Tuesday, April 1, 2014

March 2014 Expenses

I believe this is my tenth month of tracking and blogging about dog-related expenses.

I do these posts for a few reasons.  I have seen a few other bloggers do them, and it is a good way for me to keep track and be accountable for dog related expenses.  Also, it is a fairly accurate example of the costs associated with caring for three large dogs.  Some argue that raw is expensive, but in my opinion and experience, it is no more expensive than feeding a good quality kibble.

March 2014 Expenses

Food-$237.54
Health-$8.00
Treats-$38.38
Miscellaneous-$1759.74

Total-$2043.66

Wow.  I wish I could say this total was an April Fools' Day joke, but I do have a valid explanation.

Food was payment for my April Raw Paws order, a few bags of chicken leg quarters, a purchase from a local butcher, and a My Pet Carnivore order.

Health was the cost of Bruce's prescription. 

Treats included a few random tendon treats and the Freezy Pups kit.

Miscellaneous expenses were very large this month, and if not for them, my monthly expenses would have been less than $300.  The largest amount of money was spent on having concrete poured, and after the rain we had this past Saturday, I feel it was worth the investment.  My dogs are crated during mealtime, and even though we blocked off the dog door, I was still nervous about the dogs getting out while the concrete was curing and the fencing not yet put back up.  Faolan's crate was a bit rickety, so we purchased a new one for him, and crated the dogs for a few days while not at home as well, as I am paranoid about escape.  $60 of this was registration fees for this year's Mutt Strut for Les and myself,which I am very much looking forward to, as usual.  The final miscellaneous expenditure was for an impromptu session I had with an animal communicator at a rescue event last month.  It was jaw-dropping, slightly spooky, tear-inducing, and merits a blog post of it's own, which is forthcoming.

 As I mentioned, without the cost of pouring concrete and other miscellaneous expenses, this was a pretty typical month for us.  

 Who else tracks dog-related expenses?  If so, what is your biggest expense?  I am not asking anyone to share dollar amounts, as some people are not comfortable discussing these things.

12 comments:

  1. Whew! That is not fun. Since adopting our second dog, I've started tracking expenses, and they always boggle the mind (and not in a good way). We suspect that our new puppy may have EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency), so our big expenses lately have been health care/vet-related.

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    1. I've been thinking about you and her. Please post when you find something out.

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  2. I don't normally keep close track of our pet expenses, but this does get me thinking about it, so maybe I will. I do record everything we spend, I just don't sit down and look at the totals month by month. I think with 5 animals, I'm just a bit afraid to do so! I would be curious also how the food expense does compare...we feed what I consider very good quality kibble....not top of the line but up there. I'll let you know if I ever do sit down and do it so we can compare.
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  3. No, my mom hasn't ever done that but it is a very good idea...we are interested in your post coming up about the communicator. Thanks for sharing.
    stella rose

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  4. I'm kind of afraid to do track my dog-related spending. These days I would much rather buy something fun for Ruby than new clothes or shoes for myself, and a lot of it is admittedly unnecessary.

    I'm looking forward to the animal communicator post - I have always thought they were a bit silly but I did a mini-session with Ruby and found it interesting, certainly mind-opening!

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    1. I'm doing the post soon, probably tomorrow. I hope you will, or have, posted about yours!

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  5. I think these types of posts can be helpful for people thinking about getting a dog and what the costs might be.

    I am looking forward to hearing more about this animal communicator!

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  6. I need to get back into doing this. I know the rough figures but not to the exact. I'm EXTREMELY grateful for the free food we got last month, since that cut down expenses in a huge way.
    DM

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  7. I'd say our biggest expense is on treats. My hubby is crazy about giving them a treat every night while we watch TV. We stock up when we have extra $$ get a wide variety.

    And the seeing the vet in the spring is always a big expense. Heartworm test for 6 and it seems they all need their shots at the same time. That bill is always a big smack in the face, even when we are prepared for it. :)



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    1. That's why I somewhat stagger vet visits for my crew. Three at once, no thanks.

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  8. We know roughly what we spend we think but if we totalled up the actuals bet we would get a shock. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  9. I should probably keep better track of my expenses but i definitely do not!!! BOL! Sheesh!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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Thanks for the howls!!