughout October.

December:
In December, I now notice that we have come full circle realizing that we are not happy with the big house, all the possessions and all of the consumerism that takes place around us.  In December, we let out a big secret that Todd and I want to purchase an RV and travel the US.  Since deciding to do this back in early October, our plans have been evolving.  It went from selling it all and living on the road full-time to downsizing our home and possibly making it a duplex so that we can be with our families and have a home-base for a few months a year.  I am sure there will be a few posts on this in 2014.

So, there you have the entire year on Sparing-Change.  It has been a fun yet challenging year this year, as every year seems to be.  This year, we are learning that it doesn't take a lot of money (or any at all!) to have fun.  We have enjoyed going on many hikes with the puppies, and we really enjoy being out in nature.

We look forward to taking on whatever 2014 has to offer.

Fall Fun on a Dime

Early in October, Todd and I took the Covered Bridge Tour a county north of us.  There are 18 covered bridges in the county, and we had a blast taking the pups to go explore them on two different days.  The first day, we were only able to get bridges 1-13 complete, but two weeks later, we were able to see the rest of them.  There are only 18 true covered bridges, but one of them that we saw was on flat land (#6) which is why we have pictures of 19 covered bridges.

Of all the bridges, this one was my favorite...the last one of the bunch:

We have lived in this area for nearly 7 years now and we had no idea at the beauty that was surrounding us.  I enjoy finding these jems and experiencing them together.  We had a blast over two days of touring these covered bridges and it only cost us the price of gas.  We had great conversation, many laughs and made a lot of memories.  Really, that's what life is all about, isn't it?

A Short Story: He Chose Us

One late Sunday afternoon, Todd was outside working on the lawnmower and I was inside relaxing (reading) with our precious pup, Lana.  I heard something climb up the deck stairs and when I looked up, there was a yellow lab with its tongue sticking out and its nose pressed against the screen door.  He was a cute thing, so I asked Lana if she wanted to go out and play with the yellow lab. 

Lana and I went outside and I asked Todd to hold Lana back while I went to see if the yellow lab was friendly.  As I said that, the pup came running over to me with his tongue sticking out and started playing with me.  It was the cutest.thing.ever.  I told Todd that it was OK to let Lana come over to him and they sniffed each other out.

The dog, whom we called “Buddy,” did not have any tags on him.  I don’t know where he came from: he just appeared out of nowhere.  I gave him some fresh water and some food to see if he was hungry to which he scarfed every last crumb down within seconds.

We get strays around our house a couple times a year.  Most times, they play with Lana until they are sick of her and then leave.  Buddy played with Lana and never left.  After realizing that he wasn’t leaving, Todd gave Buddy a flea bath, and then we wanted to see if he liked to be indoors (it was extremely hot the day he came to us).

Buddy came inside without a problem.  He explored the house, played with Lana and found some of Lana’s toys lying around.  Buddy ended up staying the night with us that first night.  He chose to sleep in our bed with us.  I called the police department to see if anyone had reported a lost yellow lab.  Buddy was very obviously taken care of: neutered, dewclaws removed and an indoor dog.  The police department had not received any notifications of a missing dog, but they took our information in case someone called. 

The next day, I called the dog pound, two vet offices and posted a listing on Craigslist about Buddy.  Todd took him to our local vet’s office to see if he was chipped – and he was not.  The vet took a picture of Buddy and posted it on their FaceBook page hoping to find the owners.  There were three women who were immediately interested in Buddy.  After talking with the women, two decided that Buddy would not be a fit for their family.  One woman came out with her 10 year old daughter to meet Buddy.  The woman’s daughter adored Buddy; however, there was one thing that happened while they were at the house.  You see, Buddy is an alpha-male.  This usually is not a problem; however, he growls when another dog comes up to him and he has a bone in his mouth or if he is eating.  Again, he only does this with other animals – he has not done this to us.  Buddy had a bone in his mouth that he found in the yard and Lana (our pup) went up to him and he growled.  Other than that, everything with the visit had gone smoothly.  The next day, she contacted me stating that she doesn’t think Buddy would be a fit for their family either.

