If it wasn't clear from my comments, our pups are work dogs, not so much companion animals. While we love them, they are more a cost of doing business out here on the farm, than simply a hobby or a love for animals.. :)
It is a valid question to wonder about having two Large Breed dogs when on a budget. We have the dogs for security reasons and as part of our farm living / livestock needs on our 9 acre farm. The Pyrenees are wonderful with children, have a short puppy phase (little nipping, tearing things up), do well in cold weather, train well, and are great for keeping predators away from our chicken flock. We tried going without a dog for some time, due to the cost. We ran into so many problems with raccoons, fox, badgers, stray cats, etc that we decided to invest in pups. They were purchased from a reputable breeder at 1/5 the cost because we bought them during the fall when people have a hard time selling them. The benefits have far outweighed the costs for us just in security reasons and the safety of our chickens and calf.
I certainly wouldn't recommend big dogs just to have them, as they do cost more to feed. We have gotten around the cost of feeding them high-end meat simply by adding them into our grocery buying. When we buy bulk hamburger twice a year on sale for 99 cents a pound, we buy an extra 10-20 pounds for them. Same for turkeys when they are B1G1 during the holidays. We will also check the meat case for items that are at the end of their sell date. The meat is still good, just needs to be cooked or frozen right away. This is a great way to get chops, roasts, turkey legs, etc. for pennies.
Just a little extra commentary on the person who was commenting on large dogs and how they apply to the budget.
I can't speak for Linsey's decisions, but for myself at the time that we got the dogs there were (in addition to being ready to give dogs in need of adoption a home) security concerns for us. (BTW, we have a lab and a German shepherd / collie mix.) With my husband's job, we weren't sure if he was going to Iraq or not.
Would be interested in anyone else's experience / reasons.
I'm a bit surprised at your assertion that homemade dog food actually saves money. I'd considered doing it for the nutritional aspects, but had always figured that real meat (even scraps) would cost more than whatever processed-meat-like-byproduct they use in kibble.
I'd be really interested to see more detail on the numbers for this - what kind of scraps and where you get them, do you buy it in bulk, &c.
I didn't mean that to sound so critical, by the way - just that the articles opening comments about being frugal seemed to suggest that the family was already on a budget (I didn't think three loaves for six was all that much, really) - then added the puppies - but logic rarely comes into it with animals, does it! We have somehow acquired a menagerie ourselves.
I can't help wondering why anyone who is on a budget would have TWO Pyrenees - feeding them is one thing, but with big dogs, everything costs twice as much - medication, kenneling... I certainly wouldn't recommend it if you are thinking about a dog and already counting the pennies.
When we had our Bernese, before the drought, we used to buy a side of lamb for $2.99 a kilo AU. He used to eat legs of lamb! (now it's $30+ a kilo) Chicken necks, carcasses and wings are good - the small soft bones are very digestible, and they are usually pretty cheap.
This reminds me of a situation we had when buying a house. The bank foreclosed on and repossessed the property while we were in contract with the occupants (yes, fraud on their part, but what are you going to do?).
We thought that it might be possible to turn around and buy it from the bank, saving them the trouble of paying taxes on it, marketing it, finding a buyer &c.
But no such luck. Like the loans in your article, it all goes into a system, with risk and profit carefully measured out, and nobody but call center employees on a script able to access it.
It took us four more months to find another house (and while I'm not exactly checking daily, I still haven't seen the first house back on the market). Both sides loose out to not having a person able to make decisions. Hopefully the current crisis will be enough of a wakeup for banks to realize there's a problem with their 'system'.
This reminds me of an ad I just saw on Amazon.com for their new digital book hardware. It's a little book-sized piece of electronics that costs $400 initial investment. THEN, each book costs $10 to download. I'm sorry? It's in digital format and it's not costing you any paper or distribution costs, and you're still charging $10?
I like the idea of an electronic reader, but... what will happen to used books? Could people re-sell their electronic copy for $5? That would be fair.
