Monday Accountability Post

hoffse · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend?

2) Any progress toward goals?

3) Any fun summer plans?

TravelJunkie1234 · June 2015

1. A bit spendy, but it was all budgeted for. We drove down to Panama City for DH's cousin's High School Graduation--total cost for graduation gift, gas, food and hotel was $350. I also opened up an account on Acorns and put in $20 for that, and paid some bills. Today I need to go grocery shopping and I have a feeling that will be a pricey trip now that the in-laws are here.

2. Just trudging along. I was able to earmark an extra $50 to go to savings

3. My mom is coming to visit us so that will be fun and we're taking her up to Savannah for a few days. We don't really have much else planned aside from a few days at the beach. I'm hoping to find some slightly used kayaks for DH and I so that we have an excuse to go up to the lake more often

als1982 · June 2015

1. Pretty good! Dinner out Saturday night at $50, and $30 for 3 new spring work shirts from Clothes Mentor. Two still had the original tags, each costing $60 new. Score!!

2. Yes!! $1,000 to bathroom remodel fund, $2,200 to pay off what we charged on vacation (about $500 still to pay which we'll do on Thursday) and then $135 to pay off the rest of my student loan. See ya, Sallie Mae!!

3. Since mine is gone we're going to start tackling H's student loan which will keep us super MM focused this summer. We will have our bathroom remodel fund topped off by the end of June and hope to start construction soon. And we may take a few weekend trips courtesy of our Southwest companion pass, but otherwise it should be a low-key and work focused summer.

hoffse · June 2015

1) Ours was spendy, but budgeted for. Our state tax refund (finally) showed up, so H and I went to Brooks Brothers and bought a couple of new suits for him. We had sort of earmarked that refund for that purpose because he wears a suit every day and had a couple that were wearing out. We spent our refund + $20 on that, so we were happy with that and he's going to be good on clothes for awhile. I really need to start a sinking fund for clothes, but I haven't sat down to figure out how much we need to budget per year for that.

I was also in a wedding this weekend, so I spent about $50 on gas and $15 on fast food during the road trip. Other than that, our expenses for that weekend were already covered, and I was able to stay with my parents.

Finally, we spent about $75 on groceries for the week.

2) Yes - we sent $3350 to our savings for the kitchen, plus I got my tax issue resolved which freed up some additional savings.

3) We are doing a 1-week crash of our kitchen the first week of July, then I am taking my comps for my tax degree the third week of July, and we are leaving for the south of France the fourth week of July. I also have two more tax exams during the month of June, and we're getting the final plans for the kitchen nailed down during June as well. I think we've lost it, and I haven't been able to think as far ahead as August because there's so much going on between now and then. I finally made a list of everything we need to do between now and July 24 when we leave, and it's a pretty long list...

But I keep telling myself that by the time we get to France, I will be ready for a vacation!

FirstMate06 · June 2015

1. Pretty spendy but kept within budget. We stocked up on a lot of bulk groceries because we scored some good deals on Friday so our grocery tab was about $210 but we have a decent inventory of stuff that will last for months. Friday we also went out for datenight, $60 for food and drinks. Saturday we did car maintenance, test drove trucks for H, errands and I had a work lunch. Spent about $50 total. Sunday we went out for brunch with my SIL and then stayed in for a rainy day Sunday funday, spent about $40.

2. We are continuing to build up our car savings account for H's new truck and still saving up for an eventual DP on a home. One thing I noticed is that now that I have our savings contributions on auto-deduct it doesn't feel like we're making as much progress as when we would make multiple transfers to our savings each month.

3. So far we have one family vacation planned and thankfully my parents are covering our lodging and excursions so all we need to budget for is gas and food/entertainment. We also want to go to at least one big music festival this summer and a few overnight camping trips in our area.

bridejl · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend? Not great. Ran errands on Saturday which ended up being around $30 on my uncle's retirement gift, $25 at Target, around $350 at Menards (dehumidifier for home, dehumidifier for the church rectory which we're donating so will be a tax write-off, and a trimmer for our yard. At least it was all on sale and we'll get an extra 11% back via rebate). Then Sunday, $20 at church fundraiser luncheon, $5 for raffle tickets, $15 normal church giving, $30 for my cousin's birthday gift.

