Last summer, many of you responded to my post When Career Plans Change.  Well, in a nutshell, I had a very difficult decision to make, whether to put my long-term career and personal life plans on hold to take a great one-year maternity leave opportunity in industry, or to wait for my dream job in the public service while staying self-employed.  Well, in the end, I had decided to take the mat leave and see where it leads me, knowing that nothing would likely happen any time soon with the public service I’d applied for (two-and-a-half years ago now!) given the tight fiscal constraints they are facing.

Fast-forward 10 months.   Well, the public service did call about 4 weeks ago, and offered my a great position in our nation’s capital, about 5 hours away from where we live now. It was completely unexpected, it had been so long since I’d heard anything from them.  Since then, I’ve quit my industry job, put my house up for sale, and started the new job a few days ago.  It was a mad rush to get the house ready for sale before I started the new job.  My old job old job involved an hour-and-a-half commute each way, every day, so I was burning the candle at both ends to get everything done in time.

Until our house is sold, I’ll be staying with family during the week, and going home on weekends. Thankfully, there is flexibility with my hours of work, and my husband is a teacher, so after the end of June he’ll have a lot more free time.  This has meant a big change for him as well, he will have to give up the relationships and seniority he has with his current school board, and go back to being a supply teacher with the new school board, basically going back to square-one to look for a permanent classroom position.  Thankfully, the new supply position won’t be a pay cut for him, and he can still contribute to the pension plan, since we’ll still be in the same province.

Change can be scary, but I think in the long term, it can be a very good thing.  Sometimes, when we least expect it, one phone call can change everything, and, good or bad, we need to go with whatever that phone call brings.  I’m adapting to a new group of people, new work environment, new responsibilities, and to the reality that we are finally getting what we started working towards about 6 years ago, when my husband went back to school.   We now both have jobs where we’ll have good work schedules, pensions, and we can finally settle down somewhere and really start living our lives.  It’s funny, we’ve wanted this for such a long time, but when it happened, it all happened at once, and we were really overwhelmed!  Things are better now, and we need to focus this summer on my husband networking in our new city to try to hopefully get into a permanent classroom over the next year, which he really deserves.  I’ll write more about the personal finance implications of this move once I see how the house sale plays out in a few weeks–I’m learning some very interesting things in my conversations with my personal banker!

Is anyone else going through something similar?

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Do you sometimes look around and realize that big changes are happening, and for better or for worse, you have done or are doing things that are WAY out of your comfort zone?  I mean you may feel scared, excited, angry, or even thrilled about doing something completely different and unexpected, but sometimes until you look back, you don’t see the effects that change has had on your life.

Sometimes the big changes involve your finances, relationships, your own personal development, or some combination thereof.  The common element is that some part of you is different afterwards.

It has been my personal experience, often in hindsight, that even though a change may have been traumatizing at the time, I have come out stronger, more compassionate, and better for it.

Here are my 3 things I never thought I would do…

1. Ride a roller coaster

I mean a big one–I got over my fear by riding The Hulk at Universal Studios in Orlando! Staring perceived near-death in the face at breakneck speeds has really opened up a lot of doors for me, and made me less afraid of dealing with other challenges in my life.

2. Sell my house, quit my job, and move to a different city…all in about 3 weeks

This one is currently in progress, YIKES! More on this in the near future

3. Let myself get close to another dog 

After I tragically lost my first love, Jasper, so suddenly one cold January night, I didn’t think I would ever let myself get so attached again.  Sometimes we don’t get to pick who we love, love finds us. I now have Naula and Moab, and have learned that I have enough love in my heart for all of them.

What are 3 things you never thought you’d do?

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A couple of months ago, I wrote about how frugality has gone mainstream.  I think this is a good thing.  Since my frugal days started many years ago in university, I’ve managed to find ways to have a rich, fulfilling life while getting the most out of the money that I have available to me.  It’s involved being creative, but also it’s meant having to ask for help from the employees at the stores and vendors where I spend my hard-earned after-tax dollars.

