As a pet owner, you love your pet – but those vet bills and pet costs can really add up. You may be tempted to take out personal loans or payday loans to cope with sudden medical costs, but there are many ways to make caring for your pet less costly.
Visit a vet school in your area. If there is a vet school in your area, contact them to find out whether they take patients from the general community. Some do – at very discount rates – in order to give vet students a chance to learn. Students are usually overseen by experienced instructors, so your pet still gets quality care.
Take your pet into the vet sooner. If you notice your dog or cat has a symptom that worries you, take them to the vet first. This is usually far less expensive than waiting for a condition to become more fully developed – treatment is usually more expensive then.
Discuss pet food costs and options with your vet. You do not have to spend a ton on pet food to offer your pet quality nutrition. Some pet owners even make their own organic pet food for a fraction of the price of fancy designer brands.
Do the math on pet insurance. Calculate how much you spend on average on vet bills and how much pet insurance might cost. If it makes sense to do so, get pet insurance. If you decide that pet insurance makes no financial sense, start a pet emergency fund to ensure that you can pay for vet bills in an emergency without taking out loans.…
Month: November 2022
Money is one topic that many couples argue about. Money tends to be a very emotionally-charged topic and can easily lead to friction. Learning to talk about money in healthy ways, though, can pave the way for a healthier relationship. Here’s how to have those tough talks.
Have regular money discussions. Rather than just talking about money when there’s a problem, discuss money regularly – say, when you pay the bills. Get to know each other’s financial attitudes and values. Praise each other for savings, promotions, and money management.
Set goals together. Develop financial goals as a couple – maybe a mutual savings system or a joint financial retirement plan – and review your goals during your regular financial discussions.
Keep some finances separate. Don’t have everything in common accounts. Keep separate accounts, as well, for personal buys. This will help prevent arguments about one person spending the couple’s money. Have a joint account into which each partner pays a pre-set amount each month. Deposit the remainder of your paycheck into your personal account. Use the joint account for combined expenses (such as paying off the mortgage or personal loans you have taken out together) and individual accounts for personal expenses (clothes, personal gadgets, etc).…