dimondites

My first decision was to let East go. Try my best to keep him comfortable, then let him go. $16,000 is a lot of money. As one of my friends said, “it’s a lot of money even if you have a lot of money.”

In addition, Alex will have lost income for several months. One of us needs to stay home. 

Beyond money, it is an extreme inconvenience. We have to re-adjust our living situation around a single dog. We have to move downstairs and separate West. We have to stall a remodel. Add rugs and carpet everywhere. Build a ramp to the backyard. Alex will have constant back pain from lifting East.

Still, $16,000 is not easy to dismiss. Tonight I was able to do it. It was easy. This is what we give up this year so we can keep East.

• Hot Tub $10,000
• Burning Man $3,000
• Scooba $300 (sister to the Roomba vacuum)
• Upgrading our electrical $2,500 (upgrade only)
• Cable TV $150 per month ($1,800 per year)
• Time off (I was planning on taking some time off before starting a fulltime position. I can wait.)
• GPS $500 (I can get lost a few more times this year. I’ve been lost for 23 years, so how bad can 24 be?)