Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The Holiday Squeeze

It's that time of year again. You know, weather gets nasty, industry slows down, hours get cut, all that good stuff. I have more pony time, which is a perk, but sometimes (like Christmas morning), I find myself driving to the barn and trying to figure out how on earth I'm going too come up with the money to buy gas the next day. As I concoct a scheme that is almost plausible, I hear a noise.

Yes folks, my tire exploded. 7am Christmas morning.

Because I am the calmest person ever, I pull over and start getting ready to change the tie while having a melt down over the fact that I now need an ENTIRE SET OF NEW TIRES AND CAN'T AFFORD GAS.

Cue nice man in giant mobile-car-repair truck pulling over and changing my tie for me, for free, in like 5 minutes, on Christmas, because he is a nice person.

So yeah. Money is tight. Work is hard to come by.



The good news? Cuna is adorable.












We had one of out best dressage rides ever today, right down to lateral motion.











And you know what? I just need one tire. I even have some time tomorrow to take care of it.

Breathe. Relax.

I know I stress about money and it's always extra tight around the holidays, but I'm finding ways to make it work. Anyone have creative side job ideas? How do you make it work when money is short?


PS You're running out of time to enter the 'Tis the Season photo contest!!

27 comments:

  1. I gotta admit, I feel like after following a ton of blogs for the last few years, I am in awe of the amount of people (like yourself) who own horses and tend to be in such tight financial means. And for some reason, there seems to be no in between people, there's people that are so self sacrificial they'd rather let themselves starve before their horses, or those that seem to have money coming out of their pores. Obviously, horse-ownership is much easier for the latter, but I just have to say that I am most impressed with the ones like you! Inspiring to say the least! And, I am sure there are plenty out there in between, I guess they don't have as many cool adventures! Ha!

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  2. I am with you, always saving and scrounging at the same time! Regarding Xmas gifts, we scaled WAAAAY back and probably could do more. I do a lot of homemade gifts (thank you pinterest) instead now or we set like $25 or less limits. It works for us :)

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  3. I feel ya sister! Like you, I work on the farm to work off the pony's board, pick up odd jobs, sell stuff on ebay and I don't splurge on any other part of my life (don't even own a TV). I guess where there is a will there is a way!
    Also - what an incredibly nice person to change your tire for free! Sweet!

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  4. I used to be like this. I hated it. I remember when I was young having no money for petrol OR hay so I would bike it to the paddock and take a pair of scissors with me to cut long grass from verges etc to feed to my poor horse.

    Now I have a good job (full time though, no flexibility) PLUS a hoof trimming business on the side. So I have plenty of money for horsey stuff, just or time for horsey stuff!!

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  5. Your first two sentences describe my life exactly right now. As for financials, thankfully i'm not seeing the rest of my family until right around new years, so I made a point of buying all their gifts on boxing day. Others I made myself. All in the name of self preservation...plus, the pony needs a new rain sheet.

    Big props to that nice tire-changin man. How conveniently awesome that he drove by.

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  6. In your area I have no idea, at one point I worked 4 jobs to keep the horse stabled and a roof over my head. We gotta do what we gotta do :/

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  7. I know exactly how you feel! Money is always a major stress point for me, being only 17 and having to fund for my two horses and myself and still to be expected to keep up with school and work - Trust me I know ...
    How nice that you got your tire fixed so quickly :)

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  8. I'm contemplating selling a kidney. Any takers?

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    Replies
    1. There's a place near my house where you can sell plasma. I haven't actually been yet, but sometimes I wonder, lol.

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    2. My husband used to sell plasma in college..lol. It was $20 a pop back then. And this is way out there but one time he got some rare sickness and was getting paid by a medical research company $600 each time they took his blood and he could do it twice a week!!! It was the strangest thing but I kinda wish he would get sick again...LOL. That was wrong I know but $1200 extra a week again???...oh the things I could do......

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  9. What a wonderful person to change your tire on Christmas morning!

    I could not afford a horse until I was pushing 30, but I used to work my butt off in high school and college. I kept campus jobs during the school year and worked long hours at a summer job when school was out. I also cleaned stalls on my day off and took care of the horses and barn whenever the owners went away. I was highly allergic to the barns in that area, so I had to wear a dust mask while cleaning stalls. It was nuts, but I was not willing to give it up.

