Costs of owning a puppy and cheap dog toy ideas

We have a wonderful little schnoodle doggie named Hokie.  She is almost a year old, and she has provided many hours of entertainment, love, and joy to both of us since we got her last December.  We knew that there would be an increased cost with having a dog, so we try to cut costs whenever we can.  Here are some costs that we have incurred:

Banfield Veterinary Puppy Health Plan
Puppy Food
Frontline Plus Tick and Flea treatment (didn't work for us, she still got fleas)
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth for flea treatment in our house
Brewers Yeast tablets (we crush one tablet over her food and mix it in - keeps fleas away)
Extra cost relating to spaying above the Health Plan
Two leashes (one lead and now we're on our second retractable leash)
Chest harness (so she doesn't choke when she gets to the end of her leash)
Other random vet bills for when she throws up
Heart Worm pills
Treats
A few toys

What we really want to share with you is how we give Hokie brand new toys without spending any extra money (these work for us, but it may vary depending on your dog's size and strength):

Empty water bottle (we take it away once she starts ripping off little plastic pieces)
Golf ball (use the range balls - much cheaper, free!)
Old socks (tie them together and they're perfect for tug o' war)
Old stuffed animals hidden away in your closets (Hokie's favorite is a Chick-Fil-A cow)
Tennis balls (of course!)
Ice Cubes (these double as a free treat)
Kong toy (you can continually fill it with peanut butter then freeze it and give it to them when you leave: to reduce separation anxiety)
Amy's contact cases that come with every bottle of solution she buys
Random metal things like mint tins and small metal bowls

"A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." -Proverbs 12:10

Getting paid to workout with Gym-Pact

Amy is naturally motivated to be awesome and disciplined - however I am not so blessed in those areas.  I need a whole lot of motivation to do that thing called "exercise."

So a few months ago, I read an article in Entrepreneur magazine about a new iPhone app and start-up company called Gym-Pact. The basic idea is using money as the motivating incentive to get you to workout -   you could earn money or lose it depending on your level of determination to get fit!

Here's how it works:

1. You download the free Gym-Pact app to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (a version for Android is coming soon!)

2.Fill out the registration and choose your PACT: this is how many days you will agree to workout and how much money you will pay if you don't stay true to your word. Disclaimer: You will also be required to enter a credit card number when you register, but you will only be charged if you don't meet your weekly PACT.

3. Your Pact runs from Monday at 12:01 AM to Sunday at 11:59 AM - in that time you need to meet your Pact by logging your agreed upon number of workouts.  During the week, you can change your PACT for next week any time up until Sunday at midnight. If you need to schedule a break for a week, you can do that too! Just go to settings and schedule a break.

4. You can either check-in at a gym (via GPS location service) or use RunKeeper's free app (you would need to download this also) as a way to log your workout - either way, it must be at least 30 minutes long (RunKeeper has a few more rules with theirs since you don't need a gym to log a workout).

5. After your PACT week is finished, your new PACT week starts.  You'll receive any email the following Tuesday showing you how much you had to pay if you didn't meet the PACT, or how much money you earned if you did meet it!  To date, Amy and I have each earned over $30 - just for working out. The real reward is that I have been working out for at least three days a week since I started, which I wouldn't have been motivated to do otherwise!

If you have questions or hesitations about it...feel free to leave a comment or email us at brentandamy349@gmail.com - we are big fans of fusing fitness with finances. Get off the couch, get out of the house, and go get your fitness on!