Over the last couple of months, many of you have been following the series on my 25% grocery savings rule.  Part of the system involved buying what’s on sale and combining it with what you already have to make a meal plan for that week.  Getting the the grocery store early does help to secure these deals, but people like myself who have 12 hour day with their commute may not get in there the same day the flyer comes out.  I have a couple of ways to get around this: 1) Call ahead to ask the staff when the store gets re-stocked or new shipments come in over the weekend, and plan to visit the store then, or 2) If you don’t see the sale item you’re looking for where you think it should be, don’t waste further time, just ask an employee from that department.  They can help you by either getting you the item from the back of the store, directing you to a sale display elsewhere in the store, giving you a rain check, or telling you exactly when they’ll be getting more of that item.  If you hadn’t asked, you wouldn’t know, and would have left empty-handed.

If you see an item you know you need, but it’s not urgent, you can always ask the staff if it’s going on sale anytime soon.  You’d be surprised at the answer you might get sometimes! Every spring our local farm store puts top soil, manure, and mulch on sale at deep discount, the first year I was lucky enough to see the flyer and get the good deal. The following year, I started to keep an eye on the flyer in the spring, but wasn’t when/if the sale would happen.  I just asked one of the landscaping department staff and they told me on would be on sale two weeks from then–problem solved.  I had time to decide how much I needed and then bought the whole season’s worth of materials at once. It would have cost me 35% more to just go out and buy everything otherwise–pretty good savings for a couple of minutes of research! As an alternative, some of the larger stores do have a pricing guarantee that if it goes on sale after you buy it they’ll credit you the difference, but that’s a huge pain, and consumer behavior dictates that most of us wouldn’t go back with our receipt to get that adjustment.

Last but not least, whether it’s a department store or a furniture store.  It can’t hurt to ask if they can do better on the price–even if it’s already on sale.  For example, we still needed to fill the gap under the counter with a matching stainless and black built in-dishwasher to make our kitchen complete.  I’ve been eyeing the price of these for a couple of years, and a the basic model from a good brand we’re looking at retails for about $500, and goes on sale periodically for a little over $400. Given the current economy, the sales have been getting better, and I saw it on sale at a furniture store for $358. Not bad!  We just happened to be walking through a local department store yesterday and saw the same model, with the last one, the floor model, being on sale for $343.  I know it’s obviously never been used, so no mechanical concerns, but it is a little smudgy, and there’s a small scratch in the black plastic panel at the top from all of the customer touching it.  We asked the sales person if they could do better on the price?  He starts to say that it’s already on sale… and then we say, okay, we thought we’d just ask, point out the scratch, and said very politely that we’d have been happy to pay $300, and we’d buy it right then and there…and slowly turned to walk away.  Then we heard “wait…because it’s a floor model…I might be authorized to do better on the price”.  He whipped out his calculator, punched away for a few seconds and gave us an additional 10%. End result?  We walked away with it for $309!

So the moral of these stories is that if you don’t ask, you can’t get the deals, and it doesn’t even have to involve haggling.  By being polite, and just asking the store employees for help, you can save a significant amount of money on things you were already going to buy anyway.  If you want to learn more about how to negotiate, specially on big purchases, read my post on 5 things you never thought were negotiable.  Happy saving!

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No matter what type of relationship we have with our pets, they are with us through various phases in our life.  They’re also there when we leave in the morning, and greet us when we come home.  As the years pass, they age much more quickly than we do, and I feel like their only crime is that they never live long enough.  As a veterinarian, over the years I’ve acted as a steward, guiding many animals into this world, and seeing them off on their final journey as they leave this life.  Senior animals always have a special place in my heart.  I think that even though the fur goes grey, the spirit stays strong, and that animal, cat or dog, or whatever other critter you share your life with deserves the kind of attention, care, and vigilance that we all deserve as we age.  I lost a very special family member named Shadow almost a year ago now, and my two dogs Naula and Moab are now into senior territory as well.  I know that eventually I won’t be able to cheat the inevitable, but it’s how they get to live their life that counts in my mind.

I feel that after many years of faithful companionship, unconditional love, and loyalty, our pets deserve to grow old with dignity.  I know that for many of us, times are tough, and we need to do right by our pets, whatever that means for each person.  While there isn’t a substitute for the care, knowledge, and expertise of a licensed veterinarian, I wanted to share with you 5 very important and completely free things that you can do for your senior pet at home, that may just save, prolong, or improve the quality of their life.