I feel like we've been hemorrhaging money lately. And we've been slacking at budgeting, too.

2) Any progress toward goals? Not financially this week. But H has been itching for a new dehumidifier for awhile (ours from the previous homeowner didn't do the job well), and now I don't have to hear him complain about it, so that's progress!

3) Any fun summer plans? My birthday is coming up soon and I want to find something fun to do in the city. We're celebrating a lot of milestones for family and friends this summer (retirement, weddings, graduation, babies) so it'll be a very social summer. Then Germany & Poland in September

cbee817 · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend? All planned- Lunch Friday ($33), Wedding Saturday ($200), stayed at a hotel downtown that night for a little getaway ($300 and my parents watched the girls), Sunday dinner with family (DH's brother/wife/4 girls were in town- $0). We still need to go to the grocery store.

2) Any progress toward goals? $500 went to savings

3) Any fun summer plans? DH is home all summer (he's a teacher) and we're dropping the girls to day care 3x a week, so DH still has time to work on the house. I'm taking Fridays off so we can go on some day trips- aquarium, zoo, beach (there's a great one right over the Canadian border), children's museum that's about an hour away, etc. Just hoping to spend more time with the family and enjoy the few months we don't have snow! It's also our 9th wedding anniversary, DD#1's 5th birthday, and my 34th in a 5 day span in August.

jessica490 · June 2015

1. $40/$12 moving truck/gas, $23 Dunkin Donuts, $8 Subway, $24 Gas

2. Nothing will go into savings until after we close this week. I should add that as of June 1st, we no longer have to pay a mortgage, condo fees, electricity or phone/cable/internet bills until we find a house! Staying at my parents is going to save us a lot of money on top of what we already save! I guess that is some progress

3. House hunting!

brij2006 · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend?

Not bad at all. $85 on groceries, $35 eating out, and $5 on parts to fix our fence gate.

2) Any progress toward goals?

$500 toward the next largest student loan. Pretty good considering I only received half my paycheck since it was still during the unpaid portion of my maternity leave. We were also able to cash flow a few larger purchases this month as well.

3) Any fun summer plans?

We leave for the lake in 2 months. Can not wait!

We will also be spreading some of my brothers' ashes at the lake, along with at his farm ground. I'm happy to be able to get a little bit of serenity from it.

abrewer5 · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend? Not bad! $40 for dinner on Saturday and $16 for a bathing suit top yesterday.

2) Any progress toward goals? Cashing flowing some credit card purchases and I finally switched all of our bills to auto pay so that was nice this PC! Currently researching cable/internet options since our contract ends soon.

3) Any fun summer plans? I actually have a pretty packed summer. H and I go to the beach for a long weekend next weekend (thank god!). Then the following weekend I head to Niagra Falls. H goes to Nashville for a bachelor party the end of this month. Then we go back to the beach in August and then in late August I go to Vegas for my cousin's bachelorette party.

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

1. not bad! $65 at BJ's, $95 on groceries, $11 on take out sunday because neither one of us felt like grilling in the rain. $55 on amazon for a birthday present for H and celophane for wrapping a wedding gift, and some running gear for me.

2. This was a reset month for us. March and April got a bit spendy, this was a month of refocusing on our goals and setting our baby budget and sticking to it. Since we pay for almost everything on credit cards and our statement cycles end from the 12th to 27th of the month it takes 4-6 weeks to actually reap the benefits of budget changes. We are on track to save $1000 in June and close to $2000 in July.

3. Oh boy do we have many plans this summer! We are taking on HUGE house projects, I'm actually working on pulling together all our documentation for the bank today and tomorrow. We're finishing most of the basement, replacing all the windows, and installing solar panels (which also involves upgrading the electrical box and removing some trees), there have been so many contractors in and out of my house in the last week, it's crazy. And hopefully after all that we'll also get the nursury done this summer.

