Is anyone else always totally flat broke because of their horses

[MuddyMonster]

What you do is a very good idea, might try this myself as it's the easy spending on my debit card that I'm terrible for. Nip into a shop for milk and come out with £40 worth of stuff!! Going to have to try a bit harder I think x

Honestly, do try it - it's really helped me. I was terrible for, like you say, popping to Sainsbury's for a pint of milk & spending £40!

When I first started writing it all down on a spreadsheet, I was amazed by how much pointless rubbish I was buying. Part of my problem, was that it didn't feel like spending when you pay on your debit card. Physically parting with cash is much more painful!

Now if I don't have my debit card on me, I can't just impulse buy. If I still really want whatever it was I thought I did at the time a day or two later, then I'll go back & buy it.

It sounds extreme, but works so well for me

 

[Crugeran Celt]

It's not my horses that are making me broke, it's my teenage son. School skiing holiday, driving lessons, car insurance, driving test, more insurance now he has passed, petrol as he uses my car to go everywhere, new clothes as he is growing constantly. Rugby tour, rugby togs as his feet are growing constantly. I have 5 horses and they are much cheaper than a teenager!!

 

[Mince Pie]

Yes I am at the moment and for the foreseeable future as I live on disability benefits. I sold my pony last year as wasn't able to care for him and couldn't afford him either. I was also in a lot of debt before as had 6 months off work with a prolapsed disc, ran up a £3k overdraft and also livery bill of about £1300; thankfully I have very generous parents but to be honest the stress of having 22p to your name was the same as owing your parents £4.5k (which then went up to £7k as they had to finance a new car after I spent £££s on the old one only for it to die 10 days after it's mot). I hated having to rely on my folks bailing me out when I was in my late 20s, still do now I'm 30.
I used to be very relaxed about spending money on something I wanted but ^ that was a huge wake up call and now every penny that comes in or goes out is accounted for. I'm lucky enough to have inherited a property which was sold to finance my house, so I don't have a mortgage/rent to worry about, but I still only get an income of about £600 per month at the moment.

 

[Theocat]

I am far from skint, but even so I do occasionally question the sanity of spending hundreds of pounds a month on my horse. At the moment I compromise on the number / quality of holidays and clothes, but there's a lot I could do with the money - improve the house, pay into a pension, travel...

If I were hand to mouth, I wouldn't have a horse, and if I have another run of horsy bad luck I'll probably switch to sharing or just lessons - much of the last two years have definitely not felt worth the money.

 

[Leo Walker]

I'm broke because I buy stuff I dont need! We, as in me and my OH, were talking about the horse costs today and his costs dont really impact on our budget. My and his, spending do! We dont use our overdrafts etc but do have credit card debt, all interest free and all run up from when we bought a house last year. I *could* sell the horse, put the funds and monthly costs towards that, but realistically I wouldn't. Its also manageable debt that was for a specific reason.

I have been very, very, very, VERY broke, to the point I couldn't afford electricity or even food. But that was due to an horrific and life changing accident. I did keep a horse throughout that period of my life and it was HARD! But it was what kept me going and I was very lucky to be able to keep him for about £10 a week. If something had happened to him, as in accident or illness I would have been screwed and when he needed a wormer or his feet doing things were very hard for me! It still gives me the heebie jeebies now thinking about it. But luckily I got through that, and if something bad had happened then I had friends who would have financed PTS.

I clearly shouldnt have kept him though, but when your in that bad a situation life is miserable, and quite often dark due to lack of electricity anyway :lol: that it really didnt make much odds having him financially. But I would never advocate what I did. And if that sort of situation occurred now (it wouldnt as I now have contingency's thank god!) but I would hope that I had the strength to do the right thing and let him go.

I now make sure hes very sellable just in case, even though its not necessary, I've never forgotten what I went through though and wont ever. But its not going to happen to the majority of people. I just lucked out big time sadly

 

[Equestriansales]

I adore my horse so even if I had to sell my house and live in a field with him somewhere I would ha! Had him for 11 years so I am VERY attached lol!
Just a few thoughts though - Try making a budget plan which may help you out! Also search around for other livery yard prices You could save money in that area! A sharer may be a good idea - Even if it's for short term, the money you get in that period you could spend on yourself and treat yourself for once
Whatever makes you happy though!!!!!!!!!

 

[dibbin]

At the moment, constantly. Neither of us are in any way badly paid, but we bought a house in October and have done a fair bit of work on it, and our tow car had to have its gearbox rebuilt a couple of months ago so it's been an expensive year. I think it's partly the shock of having to cut our spending, having gone from over a year living rent-free with my parents to having a fairly substantial mortgage and bills to pay!