I’m going away at the end of June for a week and I just hired my neighbor to watch my sweet baby kitty Jubes. I’m so excited that she is available! She and her husband rent one of two apartments in the house next door to me and, while I don’t really know them, they seem mature and responsible. Now I feel like I can really relax when I’m away, knowing that someone will be keeping an eye on my house as well as taking care of the cat.
What is a reasonable daily rate for someone to stop by once a day to replenish food & water, scoop litter box, and make sure that kitty is ok? I was thinking $15 – 18 dollars a day. Is that enough? What do people pay these days? I think I’ll be gone 8 days total.
My quest for healthy eating continues, which is helping both my grocery expenses and my waistline, although not as quickly as I’d like it to!
I just got notification of my company’s raise percentages this year and I’m really disappointed. I will receive a 3.3% raise for high achievement. Ugh – I got a 3.5% raise last year for normal achievement. High achievement was 4.5% last year! I was expecting to get at least 4.0%. I feel like I’m getting ripped off by 1.2%. Arghhh. I’m so annoyed and pissed! So much for incentive for this year. Boo.
Well, off to drop a bunch of money on getting my hair colored. Yeehaw. 
How much to pay a cat sitter? and craptastic raise...
June 13th, 2013 at 07:26 pm
June 13th, 2013 at 07:40 pm 1371152458
June 13th, 2013 at 07:58 pm 1371153497
June 13th, 2013 at 08:04 pm 1371153870
Clients who refer other clients to me also get a % off their next house sit.
it is a fun side business that I am working to grow. I have a goal of by this time next year making an extra $1000 per month.
June 13th, 2013 at 08:08 pm 1371154124
June 13th, 2013 at 08:20 pm 1371154808
Hey, have a terrific vacation...it is what it is!
June 13th, 2013 at 08:29 pm 1371155366
June 13th, 2013 at 09:35 pm 1371159314
June 13th, 2013 at 10:09 pm 1371161349
Most of us got a less than 1% raise here ... so 3.3% sounds pretty good to me.
June 13th, 2013 at 10:50 pm 1371163844
June 13th, 2013 at 11:03 pm 1371164634
Everything is a business write off. I just ensure that the first amounts I earn go to saving for the following years business expenses. I write off mileage and other things I purchase (cleaning supplies or poop bags) as well.
After the business expenses for the following year are saved I put any thing paid to me into my IRA. Once that is maxed out I put in five different categories: extra to student loan (20%), vacation savings (20%), fun (10%), car expenses (mileage adds up, more oil changes and maintenance concerns (20%), miscellaneous (30%). Sometimes this is placed in a particular category sometimes placed in a miscellaneous savings account.
And I would love a 3.3% raise. I have not had a raise (indeed have experience furloughs for the past 4 years) since 2007. This year we may get a 3% raise but 1% immediately goes into retirement (mandated by our union contract) so it becomes a 2% raise as a time when the cost of living has been more than 2% in the past 6 years.
At least our state furlough have ended but since I have lived so long without it in my budget I am putting it all into my 401k.