Author Topic: Unplanned spending  (Read 5516 times)

Roadrunner53

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Unplanned spending
« on: January 20, 2018, 06:10:08 AM »
Any of you get hit with unplanned bills this month? My dog is sick and required a urine test. Cost $45 for that. Urine test came back mostly okay but Vet said he needed a blood test. Took him in yesterday and that cost $150. Results will come Monday. Then I went to pharmacy and got a refill for an eye drop that isn't generic for glaucoma and it cost $175. I was like whoa there, isn't the insurance paying for this? They looked it up and because it is the beginning of the year I have not met my deductible yet. OMG! Yesterday was expensive and then I had to grocery shop after that! Going to check with the eye doc to see if there is a generic. Don't want to play games with the eyes though.


MasterStache

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2018, 07:04:22 AM »
I feel your pain. Our dog was vomiting profusely for several days. And it wasn't food, it was mostly saliva, mucus, foamy stuff. Took her to the vet first time and they diagnosed her with some sort of bacterial infection with no known causes but is often fatal to small dogs. Gave us some pills and had to feed special diet. Good for a couple days then started vomiting again. This time blood work, x-rays (check for blockage), urine and feces test. My wife pays for all this, but I believe total unexpected out of pocket was over $300. And they still have no ideal what is wrong with her. )-:

We now have 2 cats and 2 dogs all officially with some sort of illness and on medication! Ugh!

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2018, 07:18:14 AM »
I thought maybe my dog might have diabetes because he is drinking a lot of water. Urine test says no. Now blood test will tell if it is kidney problems or could be Cushing's disease. UGH, I have had other dogs with diabetes and Cushings and it is no fun. The pills for Cushing back like 20 years ago were over $100 a month. Diabetes is hard because you need to monitor urine and give shots. Right now, diabetes is ruled out. Sucks when the animals get old. Wow, your animals really have come down with some serious illness, hope for the best that they recover quickly.
I feel your pain. Our dog was vomiting profusely for several days. And it wasn't food, it was mostly saliva, mucus, foamy stuff. Took her to the vet first time and they diagnosed her with some sort of bacterial infection with no known causes but is often fatal to small dogs. Gave us some pills and had to feed special diet. Good for a couple days then started vomiting again. This time blood work, x-rays (check for blockage), urine and feces test. My wife pays for all this, but I believe total unexpected out of pocket was over $300. And they still have no ideal what is wrong with her. )-:

We now have 2 cats and 2 dogs all officially with some sort of illness and on medication! Ugh!

Cassie

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2018, 04:06:34 PM »
Up until recently we had 4 old dogs and were spending 400/month on meds. It gets expensive fast.  2 passed away in the past 7 months. cushings is a terrible disease. We had a dog with that once.  Kids and pets will steal all your $:))

BlueMR2

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2018, 05:08:38 PM »
Nothing that expensive this month, but in December our microwave gave up and died with no warning (well, OK, it had a lot of problems, but it's had all those problems for the 8 years we've lived here) and a headlight blew out in my car.

This month the only surprise was a barely used, but just out of time based warranty CFL blew up (it turned into a rattle, something internally sounds like it exploded).  Of course it's a 3-way and getting a decent 3-way LED is a shopping nightmare, especially when you have to have an A19 bulb (A21 which is what nearly all 3-way LEDs come in won't fit)...  Dropped $25 on a 2 pack of LED bulbs.  Why a 2 pack?  Because of course if it's an exotic bulb that you only have 1 lamp of that type you can't just buy one.  Sigh.

FIRE Artist

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2018, 05:17:17 PM »
New washer and dryer after old finally quit after nursing it along for 3 years. Then a huge plumbing bill. Ouch. I am tightening my belt for the rest of the quarter.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2018, 09:41:33 PM »
Cassie...so sad...four sick dogs...My dog is still very spunky and will run around like a puppy at times. Sure makes me sad to think of when he was a young pup with so much time ahead of him and was full of life. He is still crazy but not so many good years ahead of him now, a lot of them behind him.  UGH, life is short, enjoy while you can...

