New Math and Budgeting ~ Does it All Work Out in the End?

Am I spending too much money these days?? That is the question.

I wandered over to our neighborhood Canadian Tire with my Daycare Family a few days ago. There were a few items on my list that I thought I may be able to find there. One of those items happened to be grass shears.

I found what I was looking for but was aghast at the price. Twenty dollars?!? I don't shop for these kind of items often, but I thought that was a little steep. There were others that cost more, but $20.00 was the cheapest that I could find. I decided to leave those on the shelf and look a little before I lept. That night, I went to WalMart. I found the shears I was after. For $10.00. Half of the cost. I saved myself $10.00 by not being impulsive. Yay, me!!

So last night, I went out and spent the $10.00 I saved on a used tricycle for my daycare family. Did I save money in the end? Or did I just spend $20.00 too much?

We adopted a cat. He is an adorable cat with a likable, outgoing personality. His 'two week trial period' ends on Saturday. And he is 'broken'. He has had diarrhea since we adopted him. He has an eye that we have been doctoring. His previous owner has connections with a vet that supplies her with (perhaps expired?) medications. So we have been following her advise and doctoring him as she suggests. And nothing has really changed.

I can't afford to adopt a cat with ongoing medical bills. But we like him. We really like him. He shows absolutely no outward symptoms of feeling badly. His litter box says otherwise, but he is vibrant, energetic and his fur is shiny and he is the picture of health. I booked an appointment for him to see our vet. $65.00 for the check up, plus $70 - $90 for any blood work (with the possibility of an additional $20 in courier costs if they needed to send anything out) and that doesn't even include the cost of any medication they may suggest.

This morning? I am going to cancel that appointment. Instead, I shall call the person I adopted him from and talk to her about the possibility of having her vet check him out instead (if his problems persist). Instinct tells me that his symptoms are stress induced. He is a jumpy cat. I think his stomach is settling in to his new home and family. I have a stomach like that. He is acting healthy in every other way. I think I'll save those vet costs for another day ...

But tonight? I am off to buy another tricycle for our daycare. Grand total spent - $10.00. Hmmm ... a savings of almost $200.00 on present day vet costs (future costs unknown) verses current spending of $10.00. It sounds good this morning. How will this compute in the future?

My car has been leaking automatic transmission fluid ever since I had it flushed and changed at my last oil change. I checked the level regularly but since the level continued to be fine, I guessed that maybe they had over-filled it when they changed it. What do I know?

Finally, the level dipped to the 'add' level on the dip stick. Then my son told me that I should check this level while the car is running. The fluid barely reached the bottom of the dip stick when I checked it properly. Whoops...

I called my friendly neighborhood mechanic yesterday morning to see if they could check this out for me. They were happy to accommodate me, only they were booked until Monday. Meanwhile, I had this running commentary going on in the back of my mind. I am getting a new fence. What if the car breaks down? What if the furnace or air conditioner or anything else major needs to be replaced or fixed around the house? Do I have a contingency plan in place???

So ... last night, I stopped in at the place that flushed my transmission (back in February) and told my little leakage story (and why I had delayed coming by sooner). I honestly thought that any 'warranty' on the work that they did four months ago would have expired. But after hearing me out, they were happy to check into my problem. Immediately. Within the hour, they found and rectified the problem. They topped up my transmission fluid and sent me on my way. It didn't cost a penny.

There we go! Crisis averted (today). Money saved for another day? Can you 'save' money that you didn't have in the first place?!??

So tonight? If that Little Tykes ride-in car is still for sale? I just may add that to our Daycare Inventory ...

What I save on one hand (by not purchasing that-which-I-really-couldn't-afford-in-the-first-place), I am spending on the other. Is this what they call new math? Am I digging myself into a hole with this thinking?

I may be in the hole ... but I will have a nice new fence around it!