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?

Silver Linings

The beginning of 2014 has been a tough one in our home.  January 17th, Todd was let go from his job of over 7 years.  He was fortunate enough to find a new position that same week and started his new job a few weeks later.

On Valentine's Day, I was informed that my hours at work would be cut starting the next week, therefore, my pay would be cut...by 25%.  To say that I didnt see this coming would be a lie - the company has been selling less and less with each passing month with February being nearly dead.  Over the past couple of months, I've witnessed a coworker lose 25% of his pay (and maintain his hours), another one let go and yet another who had his hours cut by 25% as well. 

After the shock of learning that my hours have been cut for a job that I have been going to for over 11 years, I quickly realized the silver lining that this provides me (and Todd).  They include:

1. More time in the mornings to spend with my husband and our fur-family. 
2. Time to be able to get out when the sun comes up in the morning with the pups to get exercise in each day: there are no more excuses!
3. Time to get my chores done...before work!
4. Time to focus on starting the business that has been floating around in my head for the past 6 months.
5. No more alarm clocks needed in the mornings since I dont have to leave until 9:30.
6. No more rush hour traffic!
7. Less time away from home and my fur-babies.
8. The realization that we live as we do (watching/minimizing our spending and having an ample emergency fund) for times like these.  

The truth of the matter is that I have not been happy where I am working for many years.  This very well be the push that I need to get out there and find a position closer to home that is more in line with how I best do business (creating and maintaining strong relationships) and an employer who is willing to foster my yearning to learn and grow as a professional. Todd was able to find this in his new position and comes home every day saying, "Why didnt I do this sooner?"

I am thankful to have a husband that supports me in whatever I decide to do: stay with my current employer with the limited hours or find a new position.

What are you grateful for today?

One Step Closer to our Dream

In mid-January, Todd and I went to take a look at an RV in our price range over an hour away from our home.  After attending the Cleveland RV show the day before, we knew exactly what we were looking for in an RV and we were ready to start actively searching for our (new to us) home on wheels.  We looked at a couple of RV’s before the RV show and were not impressed to say the least.  When we arrived to the dealership and saw the RV we had come to see and I was disappointed.  There were a few things that needed fixed, the interior was outdated, the tires were dry-rotted, the carpets were filthy, and there didn’t seem to be much room in the RV.  Defeated, I saw a large Class A across the way that was more than what we had in the bank to purchase an RV.  We stepped into the rig and were immediately blown away.  I am pretty sure my first word was “Wow!”  It.Was.Gorgeous!

After walking through the entire RV, we were still in awe of the beautiful rig.  With only 72,500 miles on it, it met all of our requirements and then some!  The rig was just purchased from another dealership and driven up from Florida {no rust!}, it had only one owner, it was meticulously taken care of, its records and repair receipts (there were only 2 of them) kept organized in an accordion file, used unleaded gasoline, had two bump-outs to create plenty of room for our family, large freshwater holding tanks (important for boondocking) and it had wonderful storage space.  This was the rig of our dreams that we could live in {very} comfortably.

After going to a local McDonald’s to use their WiFi, we did research on the rig to see if the quality was there, to check reviews and to see how much negotiating needed to be done to bring it down to a reasonable price below the NADA value.  We were pleasantly surprised by what we found: the reviews on this Make/Model rig were great and the price was well below the NADA wholesale value.  After talking about it for a little while longer, we decided to put a deposit down on the rig contingent on an inspection.

A week later, we were informed that the inspection was done on the entire RV and it was cleared, so we had ourselves an RV.  Todd and I did something we said we were never going to do again: we took out a loan for a portion of the RV.  It is funny how lenders (and even the dealership) wanted us to take out a 10 year loan on the 13 year old RV.  No thanks.  Instead, we opted for an 18 month loan that we are looking to have paid off as soon as possible.  According to Dave Ramsey’s teachings, we should pay off the RV before paying off the house, but we only have 9 more months until the house is paid off.  It will take less than 4 months to pay off the rig after the house is paid off.

We named the rig Tinkerbell.  Everyone I tell thinks it’s the worst name to call the beast, but the 33’ 2000 Rexhall Rexair is a small RV comparatively.  Also, the rig needs a few little repairs and Todd will be “Tinkering” with it until the weather warms up and we can get out on the road!

For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of our new home on wheels:

View from the cockpit

Second view from the cockpit

Photo of the kitchen area
(taken by the dealership: not sure why there is dust particles all over this picture.)

Our plan this year is to take Tink out for as many 3-day weekends as possible starting the beginning of May until the weather turns cool in the fall with an extended excursion depending on if hubby’s new job offers any time off.  We cannot wait to get out in the wilderness and start boondocking!

Saving Money: Cell Phone Plans

 It has been over 6 months since Todd and I have switchedfrom a contracted cell phone plan to prepaid.  We had AT&T, and I decided to stay with them because they had the best priced plan for how I use my phone: a lot of texting, few minutes and no data.  I also chose to stay with AT&T because I didn’t want to have to purchase a new phone.  Todd, on the other hand, wanted to try Straight Talk through Walmart.  Due to where we live and whatever service provider they were using, his signal was not the best and his calls were dropped frequently.  Thank goodness it was a month-by-month plan!  He then switched to T-Mobile’s prepaid plan and experienced the same issues.  By the third month, he switched to a Verizon prepaid plan and has been happy ever since! 

Our contracted cell phone plan was costing us $125.00+/month for 3 phones (Todd’s mom had one of the phones so they could talk mobile-to-mobile without burning minutes in our plan: we do not have a land line).  With this plan, we had a set amount of minutes that could be rolled over each month if they went unused, unlimited text and only Todd’s phone had internet access.  Today, with have:

My Plan: 250 minutes/month + unlimited text for $25.00/month

Todd’s Plan: 500 minutes/month + unlimited text + unlimited data use* for $35.00/month

This works perfect for us.

I have yet to use all of my minutes each month though Todd has had to conserve his minutes at the end of each month (I married a talker and a mama’s boy!).

I like that with these cell phone plans, we are paying for only what we really need and use.  By doing so, we are saving over $60/month on our cell phone plans.  Not only that, if for any reason we want to eliminate a cell phone, we can do so without the large penalty!

Do you use your cell phone for fun (social media, games, etc.) or just as a way to communicate with others?  Have you considered a prepaid phone? They sure have come a long way from the TracPhone I had in college for emergencies!

*In order to be part of this plan, they do not allow smart phones.

New Year Aspirations 2014

This year, I am keeping my New Year Aspirations SIMPLE!

I get so discouraged when I don’t meet my goals each and every year.  This year, I am going to accomplish them all.

Read the One Year Bible from start to finish

I have read the Bible in 90 Days a couple of years back and that was tough!  I want to wake up and do my devotions every morning in 2014 before I do anything else to start my day.

Lose 40 pounds

Every year I want to lose weight, but this year it is going to happen.  It HAS to happen. 40 lbs is less than a pound a week which does not sound too far-fetched.  Honestly, I just want to feel good in my own skin and be able to lead an active life.

Pay Off the Mortgage

To date, we owe $24,497.32 on our mortgage.  We were able to pay off ½ of the mortgage last year and we hope to pay off the rest this year to be mortgage-free by October 2014!

These are the aspirations I will be focusing on in 2014.

What are your goals for this year?

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.