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2018, 09:50:19 PM »
An MRI, $250+ prescription meds, $350 doctors costs (uncovered by insurance), and another $350 to reapply for something husband already applied for because the board screwed up the paperwork... umm, what else. Crap, more crap, and lotsa crap.

Sorry for the people with all the pet expenses =( We went through nearly $5k total over 3 months trying to save our dog last year. I don't regret that money, FWIW.

Cassie

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2018, 02:48:52 PM »
Roadrunner, someone we met walking suggested Canna Pets for our old dogs. It is biscuits with CBD oil. What a change it has made. The 80lb old dog went from being lethargic and barely walking a mile to running, playing, fetching and walking 4 miles/day. He is 12. My 13 yo Maltese the same thing happened.  It is not cheap but they frequently go on sale.  In fact the big guy was able to get off one of his pain meds.  WE do rescue work so frequently take the dogs no one wants which means old.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2018, 04:16:46 PM »
Cassie, very interested in these biscuits! What is CBD oil? Like Cannabis?

Cassie

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2018, 04:50:26 PM »
The CBD oil is found in cannabis. It will not make the dog high as THC does that and the biscuits have none of that in them. I buy them online. The first order was expensive because he is a big dog so take more biscuits then a small one. But now I get coupons all the time so it is not very expensive. The directions said to give 6 since he is 80lbs but after a while we only needed to give 4. Our 10lb Maltese we only give her half a biscuit once/day and it has made a huge difference for her too. She is now playing with our other dog like crazy.  We were walking the big guy and an older couple stopped to pet him. They rescue big old dogs and told us about it. It really has been a life saver as were thinking we would need to put the big guy down.

Laura33

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2018, 05:14:40 PM »
Yes.  Ugh.  Of my two shelter kitties, one is getting old and peeing everywhere and needs thyroid pills and may have cancer, and the other one gets FLUTED on a recurring basis, despite the ass-kicking expensive “urinary” food we have him on.  And my good-deed 3-legged rescue kitty brought not one but two intestinal bacteria with her, which she promptly handed off to the other two.  And now the washer is making very bad noises (dryer died last year).  And now we are looking at thousands for finding some way to insulate the joist space in the house, which DH’s new FLIR camera (yet another expense) was showing at about 3-4 degrees during the big recent cold snap.

The thing is, it’s always something.  What is misleading is believing that a “normal” year won’t inevitably include at least a few of those things.  I couldn’t begin to tell you what my unexpected cost-sucks were last year, or the year before, but I can guarantee you that I had a bunch of them.  So if you plan your budget around what you think of as “normal,” your savings will always wind up behind your expectations — sort of like it always takes me longer to get to work than I think it will, because for some reason my mental image of “my commute” is anchored around hitting all the lights green and no one parked at 50 mph in the left lane.

That’s why I always keep a delta between income and savings/expenses.  Because the one thing I am confident about is that I will not be able to predict all of the shit that will land in any given year.

golden1

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2018, 06:34:26 PM »
This is why you make a category in your budget for misc stuff, or in another sense, you set up a short term emergency fund.  People have longer term emergency funds for home repairs etc...but don’t always think of the little things that pop up outside that umbrella.  I personally have $200 a month in my budget set aside in YNAB for “Stuff I forgot to budget for”.  Whatever I don’t use rolls over to the next month. 

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2018, 03:57:36 AM »
Yes, some people never save for emergencies OR retirement either. Then they think they can live off their SS check.

Khaetra

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2018, 05:00:52 AM »
It's always something, so I always keep funds available in case.  I love it when I can walk into wherever and say "My (thing) broke and I need another one please" and have the funds to pay for it right then.  Recently it was my stove that went out and instead of paying out the yang to fix it (it would have cost 3x more than I paid for it*) I went and bought another one and had the junkman come get the old one.

