Horses Are Expensive II: November 2016

2016 is definitely going to end up being the cheapest year for equine spending that I have ever had. I am so far behind my "typical" spending that it's making me feel as though I have oodles to spend. I don't. Instead of spending my money on new tack, clinics, and shows, "we" spent it elsewhere. 

The Vatican

Remember that trip to Italy in June? I saved tons of money that month.

Decorated for Christmas - yellow dog tore down the wreath on the right so I had to rehang them both HIGHER. She's only just now a year old. Bad dog.

In October, we bought a new house. I saved a pile of cash that month, too. Have I mentioned that in November, I hardly spent any money on my horses because I also had to furnish the new house? So yeah. I am basically the queen of saving money. 

There's also a kitchen table that seats four and barstools for three. Just how many people live here? Oh yeah ... two.

I am sure that by now you know that I watch all of my pennies very closely. We had the money for all of this because we raided next summer's vacation fund. Bye bye, Africa. I would have loved to have seen you in person. Yeah. That's not happening now. Instead, we have a pretty cool new home with lovely new furniture (and more on the way).

Not that this is a home decorating blog, but I promise to share more photos when we get the last few furniture deliveries done. Things won't be really done for a long, long time as there is always more to do. When we sell our cabin (Hey! Anyone interested in a GREAT cabin near Bakersfield? Let me know!), we'll use some of that furniture to finish the second spare bedroom and fill in a few gaps here and there. That might take years though.

Anyway ... back to the idea that horses are expensive. I laugh because they're really not if you don't spend your money on them. This was yet another month of barebones horse keeping.

I spent just over $900 to keep two horses for the month of November. There have been months where I have easily spent three times that amount. For me, the lesson in all of this is that if I didn't have horses, I'd have a LOT more money. I wouldn't be any happier though.

As they say, What's in your wallet?