I stopped eating bread because I got tired of it. However, there are many kinds of breakfast foods, many in generic brands and/or bulk quantity, available in the average supermarket. I also have leftovers for breakfast sometimes.
Good idea. While I haven't had a chance to run the egg shell idea by a vet, I would tend to lean towards lending it some validity, as my sister-in-law needs calcium supplemented in her diet for medical reasons. The store bought supplements were outrageous, so her doctor gave her a recipe (I don't have it, have only seen her make it) using egg shells and lemon juice. She was supposed to take a couple of spoonfuls of that a day instead of the calcium supplements. I do remember her saying that in order to get the pure source of the calcium (which is apparently what egg shells are), she had been instructed to use shells from raw eggs, not cooked eggs. Does this fit in with what anyone else has heard?
That being said, our lab is on laxative capsules due to a gland issue she has, and the vet said to get the kind without calcium. Now, she may have said that due to the fact that dog foods have it (?) and too much would not be good.
Now I've got myself wondering . . . I'll have to add it to my list of questions as we are going for a medical follow up and booster shots in a week or two . . .
Home made dog food is a REAL money saver and it's probably better for the dog. I freeze individual servings in covered bowls and take them out of the freezer a day before they are needed.
You may want to give some raw bones to provide calcium for growing dogs. (Cooked bone has too much danger of splintering.) Or, you can provide calcium by putting some egg shells in your dog food. I use a little coffee grinder to pulverize the egg shells.
Second, I'm looking forward to attempting the hot chocolate and (perhaps) the dog food. They are both things I've had on my mental list to try homemade versions of, but haven't made the transition yet. I'm going to check out the pet food recipe link right now. Just as an aside, here's a link to the cream soup recipe I mix up as a dry mix in bulk every few months. It is SO convenient to have it there when I want to do a batch of chowder, which is probably going to be today or tomorrow. And you are so right, the broths, cream soups and gravies add up to a mind blowing amount if you use them regularly.
I definitely agree with you. I once had a box of M&Ms and one was deformed with white flecks. I emailed the company about it and they phoned me up later to confirm my email. Then they sent me a $5 cheque to reimburse me for it, which was great!
What's amazing is that when my husband first suggested that I make our bread, I cried. I did not want to be "that person". Now I can happily use the "bread money" for something I really want, and I have accepted this is how I will be living for awhile!
thanks for the tip!
When I buy records I find the best deals for items that don't really belong in that particular store. For instance, I picked up some great/cheap hiphop LPs and a hardcore/punk record store's 2nd hand bin.
Sorry, I put the link to the shoes that were $8.99. But if you do a search for Chuck Taylor at Musician's Friend , you see the whole range. Many styles are $9.99 and $11.99, which is still a huge saving.
The recipe is great. I just became a vegetairan last new years as a resolution, and I'm still trying to figure my way around it. I made a little more sauce than I needed for the recipe and I am just wondering how long will it keep for in the fridge, and does it have to be in an air-tight container, or will a small bowl with seran wrap do?
I stumped my 11th grade math teacher with this problem. She spent ten minutes reading it over and over before I explained it her her. It was awesome. It was advanced math to boot, so double awesome.
I also live in Colorado and everytime we hear a tv commercial by American Family Warehouse or Kohl my husband and I turn to each other and say "Imagine, they are having a sale" and then we laugh.
If it wasn't clear from my comments, our pups are work dogs, not so much companion animals. While we love them, they are more a cost of doing business out here on the farm, than simply a hobby or a love for animals.. :)
It is a valid question to wonder about having two Large Breed dogs when on a budget. We have the dogs for security reasons and as part of our farm living / livestock needs on our 9 acre farm. The Pyrenees are wonderful with children, have a short puppy phase (little nipping, tearing things up), do well in cold weather, train well, and are great for keeping predators away from our chicken flock. We tried going without a dog for some time, due to the cost. We ran into so many problems with raccoons, fox, badgers, stray cats, etc that we decided to invest in pups. They were purchased from a reputable breeder at 1/5 the cost because we bought them during the fall when people have a hard time selling them. The benefits have far outweighed the costs for us just in security reasons and the safety of our chickens and calf.
I certainly wouldn't recommend big dogs just to have them, as they do cost more to feed. We have gotten around the cost of feeding them high-end meat simply by adding them into our grocery buying. When we buy bulk hamburger twice a year on sale for 99 cents a pound, we buy an extra 10-20 pounds for them. Same for turkeys when they are B1G1 during the holidays. We will also check the meat case for items that are at the end of their sell date. The meat is still good, just needs to be cooked or frozen right away. This is a great way to get chops, roasts, turkey legs, etc. for pennies.
Just a little extra commentary on the person who was commenting on large dogs and how they apply to the budget.
I can't speak for Linsey's decisions, but for myself at the time that we got the dogs there were (in addition to being ready to give dogs in need of adoption a home) security concerns for us. (BTW, we have a lab and a German shepherd / collie mix.) With my husband's job, we weren't sure if he was going to Iraq or not.
Would be interested in anyone else's experience / reasons.
I'm a bit surprised at your assertion that homemade dog food actually saves money. I'd considered doing it for the nutritional aspects, but had always figured that real meat (even scraps) would cost more than whatever processed-meat-like-byproduct they use in kibble.
I'd be really interested to see more detail on the numbers for this - what kind of scraps and where you get them, do you buy it in bulk, &c.
-C
I didn't mean that to sound so critical, by the way - just that the articles opening comments about being frugal seemed to suggest that the family was already on a budget (I didn't think three loaves for six was all that much, really) - then added the puppies - but logic rarely comes into it with animals, does it! We have somehow acquired a menagerie ourselves.
I can't help wondering why anyone who is on a budget would have TWO Pyrenees - feeding them is one thing, but with big dogs, everything costs twice as much - medication, kenneling... I certainly wouldn't recommend it if you are thinking about a dog and already counting the pennies.
When we had our Bernese, before the drought, we used to buy a side of lamb for $2.99 a kilo AU. He used to eat legs of lamb! (now it's $30+ a kilo) Chicken necks, carcasses and wings are good - the small soft bones are very digestible, and they are usually pretty cheap.
This reminds me of a situation we had when buying a house. The bank foreclosed on and repossessed the property while we were in contract with the occupants (yes, fraud on their part, but what are you going to do?).
We thought that it might be possible to turn around and buy it from the bank, saving them the trouble of paying taxes on it, marketing it, finding a buyer &c.
But no such luck. Like the loans in your article, it all goes into a system, with risk and profit carefully measured out, and nobody but call center employees on a script able to access it.
It took us four more months to find another house (and while I'm not exactly checking daily, I still haven't seen the first house back on the market). Both sides loose out to not having a person able to make decisions. Hopefully the current crisis will be enough of a wakeup for banks to realize there's a problem with their 'system'.
This reminds me of an ad I just saw on Amazon.com for their new digital book hardware. It's a little book-sized piece of electronics that costs $400 initial investment. THEN, each book costs $10 to download. I'm sorry? It's in digital format and it's not costing you any paper or distribution costs, and you're still charging $10?
I like the idea of an electronic reader, but... what will happen to used books? Could people re-sell their electronic copy for $5? That would be fair.
I stopped eating bread because I got tired of it. However, there are many kinds of breakfast foods, many in generic brands and/or bulk quantity, available in the average supermarket. I also have leftovers for breakfast sometimes.
My hot cocoa recipe is milk and store brand choc. syrup in the microwave; I'm not sure how cost-saving it is, but I nearly always have both on hand.