We are also planning to adopt a second dog, the potential vet bills make me nervous, but I think we're being smart about it. Our dog will handle the baby transition much better if she has a friend, right now everytime I sit down to do something (eat a meal, pay bills, do some work, watch a movie, or work on some other project) she decides that she needs attention, I think having another dog is going to give her a friend who will give her that attention, or at least they'll be able to play together in the yard when I can't take them for a walk and they can get each-other tired. after LOTS of searching with rescues and breeders, we've found a 1.5 year old male Dalmatian (Our girl is a 2 year old spotty) available from a breeder who has decided that he is not "correct" for her breeding program, he has no behavioral issues, no known health issues, loves dogs and kids, and ignores cats...she's sad to let him go, but as a breeder I understand that she only has so much room in her home and she needs a dog she can use in her breeding program. We're meeting up with her in a few weeks to see how the two dogs get along. If he doesn't work out, we'll probably wait until baby is older to disrupt our house with a second dog, the timing for this, right now is pretty good, it would give us 5-6 months to settle into a routine before a baby is part of the equation, but getting to this point where it just depends on how the two dogs get along has taken 2 months, and it wouldn't be fair to our current furry family or a new dog to make so much change in just a few months if we have to start the process over.

We also have 2 weddings in June, 1 in August, and 2 in September!

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

1) Not bad. $65 groceries, $70 budgeted fun/entertainment

2) Small savings contributions on this week's paydays

3) We have three big concerts to see-Solid Sound, which is a festival in western MA, U2, and Foo Fighters. I'm teaching lots of dive classes, which is fun and MM. Thinking it could be my last pre-TTC/PG dive season so I want to enjoy it. We're also doing two long weekends to Maine, one for diving (there is beautiful, chilly diving in Maine!) and one for camping at Baxter State Park. At the end of the summer we have two fun weddings, and I scored very MM tickets to see Book of Mormon in Boston. Can't wait!

simplyelise · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend? Good! We had about $25 extra in our grocery budget after some serious planning around sales. I used about $10 for a last-minute dinner invitation for a bachelorette thing. H used the rest to get wine and cheese for what we thought would be a belmont watch party with our neighbor/friend (the race is next weekend FYI!) as well as some chicken for grilling with another friend. It was a very social weekend for us.

2) Any progress toward goals? $757 to the student loan. We also got DH's mom to give us his savings bonds and because most of mine mature in June, we'll be cashing those in next weekend (and not telling her). IDK why, but for some reason she thinks that because many of DH's are getting 4% interest, we shouldn't cash them in. Mine and his together are only about $1450, so we're not talking game-changing amounts, but certainly cashing them in to pay towards a SL growing at 6.8% is worth it to us.

3) Any fun summer plans? Our budget is so tight in debt-payoff mode, so fun plans are small and infrequent. We're going to STL in a couple weeks to visit my parents and attend a shakespeare in the park performance with friends. Other than that it's just the normal once a month date night.

blondie42107 · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend?
Pretty good! $100 on groceries, $50 at Target, $25 for a birthday present, $25 for a graduation present, $30 in gas.

2) Any progress toward goals?
Our auto insurance was deducted out of our account today. Paying in full (six months) offers an additional discount.

3) Any fun summer plans?
We are going to a zoo and museum later this month so we'll spend a long weekend out of town. In July we are camping for a long weekend. Not sure about August. With younger kiddos, shorter trips are usually better. Bonus if it's a day trip.

AprilZ81 · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend? Great! DH brought home pizza and wings on Friday night and we had a movie night on the couch. Sunday we gave our normal monthly offering to church and that was it!

2) Any progress toward goals? We are maintaining our savings goals as budgeted. I'm itching to get back to work so we can start saving more. Now that we have been living on a restricted budget for 3 months it isn't super painful, but a little more fun money would be appreciated.

