Do you ever want to buy new clothes and have money in the bank?

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Mongoose11

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For the first time in a very long time I've begun thinking seriously about how having a giant pet to pay for impacts my life. I walked around a shop the other day for 20 minutes carrying a £12 top trying to persuade myself that it was ok to buy it. I earn a good wage but over the years (and knowing how much the cob costs me) I have become very reluctant to spend anything on myself.

Does anyone ever just wonder if it's worth it? Do you want to wear new boots and have your hair done rather than pay for livery?

Thing is, I love her.
 
Mongoose11 said:
For the first time in a very long time I've begun thinking seriously about how having a giant pet to pay for impacts my life. I walked around a shop the other day for 20 minutes carrying a £12 top trying to persuade myself that it was ok to buy it. I earn a good wage but over the years (and knowing how much the cob costs me) I have become very reluctant to spend anything on myself.

Does anyone ever just wonder if it's worth it? Do you want to wear new boots and have your hair done rather than pay for livery?

Thing is, I love her.
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My horses have never charged me the cost of three round bales of good hay in exchange for accidentally turning my hair the colour of marmalade. Just saying...
 
When I lost my boy to colic, I said no more horses. I had 3 months of lunching, shopping, getting nails done etc. I hated it. Bought another and 8 yrs later still watching the pennies. But I will continue until my body says I cant lol.
 
I am now the same although my cob lives out. Am seriously considering giving up her stable (she's rarely in) as I would love a hair cut pair of shoes etc but then I feel guilty
 
Is your horse on full livery, OP?
I ask because I co-own 4_horses with my sister, have my hair cut and coloured every month, buy new clothes and shoes regularly, lunch with friends frequently and doubt that my income is equal to yours (I have inside knowledge of teacher salaries, as you know, M11). Admittedly our horses are at home but that does mean a larger than average mortgage!
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Is your horse on full livery, OP?
I ask because I co-own 4_horses with my sister, have my hair cut and coloured every month, buy new clothes and shoes regularly, lunch with friends frequently and doubt that my income is equal to yours (I have inside knowledge of teacher salaries, as you know, M11). Admittedly our horses are at home but that does mean a larger than average mortgage!
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She is on full livery for half of the year 😩. After keeping her on DIY for many years it was a shock to the system but I just can't do the job and DIY unless I want to fry myself!

My mortgage is almost a third of my wage which feels pretty huge but I think that's fairly normal? I'm not on the breadline by any means but we do have some debt that eats up another whacking great chunk of the monthly income. It just seems to disappear and I'd like to look presentable once in a while and not feel wracked with guilt for buying a £12 top 😂

I've looked around for quality grass livery (because I genuinely want something different for us both) but it just isn't suitable. I can't find a middle ground between what I have now and the local alternative, which is to turn her out in a big herd on land that I'm just not happy with.
 
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BSL said:
When I lost my boy to colic, I said no more horses. I had 3 months of lunching, shopping, getting nails done etc. I hated it. Bought another and 8 yrs later still watching the pennies. But I will continue until my body says I cant lol.
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Good for you 😊

I'll never have another but I'll love this one forever (however long that is).
 
Hahaha! Money! I have 4 horses, German shepherd, cat (by far the cheapest pet!) and now I have a baby boy too! They do mostly live out on cheap land (also means no help and poor facilities though)

But to be honest I really don't care about clothes and hair and nails! Which is obviously a good thing.
I had a meal out and drinks with friends recently and thought the meal was not that good- as it cost the same as a large bale of hay. Hehehe- tell me I am not the only one to think of money in this way?
 
God yes! I spend about 2000 a month and can't help but think about the clothes, lunches, holidays etc I could have without horses.
I don't know how long i would last without horses.....but the thought is tempting at the moment.
 
I currently have 3 t shirts to my name and I can't afford more.

I wouldn't be quite so skint if I wasn't attempting to put £100 a month aside for a wedding but because I am I have to watch every penny and it's a nightmare if I need to buy something!
 
Mongoose11 said:
For the first time in a very long time I've begun thinking seriously about how having a giant pet to pay for impacts my life. I walked around a shop the other day for 20 minutes carrying a £12 top trying to persuade myself that it was ok to buy it. I earn a good wage but over the years (and knowing how much the cob costs me) I have become very reluctant to spend anything on myself.

Does anyone ever just wonder if it's worth it? Do you want to wear new boots and have your hair done rather than pay for livery?

Thing is, I love her.
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No because I hat hate hate buying things for myself- I hate looking in the mirror and get no satisfaction buying myself close, I rarely buy woman's clothes as they are too frilly and poncy for the yard and seeing i live on the yard and work 6 days a week. There is no point buying anything fancy, but buying things for the horses is much more fun and gives me a buzz.
 
rifruffian said:
OH just asked me what I want for Christmas, shoes, boots, windproofs....?...........uhm, a sack of feed is just fine..........
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I'm usually the same - I originally asked for some brushes but I'm determined to have something for me so I've asked for a silver bangle 😊

Last year, I asked for wellies and a rug.
 
Nope, not a misprint. To be fair I've got four, 3 are on full livery. I love them all dearly but there isn't much left over at the end of the month. It gets me down when I see people buying the latest equipment, having weekly lessons etc. I would also enjoy getting my nails done and clothes shopping once in a while. But hey, not much I can do about it at the moment!
 
Used to spend my weekends clothes shopping, lunching n stuff. Now spend my cash mainly on horses. And my Xmas list is v sad and horse heavy. I miss that I'm not socialising with non horsey friends as much now but otherwise am v happy with my lot in life.

