Ever Wonder…
about the cleanliness of the restaurant at which you’re eating? Or if they had any recent health code violations? (GROSS!) Well, I happened upon a site that allows you to look up those very things in my county: http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/health/food_search.php
Some violations are as simple as a crack in the floor tile but others are flat out DISGUSTING, and I quote, “3 ROACHES WERE SEEN IN THE DINING ROOM DURING THIS INSPECTION. WHEN ROACHES ARE PRESENT DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS YOU HAVE A MAJOR INFESTATION.” Ew!!!
If you live in another county try looking at their website as I bet they may have something similar. Careful though, it may make you lose your appetite! (Which, isn’t always a bad thing for some of us who seem to be holding onto our “winter” weight for dear life.)
DIY Poster Collage
While I LOVE digital photography, I’m really terrible about printing and displaying my photos. (I still have to work on wedding photos…maybe I’ll get to it before our 1 year anniversary in November?!)
I saw this awhile back and REALLY wanted to do something similar for my Hong Kong trip photos:
But, I could never find the right map, had too many photos, wasn’t sure about the layout, etc. I thought I’d never get around to it. Then, finally got inspired to just get to work on it. I decided to try to design a sort of photo collage poster so I could show several photos and attach some of my souveniers like money and ticket stubs. I did a layout in PhotoShop, uploaded it to Snapfish, then had it printed at Staples. Once I got it home I adhered my miscellaneous memoriabilia with rubber cement and scrapbooking adhesive – I love it!
What do you think? I thought about designing a PhotoShop template so you could just drop in your photos and make your own if anyone is intersted?
New Reading Room
We bought our house with a few more bedrooms than we need right now with the idea that we will one day start our family here. Until then, we are fortuante to have a lot of extra space in our house that rarely gets used. I’ve learned that Andy prefers a completely empty room or a totally staged room.
Yesterday Handy Andy was at it again and told me to go look at my spare room. I walked upstairs to see this:
I love it! Previously it was pretty bare with a little table and a bookcase, mostly used for storage. The dogs and I layed on the futon while I read a bit and then we took a little nap to test it out. They love it too!
Summer, summer, summertime!
A couple weeks ago we added flowers to the front yard. I need to get some new photos as they are growing nicely….in the meantime, here’s a shot of my new favorite, my hibiscus. Isn’t it gorgeous?!
I hope my black thumb can manage to keep this one alive!
We also put a birdfeeder in the backyard. These goldfinches have been regulars.
Silly Dogs
Did you know dogs like marshmallows? (At least mine do.) Did you know that there are GIANT marshmallows sold at Hy-Vee? When Andy saw the bag of humongous marshmallows of course he HAD to have them. We thought it would be funny to watch the dogs eat them. It was. Have look-see – they’re as big as Tiger’s head!
Can you say HIL-ARIOUS?!?! I was slightly worried they might choke so I stood real close just in case. Instead, I laughed hysterically as Max played with it like a ball at first and watched as Putter stole Max’s marshmallow. I had to grab my camera and snap some shots! Tiger kept getting marshmallow caught between his little toes! Too funny!
Laundry Room Work in Progress
Andy still has to put the doors on but we now have LOTS more storage in the laundry room!
Laundry Room Project
Handy Andy’s next project is cabinets and organization for the laundry room:
Ugh. Usually it’s somewhat picked up and I like to keep the door closed anyway. (Out of sight out of mind sort of mentality, which may be the underlying problem!) Andy, on the other hand, seems to like to leave the door open whether it’s messy or not. He wants to build some more cabinets and shelves so we can store the toilet paper and paper towel rolls as well as our every day clutter – lunch totes, my gigantic purse and random bags that I carry (notice the two or three tossed on top of the dryer; yep, I’m a total “green” bag lady) and all his random stuff.
Stay tuned for our (his) progress!
Living Room Cabinets: COMPLETE!
Without further ado, I give you Handy Andy’s latest masterpiece:
Nice, huh? We (and by we I me Andy) put those little magnetic latches on them to keep ‘em shut nicely. We’re still working on the decor that will go on top but for now we’ve got some random stuff to fill the space. Speaking of space, we decided the large coffee table in the middle of the room had to go. We found it to be a bit out of reach when you are relaxing on the couch, especially if you’ve got the recliners set back. We like the extra room and so do the dogs.