3) Any fun summer plans? Not at the moment. We had our vacation in January and we don't have any plans for going away except to visit family.

@hoffse and @formerlyGdaisy09 You guys have to AW your home improvement projects in all stages! Give us before, during and after pictures!

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

@aprilZ81 Photo documentation will commence as soon as we're done with the quote-gathering process for the bank! I'm excited about the gain in finished space in the basement (now that I look back at plans we're actually gaining 500 sqft of finished space). but I'm more excited to update the outside of the house with new windows and the solar.

here's the outside of the house last summer after we finished the roof...you can see the windows have this old brown vinyl exterior that really just doesn't go!

vlagrl29 · June 2015

1 - Not bad. Friday night was my birthday dinner and we spent around $50 and paid the baby-sitter $20. DH rented a couple movies on Saturday for $3 and I got hot dog buns for $1. Sunday we went to a yoga class and donated $5

2 - not this week

3 - DD will be at PDO on Tuesdays for 6 hours which will allow me some time to catch up on business stuff. We will probably hit the pool once a week and she is doing a 3-day hip hop class at her dance studio next week. I will be renting her a small violin this week to see if she has interest in that - she is always trying to pluck and hold mine when I have it out. I'm also going to have her come with me to yoga 1 morning twice a month for a summer yoga kid camp the studio has from June-end of July. This weekend we are going to Branson with the in laws for 4 days.

lifeonthehill · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend? Bad but still MM. 11k on the car to stat. $50 on gas and $20 on dinner with a friend. H went to a golf tournament but won the 50/50 raffle and it basically paid for his whole weekend. I think we came put +$20 on that.

2) Any progress toward goals? We scratched "New Car" off the baby bucket list but now we have to add "rebuild the 10k e-fund" one step forward one step back. We will get there though!

3) Any fun summer plans? TTC and a Trip to Mass. tomorrow!

Mustard76 · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend?
Great! H is still out of town for work and I didn't spend a dime Friday or Saturday. Sunday I spent $80 on groceries, but I sold some of our yard equipment from our last house for $125. Selling stuff we don't need for the win!

2) Any progress toward goals?
It was a non-pay week for both of us, so just $25 to my student loan.

3) Any fun summer plans?
Nothing planned now, at least not until we hear whether or not we're moving.

short+sassy · June 2015

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

1. not bad! $65 at BJ's, $95 on groceries, $11 on take out sunday because neither one of us felt like grilling in the rain. $55 on amazon for a birthday present for H and celophane for wrapping a wedding gift, and some running gear for me.

2. This was a reset month for us. March and April got a bit spendy, this was a month of refocusing on our goals and setting our baby budget and sticking to it. Since we pay for almost everything on credit cards and our statement cycles end from the 12th to 27th of the month it takes 4-6 weeks to actually reap the benefits of budget changes. We are on track to save $1000 in June and close to $2000 in July.

3. Oh boy do we have many plans this summer! We are taking on HUGE house projects, I'm actually working on pulling together all our documentation for the bank today and tomorrow. We're finishing most of the basement, replacing all the windows, and installing solar panels (which also involves upgrading the electrical box and removing some trees), there have been so many contractors in and out of my house in the last week, it's crazy. And hopefully after all that we'll also get the nursury done this summer.
We are also planning to adopt a second dog, the potential vet bills make me nervous, but I think we're being smart about it. Our dog will handle the baby transition much better if she has a friend, right now everytime I sit down to do something (eat a meal, pay bills, do some work, watch a movie, or work on some other project) she decides that she needs attention, I think having another dog is going to give her a friend who will give her that attention, or at least they'll be able to play together in the yard when I can't take them for a walk and they can get each-other tired. after LOTS of searching with rescues and breeders, we've found a 1.5 year old male Dalmatian (Our girl is a 2 year old spotty) available from a breeder who has decided that he is not "correct" for her breeding program, he has no behavioral issues, no known health issues, loves dogs and kids, and ignores cats...she's sad to let him go, but as a breeder I understand that she only has so much room in her home and she needs a dog she can use in her breeding program. We're meeting up with her in a few weeks to see how the two dogs get along. If he doesn't work out, we'll probably wait until baby is older to disrupt our house with a second dog, the timing for this, right now is pretty good, it would give us 5-6 months to settle into a routine before a baby is part of the equation, but getting to this point where it just depends on how the two dogs get along has taken 2 months, and it wouldn't be fair to our current furry family or a new dog to make so much change in just a few months if we have to start the process over.
We also have 2 weddings in June, 1 in August, and 2 in September!

