Spring Pet Tips

Thankfully, those of us who live in snow-prone areas are seeing the sun again! Thank the Lord! Here are some Spring Pet Tips to start you off in this lovely season: Make sure your pets are protected with flea, tick and heartworm treatments & are up-to-date on vaccinations. Keep a file with your pet’s medical information and keep track of necessary follow-up shots and appointments.

Just like us, our pets have allergies too! If you notice obvious signs of allergies like swollen eyes, frequent scratching, fur/skin conditions or sneezing, you may want to take your pet to the vet to explore those allergy symptoms.

The outdoors is not the only thing pets get a fever for in the Spring, Springtime is mating season! Make sure your pet is spayed or neutered so that they do not contribute to the overwhelming pet overpopulation problem we have in this country. Springtime means spring showers and sprinklers, which can leave puddles of standing water. Try not to let your dog drink out of puddles, as standing water can be filled with bacteria leading to gastrointestinal upset or ailments. Is your dog eating grass? Unless it’s been treated with fertilizer or pesticide, don’t worry. It could mean he has a bellyache, or it could just be his natural instinct to aid his digestion. Adopted from www.thoughtsfurpaws.com

5 Easy Ways To Save Money

• Go grocery shopping while you are in a hurry: Maybe you need to go out in a couple of hours. Or your favorite show is going to be on TV after a couple of hours. Try to squeeze in the grocery trip in that intermediate time. Armed with your grocery list, you should be in-and-out very quickly with little time for meandering and getting tempted to buy things you don’t need.

• Bottle your own water: Drinking water is good for your health. Bottled water is the most convenient to have available since it can provide protection against accidental spills. That said, buy bottled water only once in a while, and then reuse that bottle to fill your own water. If you are not happy with tap water, invest in a Brita Filter – in the long run it can save a lot of money.
• Regulate your electric use: When not in use, unplug electric appliances. Apparently, unplugging the TV instead of just switching it off can save a lot of electricity! When not in a room, switch off the lights and the fan. Use a programmable thermostat to control your A/C and heater usage. If that's too much, at least know what each appliance uses and unplug a few of them.
• Avoid the vending machines: Almost everything that is dispensed via vending machines has a huge markup (and is rarely healthy). However, if you suffer from snack attacks at work, consider creating a secret stash of snacks. If you like drinking soda and have a fridge at the workplace, save a refrigerator pack in the fridge with a post-it with your name on it. If you have a long commute, consider a stash for the car as well and avoid a quick drive-thru visit.
• Finally, keep distance from lavish, high-roller friends: If you have lavish friends who buy a new car every other year (or worse still, lease it), have large screen TVs and every other conceivable electronics gadget, eat out at fancy restaurants every other night and just live way beyond their means, keep the distance. They may be nice people and mean you no harm, but hanging out with such people often can lead to a lot of unnecessary desires and discontent. What’s more important – your friends or your peace of mind? Adopted from Grad Money Matters.