*The stove I had was a professional model which I bought at a scratch/dent sale for dirt cheap, hence the 3x cost to fix it.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2018, 05:20:02 AM »
We live in a throw away society. It is pretty pathetic. My last computer, which was a beautiful 27 inch all in one computer and was only about 3 years old crapped out last month. I took it to a local shop and they worked on it but it was dead. They did their best and said they have a hard time getting parts. They were able to download the stuff off it to my new computer. They chucked it in the dumpster for me. UGH! Our last tv broke and we just went out and bought a new one. I don't think anyone fixes TV's anymore. Same with appliances, nothing but a ticking time bomb waiting to self destruct. Our first set of appliances lasted around 20 years. Now you buy an appliance and if you get 5 years out of it consider it a miracle. I had a Maytag that lasted exactly 1 1/2 years, just out of warranty and died! I am jinxing myself because I have a few ticking time bombs that are ready to self destruct any day now!

Just Joe

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #16 on: January 22, 2018, 08:48:53 AM »
It's always something, so I always keep funds available in case.  I love it when I can walk into wherever and say "My (thing) broke and I need another one please" and have the funds to pay for it right then.  Recently it was my stove that went out and instead of paying out the yang to fix it (it would have cost 3x more than I paid for it*) I went and bought another one and had the junkman come get the old one.

*The stove I had was a professional model which I bought at a scratch/dent sale for dirt cheap, hence the 3x cost to fix it.

Apparently having cash saved up is weird these days. On several occasions we've agreed to a service (DW's expensive prescription glasses, braces for one of the kids, an appliance) - and the first thing they want to tell us about is a zero-interest payment plan to help with the cost. When we reply "no, that's okay - I have the money" the person acts with enough surprise that it must not happen often or I don't dress well enough.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #17 on: January 22, 2018, 08:59:45 AM »
Just Joe, I use a Costco credit card for all my purchases and get a bonus check at the end of the year. You should consider one. This year I am getting $581, last year was $440. I pay for just about everything and pay off my balance each month. I also like it because I can see all my purchases in one place. There are a few bills I don't pay because the companies won't take credit cards and those I pay with on line banking. Also, Town Tax Collector charges a fee to use the credit card so it doesn't make it worth it. I get the check in my February bill and can cash it at Costco.

Just Joe

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #18 on: January 22, 2018, 09:38:08 AM »
Sounds cool but no Costco here.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #19 on: January 22, 2018, 10:11:12 AM »
Joe, look into another card. A lot of them have rewards programs.

Just Joe

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #20 on: January 22, 2018, 01:53:23 PM »
Thanks I will.

soccerluvof4

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #21 on: January 22, 2018, 02:40:28 PM »
This month and every other month it seems! Just some are a lot more $ than others. That's why i have all my budget Items inflated to at least help absorb some of if not all things that comes up. 

BlueMR2

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #22 on: January 22, 2018, 05:41:16 PM »
Ouch, surprise, my wife's car needs a muffler.  There goes $400 we didn't expect on what's our most expensive month of the year normally to begin with (lots of bills hit right at the beginning of the year).  Anyone else see the same thing, where 2/3 of our yearly spending is in the first 6 months, with the last 6 months only using 1/3?

Khaetra

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #23 on: January 22, 2018, 06:41:16 PM »
Ouch, surprise, my wife's car needs a muffler.  There goes $400 we didn't expect on what's our most expensive month of the year normally to begin with (lots of bills hit right at the beginning of the year).  Anyone else see the same thing, where 2/3 of our yearly spending is in the first 6 months, with the last 6 months only using 1/3?

I noticed that too.  When all the 'heavy' stuff is due (home/auto insurance) is usually when the unexpected things hit, but the rest of the year I hardly spend anything emergency-wise.

NoraLenderbee

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #24 on: January 23, 2018, 04:27:18 PM »
We started the year with a bang, too. Husband crashed his bicycle. ER visit, MRI, X-ray (he's OK but for a while we thought his elbow was fractured). Knocked out 2 teeth and the remaining stub must be extracted. Haven't gotten the ER bill yet but it will be big b/c deductible has to be met. Dental extraction not covered. Then I got a crown. Then our elderly cat needed special kidney food and antibiotics and blood work. Sheesh!

