Out of the blue expenses suck

[azanon]

Cat. $350. Oxymoron

If our cat or dog ever got lame somehow, i'd go on one of them hunting trips where 2 go out, and one comes back. I ain't paying no $50 dollars to put one to sleep either when i can do the same thing with a 20cent 12 guage shell.

Azanon

 

[brewer12345]

If our cat or dog ever got lame somehow, i'd go on one of them hunting trips where 2 go out, and one comes back.    I ain't paying no $50 dollars to put one to sleep either when i can do the same thing with a 20cent 12 guage shell.

Azanon

This comes as absolutely no shock to me.

 

[azanon]

This comes as absolutely no shock to me.

Yeah i know, i'm logical like that.   I used to hunt deer too and i also killed them with a weapon.   That is no more "inhumane" than killing a cat or dog the same way. 

Nothing beats the assurance of knowing they didn't suffer long by seeing it with your own eyes.

I do understand though, brewer, killing is probably not meant for everyone. Some folks just aren't cut out for it.

 

[Nords]

This is what I mean. People talkin' all kinds of S to themsleves to rationalize something, instead of just identifying the mission and getting it done. 
So what if you save a few dollars. Only poor people sweat that anyway.

I do beg your pardon.  Good thing that we're both ER'd and neither one of us is poor.

Money is one factor and the one most easily acknowledged by most, but there are other issues.

What you want is something  DONE.

Absolutely.  But first we have to deal with the "hassle factor".  

You call about ten businesses and actually speak to maybe five.  Then you wait for one or two of them to show up (as four of them promised to do) and obtain an estimate (still a good thing we're not poor).  Then you arrange a time (because the estimator isn't the actual repair-it-ator), hopefully not too far in the future, when you'll be home between sunrise & sunset to accomodate the technician's schedule.  Hopefully they'll show up on time, with the right parts, and not get called away in the middle of the job.

Or you could go to Home Depot for the tool, spend an hour reading their "How To" guides or browsing a website, and git 'er done.

Now if you simply WANT to do that thing with the tool ... then it's either like enjoying a good meal, or playing the violin: You derive pleasure from it, and that's OK. Or it's like going to the bathroom: You simply have to and you can't help yourself.  But this is really outside the bailywick of "out of the blue expenses"

Yeah, that fits better under the "entertainment" budget...

Yeah i know, i'm logical like that. I used to hunt deer too and i also killed them with a weapon. That is no more "inhumane" than killing a cat or dog the same way.
Nothing beats the assurance of knowing they didn't suffer long by seeing it with your own eyes.
I do understand though, brewer, killing is probably not meant for everyone. Some folks just aren't cut out for it.

Gee, Az, have you shared this philosophy with your spouse & kids for your golden years?

 

[azanon]

Gee, Az, have you shared this philosophy with your spouse & kids for your golden years?

I distinguish between people and other animals.   I'm going to assume by your statement you do not, otherwise it would be an ignorant statement.

I grew up in rural Arkansas.  Just about any man here would be willing to do the same, and you'd be viewed as a little strange if you had to "pay" someone to do your killing for you' or simply "ye aren't from around here are yae".    Oh yeah, sure, some of the "women" probably run the family pet up to the vet if they're not married, or if they just want to help placate their feelings despite the typical man's frugilness in regards to this matter.  But most men of the house around here would likely handle it that way.

I love living things, which is why i chose Biology.  But death is part of life.   There's no reason to get so sentiment and wrapped up in a very natural process.

Nobody here hunts? You all city folks?

Azanon

 

[Nords]

Nobody here hunts? 

Sorry, Az, I turned in my hunting license when I retired from the military. It was a profession, not a source of food or entertainment. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I was attempting once again to make a point. While you may view pets as worth less than humans in a cold-hearted calculus, many people feel differently. To suggest that euthanasia is the best financial solution to a pet's struggles is inconsiderate at best and trolling at worst. Next time you feel that "Ever'body's pickin' on me!" you might consider that you've earned it with your unecessary imposition of your personal life philosophy in this thread.

 

[razztazz]

While you may view pets as worth less than humans in a cold-hearted calculus, many people feel differently. To suggest that euthanasia is the best financial solution to a pet's struggles is inconsiderate at best and trolling at worst.

