In the course of my holiday shopping, I happened into my local pet shop for some supplies and a catnip-filled stocking or two.
While there, I couldn’t help but wander towards the wall full of wriggling puppies, each more adorable than the last.
As usual, there were a few display tanks full of kittens, generally from stray or other cats which people drop off to be vaccinated and then resold. It’s not a bad program, really, and the store always charges $49.99 to adopt a kitten once they’ve been checked and treated, enough to cover the vet and their expenses.
Always, that is, except the holidays. As I looked at the inquisitive little faces, my eye was drawn up to the yellow tag: $199.99.
“Well, they must be from a breeder,” I mused aloud, but a nearby store clerk shook her head. She gave me a knowing look and whispered “They’re the same cats as always,” then strolled off before anyone else could overhear.
Indeed, these were run-of-the-mill kittens, some stripey, some longhaired with white bibs, and some pure jet black. But all featured the special holiday pricing, four times the normal cost.
In the midst of the Christmas rush, I wonder if anyone else will even notice.
Image Credit: Collinj
When parents decide to have children, one of the issues they must consider is the option of one parent staying home to watch the kids until they are school age or continuing to work and pay for day care. Sometimes the cost of day care can be more than what the second salary brings in. In such cases, the kids will benefit by having a parent home; they will have more personal attention from one of their parents instead of strangers, and depending on the cost of the alternative, money could be saved.
More and more, men are the ones staying at home with the children. Women are catching up to men in terms of pay for similar jobs, and in many cases, women are earning more than their husbands.
Here are some more articles that touch the topic of the worthiness of dual incomes.
Article 2: If you have children and a well-paid spouse, consider the costs of any job before you take one. This is not to say you shouldn’t work. But why take a job unless you know what it really pays? When you discover that it pays nothing, you might decide to take a different one that is more fun or rewarding. Or you might decide not to take one at all.
Article 3: Can you scrimp and save enough to cover that cost? It won’t be easy, but there’s a lot of help available for those who try. Here are 5 tips to get you started.
This hasn’t been an issue I’ve had to tackle recently, but more and more of my friends and friends’ friends seem to be in the marriage-beginningcareer-children stage. I’m trying to decide if I can afford to take care of kittens on my own.
