Pow! Right in the wallet!

[Spinney]

Is it just me or do unexpected expenses pop up so regularly that they should be expected? I'm starting to think the only budget that works is the one that includes $300 a month categorized under, "Oh shit! I didn't see THAT coming!"

Last month there were a bunch of expenses related to moving that I hadn't thought about but didn't really take me by surprise. So far for February's bills I have an extra $270 or so in vetrinary bills for my cat, and I just found out that my cell phone bill has almost $40 in long distance charges incurred during my move. That's right, they were charging me long distance for incoming calls and accessing my voicemail. I'm not very hopeful that I'll be able to get those charges reversed, as insane as they are. I've got 2 more years on my contract with Rogers, and I doubt they'll care if I'm pissed off enough to go to a competitor at the end.

How much do you allocate in your budget for surprise expenses?

[and1grad]

How much do you allocate in your budget for surprise expenses?
I actually dont PLAN on saving b/c for me its like a diet. I'll never to stick to it. I've also noticed that now that I'm more able to afford surprise expenses more easily, they happen a lot less. Either that or I just dont notice em as much.

[Winter Storm]

I just make sure to continue to put deposits into my savings for just such "surprises".

Last year I spent $1000 just in diagnostic tests, X-rays, prescriptions and ultimately euthanasia for a sick and dying cat. I wrote that check off without blinking an eye. That's what savings are for.

[embrassezla]

Someone I know coined a term for this: "Life Tax". It kinda makes you feel better to think of it that way. But I don't budget for it, other than my emergency fund.

[sparky88]

We have about 1500 in surprise expenses once every 2-3 months. we don't have a monthly budget for those things.

[Syracuse]

I just make sure to continue to put deposits into my savings for just such "surprises".

Last year I spent $1000 just in diagnostic tests, X-rays, prescriptions and ultimately euthanasia for a sick and dying cat. I wrote that check off without blinking an eye. That's what savings are for.
I'm not sure I could justify 1000 for a pet.

[Winter Storm]

I'm not sure I could justify 1000 for a pet.
Then you'd be best not to get one.

Because it wasn't all on one charge. The first round of tests were $300, then another round another $200-$300, plus medicine and the eventual euthanasia after he couldn't be saved. This was in the process of less than 2 months.

If you can't take care of a pet's health/medical needs, don't ever get one.

[WorkInProgress]

I'm not sure I could justify 1000 for a pet.

Then it's probably good that you don't have one.

EDIT: JINX Winter!

[embrassezla]

Then you'd be best not to get one.
Seriously. I wouldn't think twice about spending 5x that much on any of my pets, were it truly needed.

[Winter Storm]

Seriously. I wouldn't think twice about spending 5x that much on any of my pets, were it truly needed.
I have another friend that spent well over $5k in surgery for her cat that turned out to have a heart condition. He is now on daily medication. So $1k isn't even a big deal to me to have diagnosed, medicated and made my kitten comfortable in his last weeks.

[Syracuse]

I don't have a pet myself but me and my sister has a cat in the apartment we share. We like it and all but I don't think we'd spend much money if it suddenly got sick.

[WorkInProgress]

If you can't take care of a pet's health/medical needs, don't ever get one.

I agree. Basically, understand the costs of responsible pet ownership before getting a pet.

[and1grad]

I agree. Basically, understand the costs of responsible pet ownership before getting a pet.
Still sounds like kind of a "racket" to me.

[Syracuse]

A child I'd spend thousands on. A cat? People would question my sanity.

[Winter Storm]

Still sounds like kind of a "racket" to me.
Then don't get a pet.

[Winter Storm]

A child I'd spend thousands on. A cat? People would question my sanity.
Then don't get a cat.

[and1grad]

Then don't get a pet.
Thanks for the advice. Thinking thats a racket isnt going to stop me from getting a pet..nor should it. Thats like me saying that I hate taxes and you telling me to not get a job.