Perfect example. Sure, you could it youself. But if you want it done right.. Call The Man.

 

[free4now]

I have to side with Nords. When I want something done, if it's something I can do it's much faster and simpler to do it myself.

I'll admit that a part of this simply my control issues. I don't feel comfortable hiring a serviceperson unless I know exactly what they are doing, and how they are doing it. And I usually want to do some research to figure out if there is anyone else who does it a different better way. Researching all that usually gives me enough knowledge to do it myself.

The main advantage of DIY is that I don't have the constraints that a serviceperson has. I can be much more detail-oriented than would be profitable for a serviceperson, so I often get better results. I can work when it is convenient for me. I can use the materials I want to use.

Also, most of the money you pay a serviceperson goes towards their overhead and taxes. By doing it yourself you keep all that for yourself. You're keeping the IRS's cut of the transaction.

But I do draw a line at jobs that are hazardous to my health... I'll be the first one to hire the asbestos abatement company when I want to remove the popcorn ceilings in my condo.

 

[VoyT]

You call about ten businesses and actually speak to maybe five.  Then you wait for one or two of them to show up (as four of them promised to do) and obtain an estimate (still a good thing we're not poor).  Then you arrange a time (because the estimator isn't the actual repair-it-ator), hopefully not too far in the future, when you'll be home between sunrise & sunset to accomodate the technician's schedule.  Hopefully they'll show up on time, with the right parts, and not get called away in the middle of the job.

  And you've just articulated why I'm so looking forward to having my house's storm damage repaired ....

 

[samclem]

On DIY vs. calling in a pro: Like free4now, I usualy do a lot of research before i would call for help, so when the guy gets there I'm not totally ignorant about the problem and likely fix. This has led me to doubt the expertise of many of these guys. For example, when our furnace crumped out, I caled several companies for an estimate. I explained to all of them that we'd made some improvements to the house (new windows, more insulation) and that I wanted a furnace that was sized right. None of them took the time to do this--most just attempted to sell me a furnace based on the rating of the old one, and two companies used a wag based on square footage. Because I'd used a "legit" online calculator to do the estimate myself, I already knew the size furnace I needed, and that all the estimates were off by 25%-50%. After some trepidation I just bought the unit and put it in myself--it's been working great through one winter.

I think most of the pros know a lot more than I do and can do routine stuff much faster, but it pays to learn enough to spot BS wen you see it.

 

[Nords]

I have to side with Nords.  When I want something done, if it's something I can do it's much faster and simpler to do it myself. 

I have to add a full disclosure. Today we took the bunny to the vet for his semi-annual nail trim checkup. I don't have the time or the patience to learn this job.

The bunny immediately knew who was in charge as soon as he plopped down on the scale (the usual four pounds, one ounce). The vet poked & probed everywhere, putting fingers in places that normally would earn us a sharp bite. Ears were checked for mites. Eyes were checked for cataracts. Teeth were examined with a fiber-optic camera probe (yummy) output to the screen from a DVD player. (A highly technical discussion ensued regarding the merits of fiber content in timothy hay versus orchard grass for grinding down rabbit molars.) All our questions were answered. A funny-looking spot in one ear was sampled, prepped on a slide, and laid out under a microscope for our kid to examine as the vet pointed out epithelial cells and red blood cells... all normal. The best part was wrapping the squirming hairball in a bath towel and holding him still to trim all 18 toenails. The bunny fought a spirited battle but lost all 18 rounds, exhausted, and spent the rest of the day sulking napping in a corner of the family room.

$30-- worth every penny, especially the kid's biology lesson. (Veterinarians are ranked #5 on the list of most financially rewarding professions in "Millionaire Women Next Door".) But vets are much easier to find than plumbers, they keep appointments, and they don't get emergency calls halfway through your job...

 

[sgeeeee]

Remember the epsiode of Andy Griffith where Aunt Bea has this old freezer she wants to fix so she can save money by storing a yrs worth of beef? She keeps trying to fix it on the cheap and Andy keeps repeating "Aunt Bea. Call THE MAN! That's how I do it.

. . .

