<$Thursday, July 3, 2008$>
House Hunt & Puppy Quest Update
| This week has been one of the most hectic weeks I've experienced in a while. Apart from work being way more busy than you'd expect on a week when a third of the company is on vacation, I've been spending all of my "free" time making phone calls and filling out paperwork and doing research for our potential house. That's right, we found a house! We found two houses, even! One that we love, that's listed at the very tip top of our budget, but that, with the exception of an extra bathroom, is everything we want in a house; and one that is less expensive, and is also everything we need, but that needs some work to update it and make it pretty, and is our backup in case we don't get the first house. As for the first house, we're meeting our agent there tomorrow to go through it once more and put together an offer. Hopefully, next week I'll be able to report that they've accepted our offer and we're in escrow limbo. Also next week, I'll do up a big post about everything we've learned about how to buy a house when you're a first time home buyer with a single income and very little savings, without getting yourself in deep, deep trouble. In other news, we're not eligible to adopt a puppy from the rescue shelter unless/until we get our cats vaccinated, which we were planning to do anyway before moving them into the city. The only reason we haven't done so yet, or at least haven't done so in a long time, is because they're totally indoor cats and are never exposed to other animals. Also, they're both pretty young and healthy, and our unhealthy, elderly dog was our priority. At any rate, they're both going to get bundled up and taken to the vet soon. That should certainly be interesting. Labels: house-hunt, personal, pets |
<$Thursday, June 26, 2008$>
I can has hows now plz?
| New real estate agent seems pretty great so far--no trouble at all getting an appointment with her on her end, she's really flexible, which is just what we need. We just had to figure out some transportation for Husband, and now we're good to go a-hunting tomorrow afternoon. I'll have to come back to work afterwards to make up the hours I'll miss, but it's worth it if it can speed this process up. We're so tired of being houseless! We're especially eager to hurry up and move since we put in an application to adopt a puppy. We didn't think we were ready yet--it's been 8 weeks since we lost Fizzgigg, but it still feels like it just happened--but we saw a report on the local news about a bunch of Bichon Frises getting rescued from a puppy mill and brought to a local rescue shelter, and it just felt like the right thing to do. The shelter told us that they only place puppy mill survivors in homes that already have an established adult dog, though. I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with them being freaking terrified of people because of all of the abuse and neglect and whatnot, and the other dog makes them feel more secure. So anyway, we're not eligible for one of the rescues, but they offered to process our application anyway and put us on the waiting list for a puppy, and we agreed. I still get sad thinking about another dog in Fizz's place, but at the same time, the prospect of a puppy is helping me feel a little better. I haven't had an actual puppy to raise in... oh, ever. The only family dog I can remember getting as an actual puppy was when I was six. So it's exciting, the idea of raising a dog from scratch and knowing its entire life story. Scary, considering what a little holy terror Niblet was when she was a kitten (and still is, sometimes, seven years later), and remembering that baby animals can be as irritating at times as they are cute (or maybe that just goes for kittehs). Even so, I'm looking forward to it. Even more, I'm looking forward to being able to give it its very own yard to play in. So that's the news of us for today. Hopefully, by Monday I'll be able to give you a positive update on the house hunt. Labels: house-hunt, personal, pets |
<$Monday, February 11, 2008$>
Weekend report
| Well, we got through the weekend without spending any money. Which isn't that much of an accomplishment, seeing as how we didn't go anywhere; but also seeing as we started out anticipating a pizza night and then decided against it, we still get to pat ourselves on the back. Tonight I've got to stop and pick a few things up for Husband, which is usual, but he kept his list really short, so he gets commended for that, too. And I'm going to eat a snack before I stop so I won't be tempted to deviate from the list. I did spend some money at woot! today (a site I normally do my best to avoid), but considering we've been wanting mp3 players forever and these were pretty decent ones going for under $10, I thought it was a justifiable splurge. I got one for each of us. Hopefully they'll arrive in time to load his up with love songs and give it to him for Valentine's day. Oh, and we also spent $90 at the vet Friday, getting Fizzgigg's thyroid tested, but that came out of the emergency fund. Hopefully, whatever's wrong with him won't be too costly to treat (we're still waiting for the test results), but whatever it is, we'll pay it. We just want our little guy well. :( |
<$Monday, January 21, 2008$>
Pets Allowed
| *Sponsored Post* Having pets can sometimes make it difficult to plan a trip. What do you do with them while you're gone? Do you hire someone to walk and feed them, or do you board them with a kennel? Cats tend to be less of a worry--put out clean litter and a week's worth of kibble and water and get a neighbor to check in once in a while to make sure they haven't managed to somehow burn the house down while you're gone, and they'll be fine. Dogs, though, tend to need more maintenance, not to mention more company. I've always had portable dogs, so whenever feasible my favorite option has been to take them with me. Pet Friendly Hotels can be hard to come by, so I've got plenty of stories of sneaking my chihuahua into hotel rooms by hiding her in my purse. If your dog weighs more than five pounds, though, chances are you'll need to find a hotel that welcomes pets. Taking them with you can be a bit of a hassle, but you'll save on kennel and/or dog sitter fees, plus have the peace of mind of knowing your dog has the best caretaker available while you're gone -- it has you. Labels: disclosure, pets, PPP, travel |
<$Wednesday, September 5, 2007$>
Tiny Dog Threads
| So one of the secret things I've alluded to in recent weeks has achieved reality and doesn't need to be a secret anymore. I just made over my Etsy shop and added Tiny Dog Threads, hipster fashions for tiny dogs. I only have two designs up right now (pictured over in the sidebar): the Jolly Roger sweater and a Union Jack coat; but I'm working on more. These are customizable and made to order. I figure I can handle two a week at my current schedule. I don't expect them to sell like hotcakes, but I know from experience that it's hard to find sweaters for teeny, tiny dogs that fit properly and aren't too frou-frou, so I expect them to do better than my stitch markers have, at least. Proceeds, minus the cost of materials, will of course be added to the debt reduction kitty. Coming soon: jack-o-lantern purses! And possibly jack-o-lantern tiny dog sweaters, come to think of it.... Labels: extra income, fun, pets, self-promotion |
<$Wednesday, August 29, 2007$>
Eeeeee! Puppies!