Good idea. While I haven't had a chance to run the egg shell idea by a vet, I would tend to lean towards lending it some validity, as my sister-in-law needs calcium supplemented in her diet for medical reasons. The store bought supplements were outrageous, so her doctor gave her a recipe (I don't have it, have only seen her make it) using egg shells and lemon juice. She was supposed to take a couple of spoonfuls of that a day instead of the calcium supplements. I do remember her saying that in order to get the pure source of the calcium (which is apparently what egg shells are), she had been instructed to use shells from raw eggs, not cooked eggs. Does this fit in with what anyone else has heard?
That being said, our lab is on laxative capsules due to a gland issue she has, and the vet said to get the kind without calcium. Now, she may have said that due to the fact that dog foods have it (?) and too much would not be good.
Now I've got myself wondering . . . I'll have to add it to my list of questions as we are going for a medical follow up and booster shots in a week or two . . .
Home made dog food is a REAL money saver and it's probably better for the dog. I freeze individual servings in covered bowls and take them out of the freezer a day before they are needed.
You may want to give some raw bones to provide calcium for growing dogs. (Cooked bone has too much danger of splintering.) Or, you can provide calcium by putting some egg shells in your dog food. I use a little coffee grinder to pulverize the egg shells.
I had never considered making my own dog food. I'm going to look into that (it has to be better for pups than commercial stuff).
I have been making my own hot cocoa mix and base sauces for years - no preservatives and they taste so much better than pre-packaged stuff.
First of all, thanks for the links, girl!
Second, I'm looking forward to attempting the hot chocolate and (perhaps) the dog food. They are both things I've had on my mental list to try homemade versions of, but haven't made the transition yet. I'm going to check out the pet food recipe link right now. Just as an aside, here's a link to the cream soup recipe I mix up as a dry mix in bulk every few months. It is SO convenient to have it there when I want to do a batch of chowder, which is probably going to be today or tomorrow. And you are so right, the broths, cream soups and gravies add up to a mind blowing amount if you use them regularly.
Thanks again, Linsey!
The guy only hands out two dollars, one to each friend. Because he himself is the third guy he is pocketing three dollars!
It's that simple!
My favourite bizarre question is from "Dexter, Boy Genius". In a dream, his sister asks him "What is the purpose of meaning?"
I definitely agree with you. I once had a box of M&Ms and one was deformed with white flecks. I emailed the company about it and they phoned me up later to confirm my email. Then they sent me a $5 cheque to reimburse me for it, which was great!
What's amazing is that when my husband first suggested that I make our bread, I cried. I did not want to be "that person". Now I can happily use the "bread money" for something I really want, and I have accepted this is how I will be living for awhile!
Thanks Linsey! It's great to know someone is actually doing that, when all I see people buying in grocery stores is processed ick.
thanks for the tip!
When I buy records I find the best deals for items that don't really belong in that particular store. For instance, I picked up some great/cheap hiphop LPs and a hardcore/punk record store's 2nd hand bin.
Sorry, I put the link to the shoes that were $8.99. But if you do a search for Chuck Taylor at Musician's Friend , you see the whole range. Many styles are $9.99 and $11.99, which is still a huge saving.
The recipe is great. I just became a vegetairan last new years as a resolution, and I'm still trying to figure my way around it. I made a little more sauce than I needed for the recipe and I am just wondering how long will it keep for in the fridge, and does it have to be in an air-tight container, or will a small bowl with seran wrap do?
I stumped my 11th grade math teacher with this problem. She spent ten minutes reading it over and over before I explained it her her. It was awesome. It was advanced math to boot, so double awesome.
I also live in Colorado and everytime we hear a tv commercial by American Family Warehouse or Kohl my husband and I turn to each other and say "Imagine, they are having a sale" and then we laugh.
I saw on your website a painting : "http://bobig.fr/portfolio/feuilles/"
I was wondering if you still have it or one like it?
Do you also paint cityscapes? In color?
I would love to have one or two of your paintings.
it's not 20 styles to choose from. it's just the white zombie and black tiger. the pics are of the 2 styles at different angles.