The tire saga continues....

I went to swap out my tires with the ones my parents had. When I called a couple weeks back they told me it would work just fine but might look a bit funny. On my old car, I really don't care much anymore what it looks like. It's been hit in the parking lot at least 5 times. It's got a bunch of dents and dings.

The tire salesman yesterday gave me an earful about how the car was going to be all messed up if we put the smaller tires on my car. It would mess up suspension, mileage, and make for a really bumpy ride. Blah Blah blah I wasn't sure if he was just trying to sell me tires or if he was being truthful. So I went to a second tire store. My dad said it was better to get my second opinion from an independently owned shop rather than a national chain. So I drove around until I found one. I swear it had to be the most ghetto tire store in all of Salt Lake City. The man who came to check out my tires spoke very little English but managed to get the point across that the tires won't work right on my car. I guess getting 4 almost brand new tires for free was a bit wishful thinking.

I had to go back to the original store I was at and just buy two new tires!! I hate spending so much money on them!!

To make matters worse, the car is still rubbing on the tire. My Dad couldn't fix it but he said the damage was probably more than $1000.00 so it's worth filing a claim with the insurance company. Once again another financial set back. I am going to get an estimate and depending on the price I may end up paying the deductible to have it all fixed up. If I do, that means no trip to NY for Christmas and definitely no Flyball tournaments for the rest of this year.

I'm not sure how other people on single income's seem to do so well to travel with their dogs so much. I don't want to fly to Europe or go to Mexico. I want to take a 6 hour road trip to a weekend Flyball tournament. For some reason life seems to be working against that goal this year. I know Marley is a big expense but other dog people have expensive broken dogs too. I guess I will just keep telling myself that everyone else is using credit cards (even though that may not be true) and that I am still refusing to use credit cards if at all possible. Even if it means my dog gets to play less Flyball and I get to spend less time playing too.

Raw food on a budget.

I loved feeding my dogs a raw diet. Well, it was a modified raw diet (part kibble, veggies, raw meat, organs, and bones). I got a little out of control though and was spending WAY too much to feed my dogs. I ended up going back to kibble almost a year ago just because of the expense.

After discussion with my vet today, I decided I really need to be giving my dogs some meat! She recommended mostly beef in the summer. She says Chicken is a warming meat so it's best not to feed it during the warm months of summer. She really recommends a "mostly" moist food diet.

So the plan is, a little meat, some veggies, raw eggs, a bone here and there (or meat on the bone when I can afford it!) and some kibble of course. I gotta be careful about meat. I need to make sure I am budgeting for it and weighing it so I am not feeding too much and keeping within my budget. I need to look into feeding ground game meats because I know I can get them really cheap. I forgot to ask my vet when I was there today but I will definitely be asking her next time I am there.

I feel silly working for a pet food company and feeling like I still need to supplement but I don't buy into the idea that a single kibble can give your dog everything they need for life. I just have to stay focused at work that the people that switch to my food - are making a HUGE step up from what they are feeding. The company I work for makes a great product and I don't mind telling people that.

I bought some beef this evening for $1.98 a lb. I really would like to make the daily diet less than $2.00 a lb though. I think I am going to try to give Marley 1/4 lb a day and Dylan 1/2 lb. I am not sure I can afford that so I need to sit down and figure out how much meat is affordable once I figure out what I can feed. These rump roasts were on sale and the price is good for a big old hunk of meat.

I know I felt a lot better about the dogs health when they were on raw. I worry a lot about their teeth these days because I don't brush them as much as I should and they are starting to turn yellow. I didn't have those worries with a raw diet. My biggest concern on raw was their weight because I was feeding them way too much. That's why a scale is an absolute must for me!! I wonder if I can get a cheap one on eBay!

I really hate feeding organs. It makes me gag and I can't handle cutting them up either. I'll feed chicken livers and hearts though because they are cheap and I can Stick them with a fork and feed them whole.

I'm excited to get back into the raw feeding. I just need to be more careful about sticking to a budget while feeding it. The kibble I buy will last a lot longer and I think that Dylan could go back to a food with grains in it if I were supplementing with raw food. That would make buying dog food a lot cheaper as well (plus with employee coupons, I'd be set for a cheap kibble budget).

BOB DYLAN

OMG Bob Dylan is coming to SLC again! I promised myself that I wouldn't go to any shows this summer but now I am hating life!! I love, love, love him!! I saw him 5 or 6 years ago at Deer Valley and that was the first time I hung out with my very best friend. Then I saw him at Usana a few years ago as well (and we had 2nd row seats!)......

I really hate that there are all these good shows coming to Utah this summer and I can't afford anything. I don't understand how other people can afford to do all this stuff and I have spent the last year stressing and worrying over nearly every penny.

It makes me cry when I can't afford to do anything yet everyone I know is going out to do everything. No flyball tournaments for me and after this whole Marley mess I probably won't be able to go to NY for xmas either. And no going out to eat, or movies, or just out with friends. Or buying new clothes, or cars, or new cool dog stuff. Life seriously sucks (and it sucked before I dumped all my savings into Marley).

I kind of wish I could go back to where I didn't care about saving money. I have been trying so hard to save money but every time I do, I end up needing it because my car broke down or Dylan tore his knee open or Marley gets attacked by a dog. So what's the point? I know it's a bad plan never to save any money but it seems like every time i save it i have to spend it anyway.

So anyway, now I am sitting at my desk and crying because I feel like I can't afford to do anything. I won't be seeing Rat Dog, or Steve Miller Band, or Bob Dylan this summer. Just be trying to save my money so I can have a savings account.

Shouldn't Bob Dylan give me free tickets because I named my dog after him???

Dave Ramsey on Podcast

I listen to several podcasts every week. One of my favorites is the Dave Ramsey radio show. Paul actually introduced me to him a few months ago. Dave's a financial advisor that helps people learn how to get out of debt. He also talks a lot about investing and planning for finances in the future.

I gotta admit, at first, I felt a little dumb listening to it. But the reality is, I really like it. It's motivating for me to try to keep my finances in better order. I'm really trying to stay more organized. He's a little more religious than I would prefer but overall his financial advice is great. He really stresses staying out of debt and I think that's a great plan. I've never been a big fan of credit cards (mostly becuase I don't trust myself with them) so I have very little debt. I've worked my way through a bunch of financial stuff the last several months. I'm really feeling the momentum to get things all straightened out and in much better order over the next few months.

I would highly recommend the show to anyone experiencing financial stress. I'd say try it but give it a good couple of weeks before making a decision about how you feel about it. You will hear from some amazing people (e.g. people who have paid off 30K in debt on a 40,000$ income with a family of 4) and hopefully come to some realization that living with credit cards is a vicious cycle that will never end unless you just stop using them. You can get it free on Itunes or check out http://www.daveramsey.com/.

It's been tough for me to have to miss concerts, dinners out with friends, and even trips to flyball tournaments and seminars. Missing Flyball has by far been the most difficult. I have no doubt though, that it will be well worth it in the end.