Horses Are Expensive II: October 2016

11/1/2016

I am really good at saving money. Do you remember how much money I "saved" last June when we went to Italy? Sure, I spent bazillions on the trip, but my horses were practically free that month. I have an even better tip for saving money this month: buy a new house!

Last part has been ordered and repair should be done this week. Recently fixed: vent filter, over head lights, switch, knob, and small oven.

Not only will you save money on your equestrian budget, you can practically eliminate it all together once you start paying for repairs and then furnishing your new house. Refrigerator ... oven ... stove burner all not working? No lessons for you! Leaky roof ... busted garage door opener? No showing either. Replace your perfectly good electric dryer for a new gas model - no new tack or gizmos either.

In fact, since you're not even going out to the barn at all, why not only pay for the board bill and a farrier visit? Buying a house is guaranteed to cut your horse related expenses down to almost nothing!

The absolute minimum that I can spend to keep two horses alive.

All joking aside, I finally know what is the absolute least I can spend and still keep my ponies alive. Of course, I had already purchased their beet pulp and fly spray the month before. And since I missed a big chunk of visits in October, I pushed the shipping date for my next bucket of Platinum Performance until the first of November.

The $1500 that I "saved" from my normal expenses went toward a number of repairs (locksmith and a few others) and the purchase of a new love seat, bar stools, kitchen table, dining room table (seats 8!), and some large area rugs. Since we're not going to Africa next summer, we also used that money. So next summer, I won't have a "Go to Africa and Save Money" post for you ... sorry.

I already bought a new car this past December. I wonder what else I can buy to keep on "saving money?" Oh, I know! How about a new truck?

Just kidding, Universe ... just kidding!

jenj

11/1/2016 06:12:41 am

I am SO JEALOUS of your new kitchen. SO JEALOUS. Can I just have your stove?

Bakersfield Dressage link

11/1/2016 12:23:30 pm

It is beautiful, but it is also HORRIBLY expensive to repair (the rubber fan knob alone cost $33!). It's also really hard to keep clean. With that said, I am really enjoying cooking on it. :0)

Exploringdressagebiomechanics link

11/1/2016 07:13:28 am

Love that kitchen though...

11/1/2016 12:24:26 pm

Now that we're settling in, ME TOO! I cook every night and KNEW that a "gourmet" kitchen would be so much easier to cook in. It is! LOL

Appydoesdressage

11/1/2016 11:08:10 am

Yeah, but that house looks awfully amazing. As someone who very recently did this exact same theory test, I can say that it is a very solid way to save money on horses!

11/1/2016 12:24:59 pm

LOL - too funny!

Hillary link

11/1/2016 11:33:26 am

Your new house looks awesome.

11/1/2016 12:26:02 pm

Thank you! We have more projects to complete - painting the walls is high on my list, but my husband keeps asking me to just slow down and enjoy what we've done so far. :0)

Micaylah link

11/1/2016 01:13:07 pm

I am still amazed by your boarding costs for California. The cheapest I ever paid was $325. To get the amenities I needed in Idaho my board went up to $415. And one full set of shoes for me in Cali was $150 and here $120! I'm very thankful I am home boarding now!

11/1/2016 06:12:57 pm

I should write a blog post about the cost of living here in Bakersfield. We are the eighth largest city in the state, but our median income is pretty low, around $54,000. Very few people are college educated in my particular community, and most people work in agriculture, oil, or service jobs. All of that means that if you ARE college educated and work in a more lucrative field, your dollars go a loooong way in Bakersfield.

Both my husband and I have degrees and good jobs which puts us in a position of financial stability. Anywhere else in the state and we would have to make some serious lifestyle changes.

All of that means that my board bill is not particularly low compared to the average income here. Most people struggle to pay their regular bills and would find my board bill a real challenge to pay. California is actually quite diverse in its socioeconomic levels. The expensive parts of the state are SOOOOOO expensive that they raise the average cost of anything to a price that most people can't afford. In other areas, things are cheap if you have a good job.

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage