Ratsicles
Posted : 6/2/2007 5:16:05 AM
If you truly didn't mean any offense, then I too apologize.
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Yes, we don't make a ton of money. Honestly, we are only able to make it work by buying NOTHING for ourselves. The only luxury we have is internet. That's it. I haven't bought clothes in over two years. If I wear makeup, I buy the cheapest stuff possible. I eat as little as possible and buy the cheapest (healthy ) food I can. Both of our cars are hand me downs, bought super cheaply from my parent when they got new cars- both of them are almost 20 year old, totally paid off, and in bad shape. The just barely poddle along, but they get us where we need to go.
We just honestly don't buy anything for ourselves except the bare essentials. My HS art teacher, who was like a second mother to me, lets me get free art supplies from her when I go visit. If we want books, we go to the library. We might occasionaly go to a movie, but only matinee, and only on special occasions.
We're just happy to spend every penny on our animals. They're our hobby, and basically our kids. Before we get a new pet of any sort, we scrimp and save for months in order to have a sufficient vet fund saved for them- the exceptions are Butter and Madison, who were impromptu rescues. Otherwise, it takes MONTHS of planning- with this dog, we had been planning for months for the addition of a rescued pittie- we were financially ready for him, we just really wanted to wait until we moved. He was the perfect dog, I didn't want to miss out on him, so we got him a bit early.
We bought a farm specifically for the animals. I personally don't feel much like living in a trailer out in the middle of nowhere- but I wanted a farm so that my dogs could have room to play in the sunshine. So that we could raise our own food, and possibly do some resuce one DH switches jobs and makes enough money to support it.
I'm not trying to sound like some kind of martyr here...that's just how it is for us. We love animals, and they're all we WANT to spend our money on- so while we don't have much, we're able to give our pets great care. That's not to say that sometimes things get tight- there are times when they don't get as many new toys every month as usual, and if something unexpected comes up, they may have to switch temporarily to a slightly cheaper food- but they never want for anything and they have incredibly happy lives.
DH is getting out of the miltary in January. The new job he's getting should pay 2-3 times as much as he's making now. Things are going to get better.
As for my health issues? Yeah, I'm beyond miserable right now- but taking care of the animals is the only thing getting me out of bed right now. Without them, I probably wouldn't have eaten or moved at all in the past 2 weeks. I get up and force myself to play with, feed, walk, groom, and train them. I don't feel like doing it right now- but it needs to be done. Without them, I would be doing nothing but sitting around feeling sorry for myself- they're pretty much the best therapy possible for me ATM.