Either that or now you will have TWO dogs vying for your attention all the time . But seriously, I hope the two dogs get along and become good friends. Our dog loves other dogs and I keep trying to talk my H into getting a second one, but he is a total no-go on that.

She (Izzy) does get really jealous, though, and it is hilarious. Izzy will be lying on the floor, playing with her bone, not paying any attention...but if the cat climbs on my lap or I start petting the cat...then she drops whatever she's doing and comes over to get some pets and attention also.

short+sassy · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend?

Pretty good! We spent $40 on a wedding gift for a wedding this Sat. My H and I are excited because we found a cool looking object d'arts oar at World Market. Our friends getting married own a kayaking business, so it just seemed perfect for them.

2) Any progress toward goals?

Yes!!!! Major progress!!! I've been looking for the last few months to buy a rental investment property. And I found TWO, lol. Both being sold way under comps and with good rental potential. We are signing the Purchase Agreements today (same seller). Both are duplexes. One duplex currently has long-time tenants on both sides...though they are paying way under the market rent. The other duplex needs a bit of work before being rent ready, though there is a tenant in the smaller unit (long story on that).

3) Any fun summer plans?

Assuming nothing goes wrong between my above deals and closing...my H and I will spend a chunk of time this summer getting the one house rent ready and renting it out. Then formulate a plan for "under market rent" tenant house. Not "fun" in the general sense of the word, but fun once I get my soon-to-be new properties spruced up and all rented at a fat, positive cash flow.

From my (albeit limited) experience, once a house is fixed up, nice, and in good condition with good tenants in place...landlady life is super easy. But getting to that point can be stressful and arduous.

cbee817 · June 2015

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

3.
We are also planning to adopt a second dog, the potential vet bills make me nervous, but I think we're being smart about it. Our dog will handle the baby transition much better if she has a friend, right now everytime I sit down to do something (eat a meal, pay bills, do some work, watch a movie, or work on some other project) she decides that she needs attention, I think having another dog is going to give her a friend who will give her that attention, or at least they'll be able to play together in the yard when I can't take them for a walk and they can get each-other tired. after LOTS of searching with rescues and breeders, we've found a 1.5 year old male Dalmatian (Our girl is a 2 year old spotty) available from a breeder who has decided that he is not "correct" for her breeding program, he has no behavioral issues, no known health issues, loves dogs and kids, and ignores cats...she's sad to let him go, but as a breeder I understand that she only has so much room in her home and she needs a dog she can use in her breeding program. We're meeting up with her in a few weeks to see how the two dogs get along. If he doesn't work out, we'll probably wait until baby is older to disrupt our house with a second dog, the timing for this, right now is pretty good, it would give us 5-6 months to settle into a routine before a baby is part of the equation, but getting to this point where it just depends on how the two dogs get along has taken 2 months, and it wouldn't be fair to our current furry family or a new dog to make so much change in just a few months if we have to start the process over.
We also have 2 weddings in June, 1 in August, and 2 in September!

Just be careful with loading yourself with too much during your pregnancy.. the house renovations and one dog seems more than enough to me. When I was pregnant with DD#1, we completely gutted our kitchen, had an 85 lb american bulldog/pit mix, and a 17 year old cat. It was a lot of work! Sadly, by the time DD#2 was born, my cat passed away and we had to find a new home for the dog because she was becoming jealous towards DD#1 and I didn't feel comfortable with her once DD#1 started crawling/moving around the house. Have you thought about doggy daycare or something for the dog instead?