[Winter Storm]

Thanks for the advice. Thinking thats a racket isnt going to stop me from getting a pet..nor should it. Thats like me saying that I hate taxes and you telling me to not get a job.
Hey do whatcha wanna. Just sounded like you'd ruled out having a pet based on costs.

[WorkInProgress]

Still sounds like kind of a "racket" to me.

Whatev. Different people regard their pets differently. Maybe I'm a crazy dog lady, and maybe you (or others) think I have whacked out priorities, but I still think pets' medical care (including preventative care, like check ups, vaccines, and heartworm medication) is a perfectly justifiable cost. Since I am responsible for my pet, why wouldn't I do what I can to a)figure out what's medically wrong with my pet, b)take care of the problem, if it's reasonably treatable, c)make my pet more comfortable if it is not and d)put it down if that's what's best?

[Syracuse]

Hey do whatcha wanna. Just sounded like you'd ruled out having a pet based on costs.
You can still get a cat, and not spend thousands on it. Many people do. Some people feel it's worth thousands to them. More power to them. I guess it's pointless to argue.

[Winter Storm]

You can still get a cat, and not spend thousands on it. Many people do. Some people feel it's worth thousands to them. More power to them. I guess it's pointless to argue.
You're right, there's not point in arguing. If you get a pet and it turns out to be terminally ill, you can skip the medicine and and vet fees and allow it to die a slow, painful death and discard the remains however you feel.

[weary]

on average, my "life tax" (i like that name, em) costs run $200-$500 a month, sometimes more. i know what my monthly bills are, including what i put into savings every month (i consider a bill that has to be paid - the FIRST bill actually) and i know what the leftover amount is. i don't usually put more in savings b/c it winds up going for some car thing, house thing, kid thing, health thing or someone's damn gift date (birthday/wedding/baby shower/etc).

[and1grad]

Whatev. Different people regard their pets differently. Maybe I'm a crazy dog lady, and maybe you (or others) think I have whacked out priorities, but I still think pets' medical care (including preventative care, like check ups, vaccines, and heartworm medication) is a perfectly justifiable cost. Since I am responsible for my pet, why wouldn't I do what I can to a)figure out what's medically wrong with my pet, b)take care of the problem, if it's reasonably treatable, c)make my pet more comfortable if it is not and d)put it down if that's what's best?
All I said is it sounds like a racket. I never said a pet's medical care shouldnt be a priority. Do I think a pet's medical bills should be several hundred dollars? No. If you think it should cost that much, congratulations. Doesnt mean I wouldnt spend what I had to on my pet nor does it make you, or any pet owner, more responsible than I would be.

[wordsmith]

I have to automatically put X amount in savings in order to maintain any kind of emergency cushion.

[Syracuse]

You're right, there's not point in arguing. If you get a pet and it turns out to be terminally ill, you can skip the medicine and and vet fees and allow it to die a slow, painful death and discard the remains however you feel.
Did your vet tell you that to get you to fork over the thousands of dollars?

[wordsmith]

All I said is it sounds like a racket. I never said a pet's medical care shouldnt be a priority. Do I think a pet's medical bills should be several hundred dollars? No. If you think it should cost that much, congratulations. Doesnt mean I wouldnt spend what I had to on my pet nor does it make you, or any pet owner, more responsible than I would be.

TONS of veterinary care is a $$$-making venture, versus actually needed medically. Just like human health care.

[Winter Storm]

Did your vet tell you that to get you to fork over the thousands of dollars?
Tell me what exactly? First we had to find out what exactly was wrong with him. I was told it could have been 3 things:
1) kidney disease
2) cancer
3) some other minor infection

The first round of tests were pretty inconclusive so we had to look deeper to find out if it were something very serious or very minor.

Either way, I had to have the exams to find out what was going on internally. But like you said, there is nothing to argue here. You do whatever you want with your pets and I do what I want with mine.