I reckon you need to plan for a treat for yourself, not just the pony. Doesn't need to be something that costs, just something you like to do and which makes you happy.
 
Bernster said:
Used to spend my weekends clothes shopping, lunching n stuff. Now spend my cash mainly on horses. And my Xmas list is v sad and horse heavy. I miss that I'm not socialising with non horsey friends as much now but otherwise am v happy with my lot in life.

I reckon you need to plan for a treat for yourself, not just the pony. Doesn't need to be something that costs, just something you like to do and which makes you happy.
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I've booked a shopping trip with a friend on the 10th and I will try my best to buy something for myself. I hate shopping, socialising and lunching as a rule but I wonder if that is because I always feel so scruffy and outdated that I don't want to be seen anywhere but the yard 😂
 
Clothes and hair don't bring me pleasure particularly and I couldn't be one of those people who spends all of Saturday wandering around town spending money to pass the time. I do look at the beautifully groomed girls in work and occasionally wish I could look like that, but it's just not me and to be honest I get a bit bored of their chat on which is the best mascara after about 10 minutes. It's not the horses that make me like that though I'm just more of a tomboy and would rather an extra 10 minutes in bed than spending time putting makeup.

Having my horse and share horse doesn't mean I have to scrimp and save every penny though so I don't feel guilty about spending money on myself too - in fact as I hate shopping I tend to throw money at it as I'll buy the first suitable thing I see rather than shopping round for a bargain as I know some people will do.

Part of the pleasure I have in my horses is that I CAN afford them. I work hard in a demanding job with long hours and they're my reward. I've worked hard to get up the career ladder to a point where I'm comfortably off so I intend to enjoy it.

I don't spend a fortune on them though. They're on DIY and I don't go mad on buying things for them buying things - both for me and the horses doesn't make me happy for more than about 5 minutes. They get what they need and, when I buy stuff for them, I buy quality so it will last, but I'm not big on loads of matchy matchy or flashy boots or expensive blingy tack etc. My riding clothes nearly all come from Aldi and the horses have 2 brown numnahs each and one white dressage square between them! A few years ago I kept a diary of everything I spent on them and it came to about £3.5k in a year so not too excessive.
 
Mongoose11 said:
Does anyone ever just wonder if it's worth it? Do you want to wear new boots and have your hair done rather than pay for livery?
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Never :o
I can't imagine a life without horses in it. I would give up everything for them (and I have! lol)
It's what gets me up in the morning, it's where my brain goes in idle moments, it's the last thing I think about at night.

However, I can appreciate that not everyone is like me!
 
I dont want to be a "heels and handbag type", whose day is ruined if their shoes get muddy. I work in an office full of them.
I have my own office uniform of black trousers and a heap of tops that i buy in the sales and try to remember not to throw the horse more hay when Im dressed up. The mud in my shoes dries out and falls out of the treads at around 10.30 -11.00 and they all know who did it. :(
 
Nope. I couldn't care less about hair/nails/clothes/etc. and find thinking or talking about that sort of external stuff vapid and disturbing. I am fortunate in not having to worry about the cost of keeping horses (they earn their own keep), but would still have them even if it meant having to scrimp.
 
Wait til baby comes along Mongoose! I realised the other day I am still mostly wearing maternity tops, and scruffy trousers and jeans that are either way too big or way too small now. I don't feel like I can spend my maternity pay/savings buying new clothes for myself, yet baby is always immaculately decked out and I think nothing of buying him new outfits all the time 😯
 
OP I kinda see where you're coming from. I've realised in the last year that I genuinely feel anxious at the idea of spending money on anything that isn't horse related. It's taken me 3 months to finally buy a hoodie I liked the look of as I just kept thinking about the fact it cost the same as an extra lesson would. I always joke about the fact that the horses have a rug for every conceivable weather and yet I'm happy making do with 2 coats, one of which I've owned for 10 years+, but I am coming to realise that the way I feel about spending money is probably not normal.

I'm very fortunate as I earn a decent salary and OH and I own our house outright, so there's always money left over at the end of the month. But as sad as it sounds, I get more joy from putting money into my savings account each month and knowing that there's funds if something goes wrong with the car or the horses need anything than I would getting my hair or nails done.
 
We'll be packing it all in, over the next year or two. Now Mr DS is 65 and part-time, I'm part-time too..its not the money, it's just the time issue for us now. There are so many different things we want to do like more travelling and can't with the horses and I've been a horse owner for 23 years...

I'll keep all my personal kit like hat and boots etc. but that will be it! :)
 
Cortez said:
Nope. I couldn't care less about hair/nails/clothes/etc. and find thinking or talking about that sort of external stuff vapid and disturbing. I am fortunate in not having to worry about the cost of keeping horses (they earn their own keep), but would still have them even if it meant having to scrimp.
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What she said :p
 
I don't think any material item could compare to the joy my horse brings to my life and i'm not even being sarcastic :)
 
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Yes and no. I am lucky in that I can afford both and have a decent salary for my age. Frankly part of my job (sales) involved being vaguely well dressed and well groomed. Though my nails always give me away! The job pays for the horse so I guess it's a compromise. But I never really buy clothes for myself outside of work that aren't horsey clothes and I don't go clubbing or drinking often like lots of my friends. Nor do I go on the multiple weekend breaks that some do.
 
Most of my spare cash goes on the neds. I've never been fussed about meals out or posh clothes, so its no hardship not having them.

Cortez, I'm sure that I remember you posting a while ago that you only kept horses because you needed them for work. Once you packed the work in, they would go.

Are you getting sentimental in your old age :eek:?
 
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