Caddickisms

I don’t have a pet. Dog, cat, fish, bird, rock… nothing. That’s not likely to change in the next 5-7 years, if ever. There are lots of reasons, actually, but here are the three primary “excuses”:

I can’t afford it

According to Glblguy in his post, Don’t buy a dog, given an average lifespan of 12 years, the cost for a dog works out to $7,210.00 ($775 for the first year, then $585/year for 11 years), and that’s ignoring the purchase price! If I had $585 a year sitting around, I’d be out of debt way faster, never mind getting past the purchase and the first year. Personally, I even think those numbers are conservative, because eventually that dog is going to get sick, and then you’re paying out the snout for health care for a pet.

I have allergies

I’m allergic to fur. Yeah, I could take pills, but now we’re into another cost, plus the hassle of remembering to take pills. I’ve got enough problems remembering to take the pills I already have to take for my own problems! I could also get a non-shedding breed, or a fish, I suppose, but then there’s just the general smell that normally comes with the package, of which I’m not fond. That too can be handled through the application of proper grooming/cleaning, for the most part, but then that leads to my third reason…

I don’t want the hassle

I don’t want to spend the time cleaning or cleaning up after pets. I don’t want to deal with the ruined furniture or soiled floors while they’re learning how to behave in my house. I don’t want to have to take them for walks, or pick up their “gifts”. I don’t want to worry about them when they’re sick. I don’t want to have to carve out a space for them in the house. I have kids for all that.

It’d be easy to read all that and think that I hate animals. I don’t. Actually, I love them. (Well, mostly dogs, but still.) I love playing with them. I love their energy, and I love their love. I really enjoy visiting animals (and frequently their owners).

I just don’t need to have one in my house — even if all three of the other people in my house want one. Fortunately, I have veto power on this one. For now.

So what about you? Are you a fervent pet lover? Dog lover or cat lover? Do you think the cost estimate is right? I’d really like to know that, actually — if you’re a pet owner, what do you think you spend yearly on pet-related costs?

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I just saved myself 12% in interest fees in a 10 minute conversation.

I’ve been working in earnest to get myself out of credit card debt for a few years now. Back when the economy was doing a bit better, I found a great deal with CitiCard to pay 3.99% on my balance transfer per month for the life of the balance. Naturally, I put as much of my existing debt on that card as I could. Since then, I’ve paid just a little above the minimum on that card while I concentrate on the higher interest balances. So far, this has worked out pretty well, and I’ve made a significant dent on my overall debt.

This month, I screwed up.

Despite the alerts and warnings I set up for myself, I missed one due date by 12 hours. It was stupid, and my fault. Today, I got a message that my APR for that card jumped from 3.99% to 15.99%, and I received a $40 late fee.

That would put a serious crimp in my payoff plans. I called CitiCard and told them I was sorry for missing the due date by 1 day, and emphasized that I had not ever been late in paying them before. Then I asked them to reinstate the original APR - and offered to pay the late fee. After a few minutes on hold, and with no argument, they agreed.

I could probably have talked them out of the $40, but I accept that I missed the date, and that’s a valid punishment (even if I do think it’s exorbitant). I’m willing to take that hit. But the more important thing is that I avoided a 12% increase long-term. That’s going to save me some serious money.

Calling the credit card companies can work!

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