[embrassezla]

TONS of veterinary care is a $$$-making venture, versus actually needed medically. Just like human health care.
It is absolutely a money-making venture. And yes, most of the time it IS a racket. But the problem is that the whole system is so f*cked up, and how is any average pet-owner supposed to know the real right thing to do? You really have to do your homework, and I mean a LOT of homework, to know what's best for your pet, which is often NOT what your vet is telling you. But not everyone can/will do that much research, and a lot of people just plain think that vets are trustworthy and don't question it.

It's really, really sad. But again, what is Winter supposed to do? The vet says her cat needs these tests, then these meds, etc etc, she has to trust them. They say it costs $1K and it's necessary, she has to pay it.

Anyway, threadjack over. *deep breath*

[Spinney]

Haha yeah...cats get expensive in old age. Mine had a kidney failure crisis resulting from a massive infection about a year ago. Ended up costing me almost $1000 by the time that was over. I wasn't really rolling in cash at the time so if I had known in advance I'd have gone for euthanasia. The problem is its not like fixing a car, and once you've spent $500 on various tests and treatment you're not exactly going to put poor Fluffy down over another $100 charge. After all you've taken responsibility for the well-being of a creature that depends on you for everything. (Not to say that you should go into debt for major vetrinary treatment). If you can't afford treatment there are vetrinary hospitals that will essentially adopt the cat, do the treatment and let it spend it's last few months hanging around the office. Vets don't like to put an animal down just because the owner doesn't have enough money.

Anyway...I had my budget set out so that I'm clearing about $300 a month, which with my current savings would allow me to pay off my car in July even without touching my tax return. I'd use that to knock off a student loan that costs me $100 a month. The schedule I worked out is aggressive enough though that paying off both of those would take my balance under $1000. While that would set me up to have $600 / month available for savings I'm suddenly not too comfortable having so little money in the bank :eek:

Guess I might wait a few extra months to pay down the student loan. It might cost more in the long run but the peace of mind will be worth it.

[wordsmith]

I know everyone will hate me, but I grew up on a farm with TONS of pets and various animals, and it was EXTREMELY rare that veterinary care was needed for any of our animals, beyond the vaccinations required by law. Once we had a horse that got tangled in a wire fence, and needed the cuts to his leg tended to. One of my many, many, many childhood dogs had a benign fatty tumor that we did have removed, that we left for a while, because the vet speculated that it was a harmless hernia. Other than that, apart from having pets put down in old age, I don't remember ANY of them needing any real professional care. And I never had a dog get sick and die before it's time, the only deaths that weren't old age were getting hit by cars. You can look at it either as my pets being lucky that they never got sick, or you can look at it as vets tend to line their pockets with lots of unnecessary treatments. I doubt I just had unusually healthy dogs all my childhood. I think it's a matter of vets by and large soaking pet owners.

[Spinney]

There certainly are vets who are like that. My impression when I was living in Vancouver was that these vets were for the most part immigrants who don't view pets the same way we do. Culture difference and all that. (just to throw a generalization out there :eek: )

This is why you really need to be selective when it comes to picking a vet. Ask for recommendations etc. If your pet has any kind of chronic illness obviously you need to learn as much about it as possible, and then ask the vet about it. If they sound like they aren't really sure what they're talking about keep looking. You're more likely to end up paying for unnecessary procedures at a place like that. With a chronic condition there are a lot of things you can learn to do yourself, and any reputable vet will show you.

eg: The main problem with kidney disease is the buildup of toxins in the blood. Injecting saline under the skin of your cat basically acts as a low grade dialysis. Since the condition is chronic it needs to be done on a regular basis. Some vets will expect you to come in each time and pay $30. Mine showed me how to do it at home and sold me the solution and gear required to do it. For $30 I was basically set for a couple of months, rather than just a week.

