I had to retype the word "frugal" in the post name three times! No wonder, since August life was anything but frugal for us. In fact, it was so expensive, we are way off the charts... First, it was an unexpected medical bill. We tried to fight it but there is not much we could do. It's all about the agreement between the hospital (or hospital system that also includes small clinics in our case) and the insurance company. They did give us a 15% discount for paying it right away but it was still $686. Ugh!!
Then, our dog... Our poor little puppy... When we went out of town before, a family member would usually take Toby but she couldn't this time, so we had to rely on a boarding place when we went to Bear Lake. Never again! To make a long story short, we came to pick him up early and he was covered with pee as if he spent days sitting in it, his bed was soaked and he was visibly miserable. I felt like the worst Mom in the world! We are still fighting with them to get our money back but so far it's one excuse after another. They do offer a complimentary bath before you pick your dog up but we hit the road earlier and didn't warn them we were coming. I guess I'm glad we didn't because we found out in what condition our dog lived in for 5 days... I was and still am heartbroken. We left all kinds of nasty reviews and are considering a complaint with animal control department...
And two days before we left, our puppy had some issues breathing so we had to take him to the vet. It turned out to be nothing serious. But add the vet bill to the picture plus a new bed that we had to purchase for him (because even the wash couldn't save the old one. It was that nasty!!), and we paid almost $300 this month. That's almost $1000 in unexpected bills alone! I'm grateful that we have money set aside for things like this but it still hurts...
But there are blessings too... Today my sweet friend gave me all of her baby girl clothes, a bounce seat, a car seat and an exersaucer. It's huge for us and saves us a lot of money on necessities. We are almost ready to buy a second car seat too (more on it tomorrow).
But yes, August was extremely expensive for us and I'm ready for it to be over....
And how was August for you? Was it full of blessings, nasty surprises or somewhere in between?
You should definitely contact the ACD about the kennels. No animal should be kept in that kind of state. It's had enough for them to be left let alone be mistreated. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful friend giving you so much baby stuff.
Carolx
No surprises. Hard days. Good days. Sunny, hot weather. Mixed bag but very calm!
ReplyDeleteSo hard to have bills come in that were not expected. So glad you had a healthy savings account!
Our budget was hammered beyond my wildest dreams :( So thankful for the EF!!
ReplyDeletePets enrich our lives so much, but they are expensive. Glad it was nothing serious with Toby, however I'm very sorry (and angry) that the boarding place was so bad.
ReplyDeleteAugust was expensive for us more because it seems like we were driving somewhere every weekend. No hotels because we stayed with family but it still adds up! It is hard to say no right now even though I am 7 months pregnant because it is so much easier to go places now than it will be next summer! Also last night I made it to 32 things for your challenge with a quick purge of my closet and a few maternity tops I know I won't be wearing this time around. Are you good on baby boy clothes? I remember the amount of clothes I received for my daughter being overwhelming but I I tried to save the things that I knew I would want to see my next daughter in and I think the closet is at a good amount. It is just diapers and wipes I need now!
ReplyDelete-Jen
We had a bad experience with a kennel too. Also like your dog he came home stinking of pee. He then developed sores (like burns) on his stomach - vet thought probably from sitting in his pee.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't even try get our money back from the kennel and it cost us a lot of money to pay the vet and for medication.
We now leave his with a dog minder who keeps him in her home. I would never send a house dog to a kennel every again.
We are feeling the pinch right now too - back to school, fees, sports, medical and dental bills, car repairs (tires) etc. The money is all there, thank goodness, but it's trying to replace the money in savings that hurts!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about the bad experience you had with Toby at the kennel.
ReplyDeleteRhonda
August was crazy expensive for us, but in the good way. We had our Japanese homestay girl here and did many wonderful activities, bought any gifts, etc... So our slush did take a dive, but I'm hoping to build it back up again. :)
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