Changing habits, wanting freedom

JWPopps · 24 February 2017 at 12:43PM

I have savings rather than insurance for my cat as he's 11 now so his insurance premiums would have been massive. I also pay monthly to the vet for his vaccinations, flea and worm treatments as well as paying monthly for stuff for the rabbits. This would mean I get 20% fee reductions on any operations they might need, and I get regular 'freebies' as part of it (i.e. it pays for all the rabbit food and I get discount on the obesity cat food for my fatty catty).

So there are other options - but believe me I agree - anything goes wrong with a pet and it's going to be pricy!!!

Honey_Bear · 24 February 2017 at 5:39PM

Sounds sensible about the car and summer thing, JVR. I hope you find a really good deal when the time comes. In the meantime, if the weather turns fab and you need to go camping would be be worth hiring the vehicle that would do everything you want for a week/long weekend to see if that would be an interim compromise?

As to pet insurance, we have animals, always have had. I've never insured a cat and never needed to worry about paying their vets bills because after 30 years of having one, two, three and four at various times, their bills have always been manageable.

Dogs, however, are an entirely different matter and the bigger the dog, the bigger the bills, and when they get older .... Honestly, words fail me about the size of their bills. Admittedly I make life financially tough on myself by taking on older dogs anyway, but with each adoption I've never paid with less than £1000 within the first couple of months, despite them all having a so called clean bill of health. This has happened four times, so it's not bad luck, it's just the way it is.

This particular dog came with four week's free insurance (RSPCA adoption, all the rest were from tiny, tiny rehoming charities) and I continued the policy because I knew what the other dogs had cost me. Within three months he'd had extensive dental work and a lump removed and I'd received twice the annual cost back in claims. He's now having his third course of hydrotherapy at £320 a course, and that's on top of over £700 worth of xrays for an entirely new and different problem. The insurance costs me about £33 a month and the insurance company has coughed up without a murmer each time.

The vet's practice I use submits the claims on line for a fee of about £6.50 so nothing, but nothing, gets left off the claim and the insurance company pays up within 10 days. When I talked to the member of staff who does the claims and said how guilty I felt about taking all the money, she said, 'Don't feel guilty. There are masses of dog owners with us who pay all their animals' lives and never get a penny back because there's nothing to claim for.'

jvr · 1 March 2017 at 11:00AM

I have changed the insurance and its 35 a month for three of them (cat had a car accident last year and his insurance def paid for itself a few times - feel he is so daft it is worth it!)

So finances paid off a bit more debt today down to 4650 which may not seem dramatic but also set aside £100 towards sisters wedding stuff, 120 for plumber visit (fingers crossed shower can be sorted or will cost more!!) and 200 towards the car insurance at the end of the month, the other 400 will come from my wage on 21st.
So still no date when can start making much larger payments but hopefully April and can see that number get below 4000. Ideally to get a car need debt below 4000 and about 600 in savings for insurance and then could get a lone for cover debt and car and pay that off over a bit longer while saving saving saving.
OH's best friend getting married I SA and he has asked him to be best man in January. Slightly panicked about the 2000 we would need to go but it will have been 2 years since OH went home and 3 for me so it is a priority, its not just about the holiday but the fact his family cannot afford to travel to see him so it is up to us to make it over and he misses them a lot.
Started a health kick this week, work have a 'fat club' and we pay in £1 a week and at the end of the 8 weeks whoever loses the most gets the £104... Its mostly to keep me on track but would be nice to win! Trying to do cheap and healthy meals at the same time is challenging but doing well so far! Not drinking anything in the week and limited at weekend will surely make up the difference in food costs (I do love my wine)
Feeling a bit frustrated at moment that just not managing to be as good with spending as I would like, I desperately want to sort our garden this year and grow some veg but need something to actually grow them in and it all costs money. We have a large patio area and want seating and flowers to enjoy it more but again its money that should be for debt. A bit tense at the moment not knowing what they will say about the boiler I'm sure I will relax after that and be able to plan the next few months out.

Think I need to post more and write my daily spends to hold me more accountable!

Scott_Weiland_2 · 1 March 2017 at 11:37AM

jvr wrote: »

I have changed the insurance and its 35 a month for three of them (cat had a car accident last year and his insurance def paid for itself a few times - feel he is so daft it is worth it!)

So finances paid off a bit more debt today down to 4650 which may not seem dramatic but also set aside £100 towards sisters wedding stuff, 120 for plumber visit (fingers crossed shower can be sorted or will cost more!!) and 200 towards the car insurance at the end of the month, the other 400 will come from my wage on 21st.
So still no date when can start making much larger payments but hopefully April and can see that number get below 4000. Ideally to get a car need debt below 4000 and about 600 in savings for insurance and then could get a lone for cover debt and car and pay that off over a bit longer while saving saving saving.
OH's best friend getting married I SA and he has asked him to be best man in January. Slightly panicked about the 2000 we would need to go but it will have been 2 years since OH went home and 3 for me so it is a priority, its not just about the holiday but the fact his family cannot afford to travel to see him so it is up to us to make it over and he misses them a lot.
Started a health kick this week, work have a 'fat club' and we pay in £1 a week and at the end of the 8 weeks whoever loses the most gets the £104... Its mostly to keep me on track but would be nice to win! Trying to do cheap and healthy meals at the same time is challenging but doing well so far! Not drinking anything in the week and limited at weekend will surely make up the difference in food costs (I do love my wine)
Feeling a bit frustrated at moment that just not managing to be as good with spending as I would like, I desperately want to sort our garden this year and grow some veg but need something to actually grow them in and it all costs money. We have a large patio area and want seating and flowers to enjoy it more but again its money that should be for debt. A bit tense at the moment not knowing what they will say about the boiler I'm sure I will relax after that and be able to plan the next few months out.