Just Joe

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #25 on: January 24, 2018, 09:06:42 AM »
Did you look somewhere like Auto Zone for a muffler. You could then just take it to a muffler shop and have it installed.

My car's muffler is ~$75 that way. A small shop could install it for $50 or less.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #26 on: January 24, 2018, 09:31:29 AM »
Just got the car registration notice for $90. Not really unexpected but don't really pay attention to when it comes. As soon as I saw the envelope come in the mail, it was like OH CRAP! It's all those 'little' things you forget about that keeps nibbling at your budget.

Sibley

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #27 on: January 24, 2018, 10:13:12 AM »
I'm joining the pet expense club - my almost 10 year old cat had a bug right before Christmas (vet trip, blood work, antibiotics), and I'm getting some signs that she's still not quite right. I'm expecting possible xrays given what I'm seeing.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #28 on: January 24, 2018, 10:21:46 AM »
So sorry to hear about your cat and illness. My 14 year old Poodle has developed early stage kidney disease. It is an old age thing. Other than that he his hell on wheels barking at everything, runs around the house like a maniac and gets crazy and jumps all over the furniture and terrorizes the Pomeranian. Vet gave me some samples of Hills KD canned dog food to try. Mr. Heller is a picky eater but loved this chicken stew. This dog is so active he has been between 14-15 lbs his whole life. He is a miniature Poodle. The Pomeranian is a lazy dude and will eat anything and is a vacuum cleaner. He gained a lot of weight. We got him as a rescue at about 11 lbs and he ballooned up to 23 lbs. The Vet suggested Hills Metabolic dog food which is diet dog food. He loves it and gobbles it up. He did lose weight and is down to about 19 lbs. So, now I have to buy diet dog food for the little piglet and Kidney dog food for the heller. This stuff is expensive but we love the little guys!

Sibley

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #29 on: January 24, 2018, 01:24:08 PM »
So sorry to hear about your cat and illness. My 14 year old Poodle has developed early stage kidney disease. It is an old age thing. Other than that he his hell on wheels barking at everything, runs around the house like a maniac and gets crazy and jumps all over the furniture and terrorizes the Pomeranian. Vet gave me some samples of Hills KD canned dog food to try. Mr. Heller is a picky eater but loved this chicken stew. This dog is so active he has been between 14-15 lbs his whole life. He is a miniature Poodle. The Pomeranian is a lazy dude and will eat anything and is a vacuum cleaner. He gained a lot of weight. We got him as a rescue at about 11 lbs and he ballooned up to 23 lbs. The Vet suggested Hills Metabolic dog food which is diet dog food. He loves it and gobbles it up. He did lose weight and is down to about 19 lbs. So, now I have to buy diet dog food for the little piglet and Kidney dog food for the heller. This stuff is expensive but we love the little guys!

I get it. My older cat has kidney disease, mid stage, mostly just pees a ton. She doesn't like the prescription food, but rejected all the stuff she used to eat, so food cost has gone up but not as much as prescription would be. Getting animals to lose weight is really tough, I've done it before and will have to do it again at some point.

BlueMR2

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #30 on: January 24, 2018, 05:02:07 PM »
Did you look somewhere like Auto Zone for a muffler. You could then just take it to a muffler shop and have it installed.

My car's muffler is ~$75 that way. A small shop could install it for $50 or less.

It's a small shop doing it.  It'll be an hour of labor and we're going for the big $$$ OEM part as they tend to last a lot longer than the auto zone exhaust parts in my experience.  We plan on keeping the car for *another* 16 years as long as we can still keep finding parts.  :-)

Just Joe

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #31 on: January 24, 2018, 08:21:33 PM »
No arguments from me. Your approach is similar to mine b/c of the long term ownership plan.

MasterStache

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Re: Unplanned spending
« Reply #32 on: January 25, 2018, 12:19:02 PM »
Automobiles are a big one as well. Last year I dropped down $1600 getting my AC fixed. Year before that we maxed out our health deductible when I made a trip to the ER and passed a kidney stone. That one was the most painful in more ways than one.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!