| *Sponsored Post* My mom is constantly saying she'd like to get a Yorkie puppy some day, after both of her current dogs have passed on. When the time comes, I intend to point her toward Salt Creek Kennel, a local breeding kennel with a pretty good pedigree. I'm always suspicious of any place that specializes in breeding puppies, but this kennel's web site doesn't raise any Evil Puppy Mill red flags. On the contrary, they're AKC certified, they have a local veterinarian inspect both their parent dogs and puppies on a regular basis, their puppies come with a one-year health warranty, and they post customer feedback on their site. What really impresses me is that they want to get to know their customers so that they can be sure their puppies are going to good homes, and to keep in touch to make sure they can answer any questions that might arise after the puppies get settled in their new homes. They specialize in small, AKC-certified breeds which can be a bit pricey, but with the health guarantees, paying extra for quality breeding might be worth it. I love Fizzgigg with all my heart, and wouldn't trade him for the world, but his health problems this year alone have cost us as much as buying one of these puppies would have. Some vet bills are going to be inevitable no matter what, but getting a dog whose history and parentage you're certain of could really cut down on veterinary costs over the dog's lifetime. Warning: clicking on those links could lead to squealing, intense desire to hold and cuddle puppies, and cuteness overload. We're not in the market for a new dog right now, but I've been thinking I'd like to eventually consider English bulldogs. These French bulldog puppies, however, have me leaning more in their direction. Eee! So cute! Labels: disclosure, pets, PPP |
<$Thursday, August 16, 2007$>
Contest "winner", and more big vet bills
| I only had one commenter who wanted my copy of Bridal Bargains, so she can have it. Congrats, Amy! Just let me know where to send it, and I'll get it in the mail by Monday. In less happy news, Fizzgigg needs surgery. :( Expensive surgery, at that. It's not life-or-death or anything, but he has an open sore on his front leg that (look away now if you're sqeamish) the bone is showing through (it's okay now, you can look back). I took him to the vet weeks ago, and they told me to keep it bandaged and give it more time to heal. A month later, and it hasn't shown any signs of healing on its own, so I took him back yesterday. I thought he would just need some stitches, but the vet gave some fancy word for what's wrong with him and said that he'll need surgery, and a lot of medication afterwards, and gave me an estimate of nearly $200. So tomorrow morning Fizzgigg goes back to finally get his leg fixed, and I get to dip into our savings to pay for it. I'm not going to complain, though, because he's worth it, and I'd pay a lot more than that to keep him from being in pain. This vet's cost estimates tend to run higher than the actual cost, though, so I'm hoping this will be one of those times. Let this serve once again as a reminder that pets can be expensive, and we should all make sure we can afford to give them proper care before committing to be their caretakers. |
<$Monday, June 25, 2007$>
Pet Health: Love's Not All They Need
 If you have pets, you probably don't need me to extol the virtues of having these fuzzy (or feathery, or scaley, if that's your thing) critters in your life. I've always been an animal person, and as such have always had plenty of pets. I've been known to bring home needy strays or accept animals needing homes despite barely being able to take care of myself, always thinking I could just buy the cheap food for them and make it up with lots of love. While I may have been well-intentioned, I realize now that I was wrong-headed. Over the last month we've spent about $350 on our "baby," Fizzgigg, the toy poodle I rescued off the street seven years ago. His health is paying the price for all that cheap food I used to feed him, and we're more than making up for all the money saved on dog food with expensive veterinary bills. I actually figured this out a couple of years ago, when his stomach stopped tolerating the cheap stuff. I upgraded his food to Science Diet, on the vet's recommendation, and he can handle that a lot better. That stuff, though, is loaded with wheat and corn gluten which, as I've found out in recent research, is notorious for causing allergies. So now I'll be upgrading him again to an even pricier, organic and gluten-free dog food, and mixing high grade fish oil in to boot. I won't lie--it's not cheap, and it makes me cringe when I fit it in the budget; but if it takes care of his allergy problem, it could save me hundreds in vet bills. Not to mention that it will improve his quality of life and make him a happy puppy dog, which is worth every penny. Just as investing in your own health will probably save you thousands of dollars in medical bills down the line, investing in your pets' health can save hundreds, if not thousands, in veterinary costs. This has been an expensive lesson to learn, as well as a painful one for Fizzgigg. From now on, no matter how much it pains me to close my door to an animal in need, I won't take on any pets that I can't afford to provide with quality care. UPDATE: Since I wrote this, I found a small bag of Newman's Own at Wild Oats that should provide my little guy with at least a month's worth of healthy, gluten-free eating, and it actually cost about $5 less than what I normally pay for Science Diet. It's too soon to tell how much this new food will impact his allergies, but it looks like this is one case where going the healthier route actually saves money, and not just in the long run. Labels: healthy living, pets |