Wulfgar · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend? Better than expected with my son turning 4 on Tuesday and the birthday party was on Saturday. Spent roughly $140 on groceries for the party, $40 on Chinese on Thursday night (rough night for wife and I) we had leftovers for Friday though. Used cash to get breakfast and lunch on Sunday.

2) Any progress toward goals? Need to look at how much I have for extra payment to my credit card.

3) Any fun summer plans? Waiting for our summer vacation to Catawba Island mid-July. I did start my company's 9/80 summer work schedule.

bmo88 · June 2015

1) How MM was your weekend? Pretty good. Only spent $120 on groceries and got a lot of really great deals. We did eat at Taco Bell too for $8.

2) Any progress toward goals?

DH and I just confirmed our next year's salaries (which actually start in July) and are assessing our budget and our goals. So no real progress, but definitely plans.

3) Any fun summer plans?

I am not starting a new position in a month, so I am in the process of transitioning and trying to keep my stress levels low. So basically, nothing huge is planned, but enjoying downtime. My family is also coming in town at the end of this month.

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

short+sassy said:

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

1. not bad! $65 at BJ's, $95 on groceries, $11 on take out sunday because neither one of us felt like grilling in the rain. $55 on amazon for a birthday present for H and celophane for wrapping a wedding gift, and some running gear for me.

2. This was a reset month for us. March and April got a bit spendy, this was a month of refocusing on our goals and setting our baby budget and sticking to it. Since we pay for almost everything on credit cards and our statement cycles end from the 12th to 27th of the month it takes 4-6 weeks to actually reap the benefits of budget changes. We are on track to save $1000 in June and close to $2000 in July.

3. Oh boy do we have many plans this summer! We are taking on HUGE house projects, I'm actually working on pulling together all our documentation for the bank today and tomorrow. We're finishing most of the basement, replacing all the windows, and installing solar panels (which also involves upgrading the electrical box and removing some trees), there have been so many contractors in and out of my house in the last week, it's crazy. And hopefully after all that we'll also get the nursury done this summer.
We are also planning to adopt a second dog, the potential vet bills make me nervous, but I think we're being smart about it. Our dog will handle the baby transition much better if she has a friend, right now everytime I sit down to do something (eat a meal, pay bills, do some work, watch a movie, or work on some other project) she decides that she needs attention, I think having another dog is going to give her a friend who will give her that attention, or at least they'll be able to play together in the yard when I can't take them for a walk and they can get each-other tired. after LOTS of searching with rescues and breeders, we've found a 1.5 year old male Dalmatian (Our girl is a 2 year old spotty) available from a breeder who has decided that he is not "correct" for her breeding program, he has no behavioral issues, no known health issues, loves dogs and kids, and ignores cats...she's sad to let him go, but as a breeder I understand that she only has so much room in her home and she needs a dog she can use in her breeding program. We're meeting up with her in a few weeks to see how the two dogs get along. If he doesn't work out, we'll probably wait until baby is older to disrupt our house with a second dog, the timing for this, right now is pretty good, it would give us 5-6 months to settle into a routine before a baby is part of the equation, but getting to this point where it just depends on how the two dogs get along has taken 2 months, and it wouldn't be fair to our current furry family or a new dog to make so much change in just a few months if we have to start the process over.
We also have 2 weddings in June, 1 in August, and 2 in September!

Either that or now you will have TWO dogs vying for your attention all the time . But seriously, I hope the two dogs get along and become good friends. Our dog loves other dogs and I keep trying to talk my H into getting a second one, but he is a total no-go on that.
She (Izzy) does get really jealous, though, and it is hilarious. Izzy will be lying on the floor, playing with her bone, not paying any attention...but if the cat climbs on my lap or I start petting the cat...then she drops whatever she's doing and comes over to get some pets and attention also.