Next up – the dreaded laundry room!!! Check back tomorrow for the before pictures (yikes!)
Treat Your Pets Well & Save Money
As I was dealing with Putter’s poor ears I realized it was time for me to get more meds for the dogs to keep them safe from fleas and heartworm. Sound expensive? You bet. Now take that times three dogs!
Being the cheapskate frugal person that I am, I’m always looking for a way to save a few bucks where I can. So I’m happy I was able to treat Putter’s ears with inexpensive household products. But, that’s not so much the case with flea and heartworm medications.
To save on those things I started using 1800petmeds.com. You do have to have a prescription from your vet to get the medications but 1800petmeds will contact your vet and get the info for you. I’ve found that my vets aren’t big fans of you buying those products from someone other than them. They tell me the products do not have the same guaranty which may be true, but I’ve not had any issues.
I’ve learned of another way to help save A LOT on the flea meds. Typically, you buy boxes that have 3, 6, or 12 of the above little applicators based on the weight of your dog. Each container has a pre-measured amount of medicine. Usually you break the top of the container off and apply the full amount to your dog. If you do the math you will see you are paying A LOT more per ml for a smaller dog. You can save by buying the larger containers (intended for bigger dogs) and carefully dividing it into smaller doses.
Since you can buy Frontline and similar products without a prescription, something else I have done is buy a flea medicine “kit” from ebay. The kits come with the medicine, a glass vial, and a plastic syringe as shown above.
The idea is that you buy the medicine in a higher dosage, empty the solution into a glass vial, and divide it up amongst your pets using a plastic syringe. This is WAY less expensive than buying multiple applications separately. But, also very likely be frowned upon by some (including vets) because you’re increasing the risk of giving them too much medicine. But, if you’re careful you will do just fine.
Here’s the dosage from the 1800petmeds website:
|
Pet |
Weight |
Dosage |
|
Dogs/Puppies: |
Up to 22 lbs |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month (0.67 ml) |
|
|
23-44 lbs |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month (1.34 ml) |
|
|
45-88 lbs |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month (2.68 ml) |
|
|
89-132 lbs |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month (4.02 ml) |
|
Cats/Kittens: |
All weights |
Apply contents of 1 applicator once a month |
And the math behind it based on my three dogs:
TYPICAL PURCHASE
- Putter – dosage for 1-22 lbs = 0.67ml = $45.99 for 3 months ($15.66 per 0.67ml dose/month)
- Tiger - dosage for 1-22 lbs = 0.67ml = $45.99 for 3 months ($15.66 per 0.67ml dose/month)
- Max - dosage for 23-44 lbs = 1.34ml = $46.99 for 3 months ($7.83 per 0.67 ml dose, but Max needs TWO 0.67 ml doses)
Total = $138.97 for 3 months for all three dogs, or $46.32 per month.
SAVE A LITTLE
Buy the 23-44 lbs package, which is 1.34ml, divide it by two = 0.67ml and you have two doses for 1-22 lb pets. $46.99 for 3 months which will treat my two smaller dogs for 3 months. So, one pack for them and one for Max is $93.98, saving me $44.99. This option would cost $31.32 per month.
SAVE A LOT
Buy the largest dosage for 89-132lbs (which equates to $4.31 per 0.67 ml dose) and divide that up amongst all three dogs for a total of $17.24 per month.
SAVE THE MOST
If you’re not afraid of buying on ebay you can save even more on your meds, just make sure it’s a reputable seller. I bought 6 month supply for 45-88 lbs for $51.99, add $2 for shipping/insurance for total of $53.99. This is 24 applications of 0.67ml, which is $9.00 per month for all three dogs – saving me $37.32 per month from the typical purchase!
I love my boys and while I will cut corners and attempt to save money where possible I refuse to switch to lower quality food or skip medicines to save a few bucks. I want them to be as healthy as possible and besides, a sick dog can cost way more than just paying to take good care of them in the first place.
What do you do to cut costs on pet care?