Unfortunately, sometimes, because our pets can’t talk, we don’t know that something is wrong until they go into crisis because their body just can’t compensate any longer for an illness that’s been brewing for a long time.  If you see any of warning signs with your pet, it’s time to call your veterinarian right away, and try to get to the bottom of what’s going on.  Like I said, these tips aren’t a substitute for veterinary care, but they can be very important signs that your pet is ill, and being aware of them and taking action before it’s too late could increase the amount of time you have with your loved one, help save you money from having to face emergency care, or maybe even save their life.

5 things to look out for in your senior pet:

1. Weight loss (or in some instances weight gain)

Now most of us don’t weight our pets on a regular basis, but some things to look for are being able to feel the spine, ribs, and hips more prominently than you used to, or if their silhouette or profile looks different than it used to.  If you aren’t sure, most clinics would be more than happy to have you stop in just to weigh your pet, the staff can always take a quick look and see if the weight has changed significantly since the last visit. If you notice any of these things and your pet has not had a significant change in their activity level or food intake, it may be time to have your pet examined again and talk to your veterinarian.

2. Change in water intake or urination habits

Excessive drinking and/or an increase in frequency and volume of urination can mean trouble for your pet.  As far as water intake, what you want to pay attention to is how often you are refilling that water bowl.  Even if you aren’t home much and don’t always see your pet drinking, if you’re having to fill up an empty water bowl more often than previously, it may be a sign that something has changed.  Some cats, and even dogs, if they drain their bowl will then actively go after other sources of water obsessively like what’s left in the shower or tap, or even the toilet bowl.

On the other end, if your cat is voiding in the litter box much more than before, or even going outside of the box because it fills so quickly, it could be a warning sign.  With dogs, it could be that they are asking to go outside more often, voiding larger amounts of urine than before, or even not being able to hold it and having accidents inside the house.   If a well trained pet is voiding somewhere other than they have for years, it’s important to give them the dignity and respect to try to get to the bottom of it, especially for older dogs, it can be stressful and scary to have you come home to find an accident that they really couldn’t help doing.

3. Vomiting or diarrhea

This may seems obvious, but either sudden or ongoing vomiting or diarrhea could potential be a warning that something is very wrong either in the digestive tract itself, or elsewhere in the body.  As our pets age, the number of reasons why we see these signs may increase.  Even if you have a cat that’s been an occasional hairball vomiter, if you notice a change from the norm, it’s a good idea to get it checked out.

4. Any lumps or bumps

Although our pets spend a lot of time in our presence when we’re home, we may not always make the time to pet them, and find any lumps or tumours while they are still small.  Aside from how important I think it is for our bond with our furry family members, putting our hands on them to pet them while feeling for anything unusual is very important.  I start from the nose and go all the way to the tail, having a good feel while massaging everything in between, even the legs, neck and feet.  If you do find anything unusual, measure it with a little ruler, and write down where on the body it is.  Mark this down on your calendar so that when you talk to your veterinarian about it you’ll have a frame of reference.  If you don’t measure the lump, it’s easy for your mind to play tricks on you when you’re at the animal hospital and they’re asking you whether it’s changed or grown since you found it As a sidenote, it’s often less expensive and easier on our pets to remove an abnormal lump when it is smaller, rather then waiting until it’s bigger and more difficult to remove.

5. How they move around

Unlike us, animals often don’t vocally complain unless they are in a lot of pain or distress.  The signs of discomfort can often be subtle, and unfortunately our pets can’t talk…at least most of them can’t :)  Some things to look out for are any difficulty or stiffness when they get up after sleeping or lying down for a while, and trouble going up and down the stairs.  Running or jumping differently when they’re playing, or even reluctance to do some of the things they used to in their daily routine like walking or playing.  Some pets may hesitate or seem tentative when they need to make a big jump on or off the sofa or bed. There are sometimes obvious signs like limping or incoordination that could indicate a problem, but often, unless there’s a sudden episode or injury, the first few things  I mentioned in this section might be a warning that it’s time to get your furry friend into the clinic for an exam and a discussion about what you can do to keep them happy, comfortable, and enjoying their golden years!

Like I said, these tips aren’t substitutes for proper veterinary care, but they sure are ways to proactively be involved in our pets health and well being. This article is not medical advice, if you notice these things, you should consult your pet’s veterinarian. In the very least, this level of vigilance will help to strengthen your bond with them, and at the most, it may help to prolong, save, or improve their quality of life.

Rock on senior pets!

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Welcome spring!  It was another exciting week in the blogosphere, with many posts turning to frugality-related topics to try to help each out. 