Thanks! we've done a lot of research, it's not a decision we're taking lightly! We've asked for input from both the trainer we and our dog spent a year with in basic obedience classes and her trainers from agility training. They encouraged us to look back to our breeder and to look for a male (originally we had been looking at females from rescues). Their opinion is that Maya (current dog) will do much better during those quiet times with another canine companion, they did think the best situation for us would be to find a puppy, however I'm unwilling to deal with a puppy and a baby at the same time.

Most our friends with two dogs (one even gave us a financial break-dow of two dogs versus one!) say that it is easier to have the two...there is not extra work, you go one the same number of walks, do the same number of meal times, etc. from a financial stand point, they said double what we spend on food and fela/tick/heartworm preventative (which actually ends-up being a little less than double because you end-up with a per-dose or per-pound discount for buying more) and then to count on a few extra hundred a year at the vet...but definitley not to double the vet, because as we become more educated pet-parents we end-up at the vet less. plus some basic start-up expenses for a crate, collar, leash, etc.

We've said no to many of the dogs encountered when we began exploring. This particular dog is a calm boy, his current owners say he's a sweetheart and loves everyone (kids included) and loves to play or snuggle with other dogs (he currently lives with a pack of 7 or 8). She says that he likes to please and his feelings are easly hurt, he's been competative at obedience competitions, and he has no known health issues. He is coming from a responsible breeder, so in the event that things really didn't work, she would take him back, though I'm of the belief that when you bring an animal into your home it is their forever home, there are very few valid reasons for giving them up.

We started down this path because I go off and do things with Maya like agility, running, and skijoring, and H feels left out, especially with the skijoring. There is really no way for the two of us to enjoy that together if we only have one dog. BUT one of us can also go off skijoring with the two dogs...so it doesn't require both of us to keep them active. So this was a path we started down before a baby was a part of the picture (it was a possibility, but not a definite part of the picture). Right now we've decided that if this particular dog does not work out that addition to our home will get put on the back burner for a year or two.

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

Good luck with the new addition, @formerlyGDaisy09! Sounds like a good choice for your family. Of course it goes without saying that we'll need pictures...

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

cbee817 said:

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

3.
We are also planning to adopt a second dog, the potential vet bills make me nervous, but I think we're being smart about it. Our dog will handle the baby transition much better if she has a friend, right now everytime I sit down to do something (eat a meal, pay bills, do some work, watch a movie, or work on some other project) she decides that she needs attention, I think having another dog is going to give her a friend who will give her that attention, or at least they'll be able to play together in the yard when I can't take them for a walk and they can get each-other tired. after LOTS of searching with rescues and breeders, we've found a 1.5 year old male Dalmatian (Our girl is a 2 year old spotty) available from a breeder who has decided that he is not "correct" for her breeding program, he has no behavioral issues, no known health issues, loves dogs and kids, and ignores cats...she's sad to let him go, but as a breeder I understand that she only has so much room in her home and she needs a dog she can use in her breeding program. We're meeting up with her in a few weeks to see how the two dogs get along. If he doesn't work out, we'll probably wait until baby is older to disrupt our house with a second dog, the timing for this, right now is pretty good, it would give us 5-6 months to settle into a routine before a baby is part of the equation, but getting to this point where it just depends on how the two dogs get along has taken 2 months, and it wouldn't be fair to our current furry family or a new dog to make so much change in just a few months if we have to start the process over.
We also have 2 weddings in June, 1 in August, and 2 in September!

Just be careful with loading yourself with too much during your pregnancy.. the house renovations and one dog seems more than enough to me. When I was pregnant with DD#1, we completely gutted our kitchen, had an 85 lb american bulldog/pit mix, and a 17 year old cat. It was a lot of work! Sadly, by the time DD#2 was born, my cat passed away and we had to find a new home for the dog because she was becoming jealous towards DD#1 and I didn't feel comfortable with her once DD#1 started crawling/moving around the house. Have you thought about doggy daycare or something for the dog instead?