The day that the woman and her daughter came to meet Buddy, I had been thinking a lot about this friendly, loving, mini-moose that had been traipsing around our home for the past four days.  I started to really get attached to the bugger and had come to enjoy his company when I was reading and he would be an arm’s length away.  When I got up in the morning, it was usually because he was standing over me or licking my face telling me it was time to get up.  I got attached to the 100 lb stray that landed on our porch.  I was crying on the way home from work thinking about a day that this moose wouldn’t clumsily run to my car door with Lana to meet me when I pulled into the driveway.  Todd noticed I had been crying when I got home that day and I told him why.

The next morning, Todd and I were sitting on the couch with the big moose between us sleeping, and Todd said, “You know, he has really grown on me too.”  I asked Todd what he meant by this, and he said that he thought we should keep Buddy if his owners done come forth.  I was ecstatic.  Todd started to make a list of the things that we needed for Buddy that he would get while I was at work.  A collar and a nametag with his name and our phone number etched into it.

I originally did not want to keep Buddy for three reasons:  1.)  He is a spitting image of a dog my dad had for years that had just passed away after being really sick 2.) I didn’t want Lana to feel neglected 3.) I didn’t want the expense of an extra animal in the house (don’t we have enough animals already?!?)

After thinking everything through, all three reasons were really stupid and selfish. 1.) I cannot fear for this young, healthy, happy dog’s life because of something that happened to my dad’s dog! 2.) I have to keep reminding myself that Lana is not a child – she is a dog.  Dogs run in packs.  She actually enjoys running around the yard chasing Buddy and vice versa.  And the third reason is completely irrational because the only extra expenses would be for dog tags, food, and the bi-yearly vet visit.  This may come to an extra $500/year $800/year (the first year). (After writing this, we took Buddy to the vet because he had severe itching and we wanted him to have his shots.  The initial vet bill: $280 because he had an ear infection, skin infection, and worms.  We have to take him back in 2 weeks to get all his other shots.)  Quite frankly, we live the way we do (frugally and almost mortgage free) so that we can enjoy the things that are important to us: time with family, travel, and our animals. 

Buddy makes us laugh, wherever Lana is you can find Buddy close by, and the cute-o-meter is off the charts at night when he “hugs and kisses” Lana before it’s time to go to bed.  Buddy was out in the garage with Todd really early the other morning (3AM!) getting some things done before I woke up for work. When Lana and I woke up, Lana was frantically searching the house for Buddy.  As soon as Todd and Buddy walked in, she was instantly next to him.  At that moment, I knew that keeping Buddy was the right choice for our family.  But then again, he found us…not the other way around.  We just chose to love him.

Side Note: One goal for this year was to not take in anymore animals.  This goal was not met the weekend Buddy came to our home, and we are unapologetic about it.  We love him to pieces.

Fall Foliage

This weekend, Todd and I went out to see if the leaves were changing.  It was a gorgeous day on Saturday, and we found a new hiking trail about 15 minutes away from the house.  We absolutely loved this trail, and look forward to going back again.

This is what we experienced:

Video: Puppy on the Treadmill

I mentioned that my husband taught our puppy to walk on the treadmill.  This is a video of her taken this evening on the treadmill.

In front of her, hubby put a fan. She seems to like a fan blowing in her face while she walks.  She is walking at 2 1/2 MPH and does pretty well!  It kicks her butt after about a half an hour on the treadmill. 

So now, you get to see our "puppy" who is 14 months old and 60+ pounds getting her exercise.  We will use this on days that it is raining, snow on the ground, or just to help keep her out of trouble!  She is a completely different, well behaved puppy when she is exercised!!

This post is linked up with Homestead Revival's Homestead Barn Hop.

Power Outage!

Todd has had off this past week from work during the plant's annual shutdown.  He will also be off of work next week as well.  Since he has had off of work, he makes dinner every.single.night for us.  Yum!

Yesterday, our power went out just before I got home from work.  There has been a heat wave going through NE Ohio making it extremely hot in the house. 

So...what did we do during the power outage?

Eat Dinner Outside!

Use a phone book for the first time in years! (to call electric company)

Chill out on the front porch...

Go to the local Twistee for ice cream cones...

Spot a deer on the way home...

Try to find things in the dark...

Drive around taking pictures of the sunset...

(I love this picture of the sunset...)

Find a rainbow after a short drizzle and take a picture...



Come home to find the lights are back on!

We had a great evening together...without electricity!  We should do it again sometime soon! 

This post is linked with Homemaker By Choice's weekly blog hop and the Homestead Blog Hop!