Think I need to post more and write my daily spends to hold me more accountable!

Sounds good re the little weight loss club the lasses at work do similar

A weight loss tip do 3 things

Drink 2-2.5 litres of water per day and i mean on top of tea/coffee juice etc etc

drink 2-3 cups of green tea

and buy some cla capsules there about 5-6 pound on ebay or holland and barrett all will help

i used to do bodybuilder shows it will all help x

jvr · 1 March 2017 at 11:59AM

Thanks Scott! Got my 2l bottle on my desk to try get through in the day and actually have some green tea here so will try and have one morning and afternoon.
What are CLA tablets, what are they for?

Scott_Weiland_2 · 1 March 2017 at 12:06PM

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040520/cla-weight-loss?

i am heading to bed after nights buts its basically a weight loss post more later have a read of the link. Alot of the diet protein shakes on the market ie lower cal ones contain cla it helps with weight loss

If you win the challenge my fee is 20percent &#55357;&#56841;

Honey_Bear · 2 March 2017 at 1:54PM

Good luck with the weightloss JVR, and I hope it proves to be profitable as well!

Well done for all the financial juggling, paying bills, calculating forwards what you'll need to spend when the time comes and balancing it all out. It's a bit of a nightmare, but it is worth it because sooner or later you'll find yourself sorted, no debts and money ready in the bank for the annual things like pet insurance.

I hope you both get the opportunity to look forward to going back to SA - it should be a wonderful trip and half the fun is the anticipation.

Scott_Weiland_2 · 3 March 2017 at 4:50AM

So when is your first worky weigh in????

jvr · 3 March 2017 at 1:20PM

Hi

Still need to look at that link Scott will do tonight

and it will be Wednesday it is 8 weeks long but I am looking at what I can do over 10 weeks till my sisters wedding and then hopefully I should be my happy weight and able to look at a good plan for maintaining that.

Thanks Honey the juggling has been tricky and I have realised I haven't allowed for the 100 for admin fee for the new mortgage but hopefully shouldn't be too much of a problem will just dip me in my allowed overdraft and I can adjust for it pay day. The main expense is the car insurance and the rotty being spayed coming in the same month but were managing

We got a takeaway last night as I had been out at a team building day and was exhausted and starving, The curry was neither MSE or diet friendly but hit the spot after a very exhausting active day and I can't say I regret it haha.
Park run in the morning plus hair cut and climbing before friends birthday night out so not a cheap one. Only issue is everyone is meeting at another friends first and it is not a cheap taxi

not planning on drinking much as quite honestly don't need the hangover. But gonna need at least one as my ex-best friend who I haven't seen since a fall out a year ago will be there and I'm dreading it. Need to do it as we will be staying in a cottage together for another friends hen do for two nights in may.... not exactly looking forward to that!

Honey_Bear · 4 March 2017 at 12:05PM

Good luck with the weightloss for the wedding.

Juggling and planning finances is always tricky because we all forget some of the expenses, like the arrangement fee which is why we need a financial cushion being us, rather than a maxed out overdraft. If you can salt away an emergency fund as part of your debt-busting you'll be in a better position in the future. I keep a Credit Union account, into which I put my annual sealed pot savings, and two pound coin collection. In an emergency, having shovelled money in there once or twice a year for five years it would see me through and I don't miss it while I'm saving it. Even if you only get into the habit of saving your coppers from your purse at the end of the week, it's still saving.

I think the odd takeaway is bound to happen because that's how you used to live. Don't beat yourself up about it, but next time you're meal planning, take a look at what's up and coming and when you're likely to fall back on a takeaway so that you can have a fakeaway set by. In a perfect world, of course, where no-one ever made a mistake.

Your concerns about up and coming events with your ex-best friend is planning at it's absolute best, because you're treating the potential for a disaster as real - which it is. I can honestly say there are times when, frankly, adding booze to a difficult situation is absolutely guaranteed to end in tears, and the get together in May is one of them. As is the planned birthday get together, which I think is tonight. Can you actually afford this expensive taxi ride, and do you really need to drink? If you are dreading it rather than looking forward to going out, can you rethink how you plan to spend it? It might be worth considering driving and then you can't drink, which would solve most of the potential problems.

If you weaken an have one, you can always get a taxi back which is money you were planning on spending anyway, but the truth is, once you've decided that you'd be better off not drinking you'd probably be more relaxed about seeing this person who's caused so much angst. Just a thought.

Changing habits, wanting freedom

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