[WorkInProgress]

This is why you really need to be selective when it comes to picking a vet. Ask for recommendations etc. If your pet has any kind of chronic illness obviously you need to learn as much about it as possible, and then ask the vet about it. If they sound like they aren't really sure what they're talking about keep looking. You're more likely to end up paying for unnecessary procedures at a place like that. With a chronic condition there are a lot of things you can learn to do yourself, and any reputable vet will show you.

eg: The main problem with kidney disease is the buildup of toxins in the blood. Injecting saline under the skin of your cat basically acts as a low grade dialysis. Since the condition is chronic it needs to be done on a regular basis. Some vets will expect you to come in each time and pay $30. Mine showed me how to do it at home and sold me the solution and gear required to do it. For $30 I was basically set for a couple of months, rather than just a week.

Yep, for my dog who has chronic kidney failure, we do this every few days. She tolerates it really well, and it's made her more comfortable (and prolonged her life).

[Winter Storm]

I know everyone will hate me, but I grew up on a farm with TONS of pets and various animals, and it was EXTREMELY rare that veterinary care was needed for any of our animals, beyond the vaccinations required by law. Once we had a horse that got tangled in a wire fence, and needed the cuts to his leg tended to. One of my many, many, many childhood dogs had a benign fatty tumor that we did have removed, that we left for a while, because the vet speculated that it was a harmless hernia. Other than that, apart from having pets put down in old age, I don't remember ANY of them needing any real professional care. And I never had a dog get sick and die before it's time, the only deaths that weren't old age were getting hit by cars. You can look at it either as my pets being lucky that they never got sick, or you can look at it as vets tend to line their pockets with lots of unnecessary treatments. I doubt I just had unusually healthy dogs all my childhood. I think it's a matter of vets by and large soaking pet owners.

When I brought my kitten in to see the vet, he had lost 5 pounds and was so thin, his spine began sticking out from under his skin. He was eating less and less and looked terrible. He had an incurable infection. I don't believe my vet was making it up in an attempt to milk me out of money. He was really sick and needed that care.

He was also the 4th cat I've had in my life and the only one I'd ever had this problem with. My other cats were very healthy, never needed any serious care during their lifetimes.

[WorkInProgress]

I doubt I just had unusually healthy dogs all my childhood. I think it's a matter of vets by and large soaking pet owners.

No, I doubt anyone will hate you for saying that. Probably most dogs are healthy, like most people are healthy. But, when a pet becomes ill, and it's treatable and not horribly expensive (like, say the aforementioned chronic kidney failure, or a thyroid condition), I don't think it's fair to say that vets just sucker their clients. Some do, for sure. Some don't. Just like some regular doctors do. And some mechanics. And some of just about every profession.

[wordsmith]

All I know is that there is not a vet in my town that will treat a pet for ANYthing without doing a laundry list of "routine" tests, totalling well over $100 a visit. No matter what you go in for, or how minor. That's not right. My dad has taken their dog in for her rabies vaccine booster and literally taken the dog down off the table when the vet started doing exam procedures he didn't ask for, and explained that he was only there for the shot. That made him popular.

[Spinney]

Wow that's pretty bad. I've never seen a vet be that pushy. That's like a salesman giving a nonstop pitch and trying to get your credit card before you can even voice your questions. Actually more like trying to put it on your account.

Although last week I wish I had listened to my new vet and had a urinalysis done. We would have caught this infection before it turned into a $200 sunday evening emergency clinic visit.

[wordsmith]

Yeah, and they're super pushy about it when it's my mom, because they know she won't say, "No, I'm just here for a rabies booster," or whatev, she'll just let them do it. Which is exactly why my dad got ticked. Treatment for a sick or injured animal is warranted...but none of the HUMANS in my family go for routine wellness checkups, and batteries of "just in case" tests. The dogs aren't likely to, either, and their health hasn't suffered.

[wordsmith]

This is why you really need to be selective when it comes to picking a vet. Ask for recommendations etc.

Not so many options in a rural area, though. There are only three in the book, and one of the three is equine and livestock only.

[Honey418]

I've heard that there is pet insurance but I haven't really researched it. Anyone else know anything about it?