    When my husband and I had our first apartment, we saved money by not subscribing to cable. Although we do have cable these days, we have switched to prepaid cell phones. My cell phone costs me $50/month. Not bad, right?

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  10. I work retail, so I definitely feel your pain with hours being cut. Sounds like you're having rotten luck... hopefully the kind gentleman on Christmas was a sign that your luck is on the upswing.

    No clue how to make any extra money... if you figure it out, let me know! Haha.

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  11. ahhhh money so temporary, so fleeting yet so necessary all the dang time. I cut costs where ever possible but some times I have found I just have to cut certain things out for short periods of time. Then like always things change for the better. Just like I know you will find a way to make it all work. Us horse girls are just resourceful like that!!

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  12. Win the lottery. Find a wealthy benefactor. Declare your Pro status and find sponsors. Porn. I liked the internal organs on the black market strategy. There are ways, my dear. If you have no morals, there are more ways. ;)

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  13. Ouch! My friend is way crafty and just opened an etsy shop selling things. Are you artsy by chance? Sorry I'm not more help. I have the money for the pony and a little fun stuff, but like some of the other commentators very very very little time as a result to enjoy it, which is also a conundrum!

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  14. I substitute teach. Since I was a teacher before I retired, I'm pretty experienced, but if you have a college degree--check in your State--you can usually qualify for a sub certificate. Just a thought.

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  15. I agree with Amy - if you are crafty, perhaps you can find some way to sell your stuff? Maybe, with your skillz for finding super deals on nice tack, you could do some sort of tack reselling online? Selling the crapola in your attic/closets is also a good way to make extra cash, and clean out junk (something I GOTTA do). This time of year, petsitting is in HIGH demand - maybe you could do some of that? If you've got good organizational skills, you could go the personal assistant route (part time), and if you paint (interiors), maybe some of that? Are there other barns in town that need some help around the holidays? Just look on Craigslist to see what sort of skills other people are offering - perhaps there is something you would enjoy (or at least, not mind) doing for others that would net you extra $$. Good luck!

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  16. I got a flat tire yesterday.. ugh! I feel your pain!

    I am sure you already do this but we don't eat out or shop for clothes... it's always tight.

    Maybe you can get a part time job at Starbucks?

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  17. Feel your pain and stress. I have to really juggle things to be able to have Savvy and not feel like I am a selfish mom/wife for spending all of our money. good news? Cuna is super cute!!!

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  18. What about babysitting?? Usually barns have a lot of mothers around, or people who know people with young kids. I love getting paid to fall asleep on the couch and watch tv that is far better than anything I can afford to have. Usually I make enough babysitting once a week to pay for gas and hay/grain.

    -Long time reader, never commenter... Molly

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  19. So nice of that gentleman to help you out. People like that make the world go round.

    As to wallet worries, what about offering services to barn mates and to other boarders in the area? Grooming, clipping, being available to coordinate with farrier and vets, riding/longing, tack cleaning, braiding? For those with full time jobs, simply having someone to trust to be there for vet and farrier is worth paying for. I take care of a horse whose owner was traveling for a few years (exercise, groom, make sure there's no boo-boos, basically just act as Auntie) and that helps pay for my lessons.

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  20. Get another job, even if it's flipping burgers. I worked 7 days a week for many many years to support my horses. I did house and pet sitting on top of that as well. Take whatever work you can...its good for your character and good for the wallet.

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  21. You could eh...join the Air Force ;) Worked for me :) I seriously joined 6.5 years ago thinking "Well, maybe I should start a career so I can have a secure job that will support my horse addiction."

    But if I was ever on the flip side financially from where I am now, I wouldn't hesitate to be on the rice cakes and water diet in a second so my horses could eat. It's only a certain part of the horse owner population that are that dedicated to their horses. Cuna is lucky to have you.

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  22. Bummer - I hate that everything costs money. I asked Santa for a money tree but no luck. What about teaching some up-down type lessons? If you could do a couple a week at $25-$30 for 30 min (going rate around here), it could really start to add up...good luck!

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  23. I feel you on the money stress... although I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel since things are improving.

    I have no idea on the making money thing. I never could figure out how to do odd jobs besides babysitting lol. I wish I could do something like dog walking or training. :)

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