Emily over at Remodeling This Life was kind enough to host the Festival of Frugality this week.  There we so many great posts at my favourite blog carnival, but these three really stood out for me this week!

• Frugal Dad has an insightful post called A Frugal Diet, Or a Frugal Lifestyle.  I love the analogy to maintaining a healthy weight in the dieting world!
• FruGal shares some of Your top tips on long-term savings motivation. This post is about savings in the long term, but the tips are equally applicable to coming up with the money and motivation to stay the long-term course with debt repayment as well.
• Living Almost Large talks about Compromising Frugality. This post is a great reminder that a balanced life–both personal and financial–is very important.

Well, that’s it for this week!

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Here we are, at the final installment in our series on how to implement my grocery savings rule.  If you’re just joining us, and want to know what this is all about click here to read the original post.   Over the last few weeks, we’ve gone over in great detail the tools you can use to save yourself hundreds–maybe even thousands of dollars a year in groceries.  I know that times are very tough right now, but I thought I’d end the series on a positive note about how I use the rule to pay it forward and help others. 

There were many years through university, and the early working years, that I wanted to help those that had even less than I did, even though I didn’t have a lot of money.  I knew that a meager donation of a few dollars to a charity would probably get eaten up in administration fees, so I donated my time to my local food bank, soup kitchen, and took my dog into one of the local retirement homes for pet therapy.   It didn’t cost me a thing, but the lessons I learned were priceless. I learned that there are some good people out there who tirelessly help others, and that anybody can fall on hard times.  Not matter how bad things have gotten, I always remember that it could be much, much worse.  During my time volunteering at the food bank and soup kitchen, I saw that there were other valuable ways to help, including food donations.

Because of my long commute, I don’t have as much time to volunteer as I would like.  A couple of years ago, when I started using my grocery savings rule, I had an idea:  I thought there’s always a list of high need items for both the food bank and soup kitchen, and by keeping these lists handy, I could purchase certains items that were on deep discount that week.  The food bank generally needs non perishable items and toiletries, and the soup kitchen needs largely perishable items with certain non-perishable staples.  By keeping a list on hand, and matching up what was on sale when I did my weekly planning, I saved a good 30-50% on those items–effectively being able to buy twice as much for the money I was going to spend. For example, last month, I was able to buy a package of 24 rolls of toilet paper, 3 big boxes of cornflakes, 3 jars of good quality pasta sauce, 3 cans of tuna, and 3 cans of beans for $20–a value of over $45 at regular price.

The organizations that work hard to provide food for people in our communities have a great need year-round.  While we tend to think about donating around the holidays, people are hungry every day of the year, and more people than ever need our help.  Giving to others not only makes us feel good, it also builds good karma…we never know when we might need to be on the receiving end.

Read the rest of this series:

Original post: My 25% Grocery Savings Rule
My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in Action-Part 1: Introduction
My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in Action-Part 2: Planning and Resources
My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in Action-Part 3: Challenges
My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in Action-Part 4: Case Study # 1
My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in Action-Part 5: Case Study # 2

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Wow, March is here, and thankfully, spring is right around the corner…well, I’m sure that we are in for more snow here before then…but I’m trying to remain optimistic and keep my eye on the prize! 

Richard at Student Scrooge did a great job of hosting the 166th Festival of Frugality this week.  His “Winter is almost over” edition just may be the light we need at the end of the long, snowy, tunnel :)  Without further delay, here were my faves from this week:

Kelly Over at Almost Frugal had some great tips in Frugalize Your Routine.  I liked this post because, like Kelly, I’m not part of the group that has a lot of obvious places to cut back like that daily latte (and never have been).  This is a great post if you want to find ways to continue to live a great quality of life while saving some money.

Secrets for Money has a very useful post about their picks for Best Dollar Store Deals.  I’ve written about this in the past, and it’s true, especially for office supplies, gift wrap and greetings cards, and arts and crafts supplies.  These items can be bought for up to 70% savings above what you’d pay at their respective specialty stores.

Free From Broke talks about 9 Excuses Why You Haven’t Started a Budget Yet. Does this sound like you or anyone you know? Then read the follow-up post Excuse Busters for Not Having a Budget. I like it when bloggers not only point out problems, but come up with some solutions!

Well, that’s it for this week…don’t forget daylight savings time next weekend (March 7th)!

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