187th Penny Pinching Party

I haven't been posting much new content lately because I have been a little busy with our new dog. Having a new dog takes a lot of patience and time, but is completely worth it. My teenage son is calmer and more enjoyable to be around. He used to walk in the door after school and start trouble, but now he is greeted by the dog which instantly changes his attitude. We are spending more time as a family at the park and on walks and I am exercising more. So many benefits to dog ownership!
Here is my first post about our dog:

The Best Family Dog

The Best Family Dog

My kids have been begging me for a dog for a very long time, so I finally caved in and started the search for the best family dog. I am a little OCD when it comes to keeping my house clean, so a non-shedding dog was a must. I also wanted a dog that would be really good with kids and easy to train. After hours, days, weeks, and even months of research, I decided that I wanted a godlendoodle or labradoodle. They are a bit more pricey than other dogs, but I figured that since we are going to have this dog be a part of our family for the next 15 years, that I could invest some money and get the breed I wanted. When it comes to buying a dog, being thrifty is not always a good thing. A good breeder will make sure to breed healthy dogs that hopefully won't cost the owner a small fortune in vet bills.  I looked at the local shelter first, but did not find the right dog for our family. I know there are great dogs at shelters, but I had my heart set on a medium goldendoodle or labradoodle. After weeks of searching, I found a medium Australian Labradoodle who was perfect for our family. Labradoodles are the dogs that look like teddy bears, so it is easy to fall in love with them.

Meet Toby, our beautiful Australian Labradoodle. He is now 6 months old and we are working on obedience training. He is doing great with his training, but like all dogs, gets into trouble. I have decided to start my own dog shaming photos whenever he does something particularly stupid. It is a good thing for him that he is so cute.

186th Penny Pinching Party

185th Penny Pinching Party

184th Penny Pinching Party

Termite Home Inspections, are they Worth it?

 When my parents bought their house 20+ years ago, they did not pay for a termite inspection, which turned out to be a costly mistake. After moving into their house they discovered termites in the walls and had to pay a costly fee to get rid of them. Luckily the termites have not returned, but I learned from my parents to get a termite inspection when buying my first house.



What does a termite inspection include?

A routine termite inspection includes a visual, non-invasive check of the structure and foundation. A good inspector will also look at the yard, garage, outdoor structures, crawl spaces, and attic. He will knock on wood posts and other wood structures to see if they sound hollow. He will look for dirt tubes, squishy areas of wallpaper, and small holes in drywall.



One of the obvious benefits of getting an inspection when buying a new home is of course peace-of-mind, but typically most banks will not issue a home loan without the home first passing a termite inspection.   If you find later that your house does have termites, it is usually covered by the company that did the inspection. Make sure to get it in writing.



Buying a new house can be costly and very tempting to skip this inspection to save a few bucks in the process. I rarely buy extra warranties and spend money if I don’t have to, but this is one area that I believe it is worth the expense.



If you already own your home and you suspect you might have termites, it is always better to be safe than sorry and get your home inspected. If you choose a good company, you can get rid of them and save your home further damage.

Thank you to Terminix for sponsoring this post.

183rd Penny Pinching Party