Thanks, it is a bit overwhelming, but I can't imagine taking on all the housework with a new baby around. the basement and windows are necessary projects at this point, and because of the way we're financing the project it makes a lot more sense to try to package the solar into that rather than wait and attempt to secure financing for that seperately (one big head-ache with the bank versus two big headaches with the bank). Plus some of our state incentives for solar expire later this year (20% the value of the solar) and federal incentives (30% the value of the project, which includes the electrical and tree work required). so in addition to not wanting to take-on big house projects next year, we also do not want to miss out on the incentive to get 50% the value of our solar project back.

We worked really hard with our current dog, when she was a puppy in the socialization window, to ensure she was comfortable and well behaved around infants, toddlers, and children. we continue to expose her to those situations and make sure that her continued good behavior is well rewarded. just a couple weeks ago she did excellently with my friend's 4 week old. This new dog has grown-up traveling to dog shows and being approached by all kinds of kids, he is a strong candidate to get registered as a thereapy dog (something I wanted to do with our current dog, but her leash skill are less than perfect). His current owner is knowledgeable about socializing puppies with in the proper window, and I have no doubts that he is excellent with children.

We have close relationships with several dog trainers and a dog behaviorist, if we were to ever have any incling that behavior were becoming a problem I would not hesitate to turn to them for help in addressing it.

cbee817 · June 2015

@formerlyGDaisy09 - our dog had 3 training classes from the time we got her at 16 weeks (adopted from our city shelter), was spayed, was social with other dogs/kids in the neighborhood, and we trained her with a behavioral specialist that only focused on pit breeds before, during, and after my pregnancy. We did everything by the book from the time we had her until we gave her away, but the truth was she was less than thrilled with the baby in the house getting all of the attention every minute we were home. It happens despite all of the best practices. I'm simply saying don't overload yourself when your entire world is going to change come December (especially if you are planning on going back to work and you have to send him/her to day care.. the first year or 2 of sicknesses/fevers/colds is brutal). Good luck with everything- I hope it all works out.

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

cbee817 said:

@formerlyGDaisy09 - our dog had 3 training classes from the time we got her at 16 weeks, was spayed, was social with other dogs/kids in the neighborhood, and we trained her with a behavioral specialist that only focused on pit breeds before, during, and after my pregnancy. We did everything by the book from the time we had her until we gave her away, but the truth was she was less than thrilled with the baby in the house getting all of the attention every minute we were home. It happens despite all of the best practices. I'm simply saying don't overload yourself when your entire world is going to change come December (especially if you are planning on going back to work and you have to send him/her to day care.. the first year or 2 of sicknesses/fevers/colds is brutal). Good luck with everything- I hope it all works out.

Thanks, I appreciate your input. we are seeking lots of expert advice going into this. I am going back to work, but we're planning on hiring a nanny, we'll only need 10-15 hours of child care coverage a week, and my work schedule is flexible.

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

formerlyGDaisy09 said:

cbee817 said:

@formerlyGDaisy09 - our dog had 3 training classes from the time we got her at 16 weeks, was spayed, was social with other dogs/kids in the neighborhood, and we trained her with a behavioral specialist that only focused on pit breeds before, during, and after my pregnancy. We did everything by the book from the time we had her until we gave her away, but the truth was she was less than thrilled with the baby in the house getting all of the attention every minute we were home. It happens despite all of the best practices. I'm simply saying don't overload yourself when your entire world is going to change come December (especially if you are planning on going back to work and you have to send him/her to day care.. the first year or 2 of sicknesses/fevers/colds is brutal). Good luck with everything- I hope it all works out.

Thanks, I appreciate your input. we are seeking lots of expert advice going into this. I am going back to work, but we're planning on hiring a nanny, we'll only need 10-15 hours of child care coverage a week, and my work schedule is flexible.

also, the socilization window for puppies is from 3-12 weeks old, after that they can have social experiences, and potentially be rehabilitated, but the best window for exposing them to things you want them to be accepting of is during that period. 3-8 weeks social habits are best learned with their littermates, which is why responsible breeders send puppies to their homes at 8 weeks so their new families have 4 weeks to expose them to as many things as possible.

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