Looking forward - Debt Free in 4 years

mizmir

Hi Karma - was just feeling sorry for myself. All fine really - just plodding on through. I have tried GTD and for a while it works but I do tend to spend more time doing the lists than actually doing the work! :rotfl:

The thing that I realise has worked for me before really well is the Pomodoro technique so I think I will dust down my timer and give that a go for the next couple of days. I have my lists - and actually the most productive thing seems to be a notebook where I just scribble things down. I may just have to forgo technology for this one!

First new loan payment has come out so off to update my snowball and sig. Think it will mean I have paid a little more than my monthly target off the debts for Feb which will be a boost.

Now I have a conundrum for you all to ponder. Pet insurance. We currently have 3 dogs. Two are insured. The other isn't (arrived at the age of 7 now nearly 9, giant pedigree breed, couldn't find an insurer who'd start insurance for him at a sensible price). All three are now "veterans" (11, 9, 8). Insurance premiums on the other two have gone up repeatedly so we are now paying £100 a MONTH - EACH!! :eek::eek: I am tempted to cancel the insurance and start saving that money so that we have some cover for all three dogs. BUT - one dog is on regular medication (£67 a month at the moment). The other has in the past been accident prone but fingers crossed we haven't had an incident for a while. So I worry that something might happen before we build up a pot. Any thoughts? Would we be mad to stop the insurance? No chance of sensibly switching as both have conditions that would not be covered. (even if anyone would take them on at their ages). Maybe I need to just start "self insuring" the big fella - and if I build up a pot then cancel the insurance later.

mizmir

Almost cracking through another 1K barrier - am tempted to pay £20 more off to get below £58K but I know I haven't added all the interest in yet so it will go back over when I do. And I don't have a spare £20 right now as have to pay a couple of stray interest amounts on the cards we paid off in January with the BTs. So I will resist the temptation for now, do the interest calculations and get an accurate picture then see if I can get there by the end of Feb!

Ali-OK

Morning Miz,

Glad the dental cost wasn't as horrendous as could have been and great you had budget in medical to cover some of it.

The dog insurance is a really tricky one - both of mine are uninsured at the moment and would come out of my emergency fund/buffer if something happened right now. I've got the Dogs Trust membership to cover public liability side. But they are only 2 and 5 so I have a while before I think insurance might be necessary (and very costly).

Hmmm...I'd say if you had a buffer then cancel. Or cancel one of them and save one might be a half way house option?

Prices keep shooting up for sure and certainly having moved to a less expensive Vet Surgery, I shall move to getting prescription goods on line if needed.

Incidentally, I've been quoted £235 a year for a Complete Care Plan for each - £130 of that is preventative flea treatment :eek:

Have you used any natural/herbal remedy type treatments on yours? I bought vet wrap online from eBay a few years back - £10 for a box of 12 rolls and instead of being charged £35 to re-wrap at the surgery did it myself

I'm becoming convinced that doglets are more expensive than children these days :rotfl:

mizmir

Thanks Ali. Yes - I do some natural stuff. I don't like the over treatment that is the current thing - even the manufacturers say that most of the vaccines last at least 3 years - and some have limited effectiveness anyway. I don't do monthly flea treatments - worm every 6 months rather than 3. I don't think mine have every had fleas and worms only once. I used to have a fabulous holistic vet so we were on a 3 year vaccination protocol and used things like supplements, acupuncture and homeopathy rather than drugs for several conditions. Manuka honey for instance was recommended for a wound that wouldn't heal and worked brilliantly and I am convinced that acupuncture helped our old dog have 3 more months of good life - she had been unable to get up, had acupuncture, and immediately got up and pottered round the garden! Can't find a similar vet since moving here but may change vets as have found someone I can at least talk to about these things.

So I do some stuff myself - certainly happy to treat minor wounds etc. But our lurcher has sliced a tendon on a hidden tin lid on a walk, jumped a wall and landed on a spike through her leg, narrowly missing her artery, stolen raisins and mince pies - not to mention one incident of seizures. And the collie has a previously unseen heart condition plus chronic bronchitis. When I see that in B&W I think maybe keeping the insurance is a good idea! Perhaps I can build up a pot over this year - see how the treatments go. Renewal is in December so could aim to cancel then (as I am sure the price will leap up again!).

Ali-OK

That's a good plan to keep insurance until it's renewal and see what you can save in the meantime. Reading the lurcher's antics I can see why!

I agree with the vaccine side too, unfortunately there's no 'holiday homes' for them other than ones that demand they are vaccinated annually. I guess no holidays or taking them with us is the only other option (but springer is too mad for that).

You've spurred me on to look at alternative treatments too - thanks for posting that info.

mizmir

Ali-OK wrote: »

That's a good plan to keep insurance until it's renewal and see what you can save in the meantime. Reading the lurcher's antics I can see why!

I agree with the vaccine side too, unfortunately there's no 'holiday homes' for them other than ones that demand they are vaccinated annually. I guess no holidays or taking them with us is the only other option (but springer is too mad for that).

You've spurred me on to look at alternative treatments too - thanks for posting that info.

Our kennels accepted the 3 year vaccination because the vet had indicated on their certificates a valid to date and so it was in date. Haven't had to show them since as we are regulars.

Ali-OK

That's interesting, lots for me to investigate now! Thank you :beer:

I can motivate myself to sit online searching fine :rotfl::rotfl:

Karmacat

Ali-OK wrote: »

I can motivate myself to sit online searching fine :rotfl::rotfl:

And another one right here

Ali-OK

Karmacat wrote: »

And another one right here

I've hardly moved since I posted that, aside from cups of tea making and letting the dogs out to play :rotfl:

Karmacat

Ali-OK wrote: »

I've hardly moved since I posted that, aside from cups of tea making and letting the dogs out to play :rotfl:

I got bored, and went out to look at the local Pets Corner, so I could do some f-2-f research, looking at cat-related products for my website :D:D

Its a hard life :rotfl: