Feeling really vulnerable

kindofagilr

MrsMs wrote: »

I didn't get on with the eCigs when I last tried them. I'll have to dig my old one out and perhaps give it another try. Did your husband make the transition easily, or was it a slow process for him?

Hi. I quit smoking on 1st September 2015 using a e-cigarette to quit, it was the best thing I ever did. I think once you have found a flavour of eliquid that you like then that's it all done really. I started off on 12mg of nicotine, then down to 9mg, then 6mg, then 3mg, then 0mg. My spend went from £220 a month on cigarettes to £30 a month on e-cigs, and now I don't use it at all, and don't want a cigarette at all. Good luck xx

MrsMs_2

DrWatson1 wrote: »

+1 to raw feeding dogs. It doesn't take a genius to work out feeding an animal the same food it would eat in the wild is going to offer better health benefits than processed gunk from the supermarket. Those prices are amazing though - can I ask where you get 50 chicken carcasses for £6?! Also, how big are your dogs that they need a whole carcass for a meal?!

With regards to holidays, although holidays abroad are nice, I'm just as happy walking in The Peaks or The Lakes with my dog, and you can get a holiday cottage for 2 people for not much more than it costs to board 2 dogs!

Pet insurance and vaccinations, I don't pay either. Even for a young dog (mine is 2 years old), they wanted £250 per year for a decent policy such as the ones offered by Petplan (most are not worth the paper they are written on), and it escalated very quickly towards a thousand a year once the dog is over 8 years old. As long as you are able to save some money, and mentally swallow a large vet bill (e.g if I get a £2k bill when the dog is 8, I will have saved money in the long run) then I think it's a better approach.

I visit a farm shop for the carcasses. I order the carcasses in and they also keep the green tripe outside for when I get there as they raise and slaughter their own animals. Usually there's more than 50 in the box but 50 is about average. They also give me any bones and scraps from that day as they have an on-site butchers, and those are free. The dogs are Labradors.

This holiday I'm going on will be my first abroad for 14 years. It's a one off as we usually just go away for weekends with the dogs in the UK.

The insurance thing is tricky. Labradors are prone to some health issues and my boy has a diagnosis of hip dysplasia. He will definitely need his right hip replacing in the next couple of years, at a cost of around £8k for the surgery and initial stay with the specialist, and more for ongoing physio and hydrotherapy. He has dysplasia in both hips, so the second may also need replacing. As a result of the dysplasia, he also has arthritis in both hips. When they get to a stage when I'd feel they're too old to undergo any invasive surgery, I may swap to an accident only policy, but I think for now, it's an essential to make sure he can have whatever surgery and treatment he needs.

kindofagilr wrote: »

Hi. I quit smoking on 1st September 2015 using a e-cigarette to quit, it was the best thing I ever did. I think once you have found a flavour of eliquid that you like then that's it all done really. I started off on 12mg of nicotine, then down to 9mg, then 6mg, then 3mg, then 0mg. My spend went from £220 a month on cigarettes to £30 a month on e-cigs, and now I don't use it at all, and don't want a cigarette at all. Good luck xx

Wow, that's a massive saving. What type of e-cig did you use? I think I need to give the smoking serious thought, as I'm loving the idea of being mortgage free sooner, so want to be paying extra to that somehow, and still save x

DrWatson1

MrsMs wrote: »

I visit a farm shop for the carcasses. I order the carcasses in and they also keep the green tripe outside for when I get there as they raise and slaughter their own animals. Usually there's more than 50 in the box but 50 is about average. They also give me any bones and scraps from that day as they have an on-site butchers, and those are free. The dogs are Labradors.

Thanks for the tip - I have a local farm shop where I usually buy all my eggs and meat (£3.30 for 30 organic free range eggs!). Never thought to ask them about spare bones and carcasses - they have over 10k chickens on site!

kindofagilr

MrsMs wrote: »

Wow, that's a massive saving. What type of e-cig did you use? I think I need to give the smoking serious thought, as I'm loving the idea of being mortgage free sooner, so want to be paying extra to that somehow, and still save x

This is the one I have https://www.totallywicked-eliquid.co.uk/arc-3-40w-e-cig-kit-and-e-liquid.html
I find it great
And the savings are amazing!! xx

MallyGirl

I raw feed too but haven't managed to find any cheap suppliers near me - the farm shops are all aiming at very rich people if their prices are used as a guide.
I have large dogs too and so pet insurance is an essential for us. One costs £39 pcm and the other £44

When my DD decided to take up knitting I did an appeal on our local freecycle group and got loads of free balls and part balls.

Peabody_2

Just a quick note on the wool, are you a member of any Facebook groups based on Crochet? The one I'm in very occasionally has stash swaps up, where people have wool they no longer want.

Only just coming back here myself so not sure I can comment on anything else.

Good luck though!!

glasgowm148

Would just like to comment on the anti-ecig rhethoric in this thread.

While we don't understand the long-term effects fully yet. It's pretty certain they are A LOT safer than cigarettes

In a 2015 joint statement, Public Health England and twelve other UK medical bodies concluded "e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking".[108] PHE also stated that e-cigarettes are estimated to be 95% less harmful than smoking.[109] The UK National Health Service believes that e-cigarettes have about 5% of the risk of tobacco cigarettes,[110] but also feels there will not be a complete understanding of their safety for many years.[110] There are clinical trials in progress to test the quality, safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes, but until these are complete the NHS maintains that the government could not give any advice on them or to recommend their use.[111]

The dangers come from vaporising the flavours. The actual PG/VG that makes up the juice is proven to be 100% safe. As it is pumped into hospital air amongst other things.

You can get 100ml for £10 (which does me, a heavy vaper who makes big massive clouds, 6-8 weeks or so) from here http://juicyvapes.co.uk/

Invest in a decent ecig (£50 or so) and you'll quit smoking no bother. I've been cigarette free for 3yrs now, saved £5k, added 290 days to my life and now vape without nicotine.

Also, I'd stop paying your TV licence, a netflix subscription is better and cheaper (Even cheaper if you borrow someones account!). The TV licence people are a private entity and have no right to enter your home so whenever they come to my door I just tell them I'm not interested in buying anything and close the door. They stopped coming after the second time.

MrsMs_2

DrWatson1 wrote: »

Thanks for the tip - I have a local farm shop where I usually buy all my eggs and meat (£3.30 for 30 organic free range eggs!). Never thought to ask them about spare bones and carcasses - they have over 10k chickens on site!

I love free range eggs. My parents neighbours have 10+ hens, so I get free eggs regularly. The dog enjoy one, shell and all, on a couple of meals a week too!

When I first started raw feeding 3 years ago, I found it difficult to find decent suppliers. Most butchers I approached said no, and it was disheartening. I got one of the free DEFRA licences for transporting animal byproducts and if I travel further afield to more rural areas, I have better luck. Some butchers may ask for a charity donation, but most don't as they have to pay for waste to be removed.

It's definitely worth asking your local farm shop what they can offer. If you shop there regularly for yourself, I'm sure they'd be far more likely to give you stuff very cheap or even free.

I love raw feeding! My dogs are very healthy overall, and it's such a great feeling feeding them a great diet for so little money. They have their own chest freezer and it's great to fill it for next to nothing!

MrsMs_2

kindofagilr wrote: »

This is the one I have https://www.totallywicked-eliquid.co.uk/arc-3-40w-e-cig-kit-and-e-liquid.html
I find it great
And the savings are amazing!! xx

I bit the bullet last night and bought an Innokin T18 starter kit for me, and a T22 kit for the hubby. I also bought spare coils and 5 eliquid flavours. Total cost around £75. But, if we can quit smoking, that'll save us around £60-£80 a week, so it's worth it.

The coils arrived today, the vapes should arrive tomorrow, and the liquid said 1-2 days delivery, so hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday.

MrsMs_2

MallyGirl wrote: »

I raw feed too but haven't managed to find any cheap suppliers near me - the farm shops are all aiming at very rich people if their prices are used as a guide.
I have large dogs too and so pet insurance is an essential for us. One costs £39 pcm and the other £44

When my DD decided to take up knitting I did an appeal on our local freecycle group and got loads of free balls and part balls.

You may be surprised if you approach the farm shops. And they may be able to order carcasses/green tripe in for you very cheap. It's worth asking. I've come across quite a few now that have had expensive products and just asked for a charity donation for a carrier bag of bones and scraps.

I've got plenty of wool now for crochet and I'm a member of a couple of groups. I've also taught my mum how to crochet and she's been buying wool for me! I should be fine for probably 6 months or more!