I would prefer to do it this way, but there's a big problem. I find that about 3/4 of the time THE MAN is incompetent, or worse . . . a crook. For example, I am not a motorhead. I do not enjoy working on my cars. I would gladly pay 10x the cost of materials to have someone else do the service. But finding a decent mechanic is not trivial. And while you search, your car keeps getting mangled and the bill keeps going up.

We have a lot of discussions on this board about financial planners. Most seem to agree that not only are they not worth the money, they actually benefit by screwing you. How is it any different for auto mechanics, concrete workers, etc.? Even when I feel like I have to hire THE MAN, identifying, hiring and scheduling the right man is a lot of work.

I have my own gas powered concrete saw stories. Hire an irrigation company to fix a leak in your 36 inch burried concrete pipe and he will charge you $500 to $1500 dollars. Pick up a shovel, a bag of quickcrete and rent a gas powered concrete saw and you can do the whole thing in a couple of hours for about $50. Do this two or three times a year and you're talking real money. And by the way, my success rate is twice as good as the pros. I think one of the reasons they charge so much is because they screw it up and have to come back once or twice.

 

[Martha]

I have to add a full disclosure. Today we took the bunny to the vet for his semi-annual nail trim checkup. I don't have the time or the patience to learn this job.

We cut our dogs toenails, check regularly for ear mites and have thought about vaccinating them ourselves. But because they need to go to the vet yearly to get checked out, we have left the vaccinating to the vet.

One thing that helps with cutting nails on pets that don't like it is putting them on a surface that they are not used to and are not comfortable on. Our dog Judy hates having her nails cut. I put her on the kitchen island. She isn't confident there and will suffer through the process. We do have to remove the other dog from the room. Otherwise, when Judy gets put on the floor she will snap at him.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The bunny fought a spirited battle but lost all 18 rounds

This bunny wouldnt fight someone cutting his nails for him. Or lose if he did

I've actually found it easier to do most small to medium jobs myself than to simply get an ESTIMATE on something done. My dads recent case was a great one. Had some carpet he wanted replaced with tile in a hallway. Has to make an appointment, the usual 'sometime between noon and three' turned into four o'clock when the guy 'got lost' and couldnt find my dads development...the largest and most well known retirement development (Sun City) in the area. When he finally shows up, he's a retired guy who doesnt know anything at all about tiling. Just takes the measurements. In the process, he determines the area to be tiled is "the livingroom". My dad tells him its a hallway, not the livingroom. Guy says "I can see the living room from where I am, so its the living room. If I say its a hallway, it'll just confuse the installers. My dad points out that he can see his bedroom from there as well, so is it also the bedroom in addition to being the living room? :

So guy that doesnt know anything goes off. Lady at home depot never calls. My dad calls the next day. She's not there, and they cant find her paperwork. In the meanwhile he's priced the materials (about a hundred bucks) and figures the labor to be about four hours for a skilled person. Later the home depot lady calls him from home and says that its going to be about $800. When he asks questions about what is and isnt included, she doesnt know. When he says that it seems a bit expensive and that he's considering other options, she says "ok, goodbye" and hangs up.

He does it himself for about a hundred bucks and about 6 hours work. I think he spent six hours talking to people on the phone, waiting for people to show up, and calling people back to get them to actually cough up an estimate.

SG's comment about people you DO actually get to come out and do the work being incompetent also seems to stand. At least half the time I do hire someone, it reinforces my interest in not hiring any future work out when I have to re-do what they did. And they're supposed to be experts and i'm a hack!

 

[bosco]

I grew up in rural Arkansas. Just about any man here would be willing to do the same, and you'd be viewed as a little strange if you had to "pay" someone to do your killing for you' or simply "ye aren't from around here are yae".


Azanon

reminds me of the New Jersey taxidermist that entered an Arkansas bar. A hush fell over the crowd since he was obviously not local considering his dress and demeanor. Finally the bartender began talking to him.

bartender: "where ya from?"
taxidermist: "New Jersey"
bartender: "what do ya do for a livin'"
taxidermist: "I'm a taxidermist"
bartender: "what's that mean?"
taxidermist "I mount animals"

at which point the bartender shouts out "it's ok, everyone, he's one of us!!"