Article: Sit! Save! Good boy

Sit! Save! Good boy
Dog behaviors can teach valuable lessons on personal finances
by Mary Kelly

The eating and chewing habits of dogs are the subject of fascination and study among trainers and experts. While observing my dog and researching her furry ancestral habits, I found a number of similarities between the eating habits of dogs and my personal finances.

Bury the bone

Save for the future: Have you ever seen a dog cheerfully digging holes in the yard in an effort to bury a favorite toy, rawhide chew or bone? Dogs in the days of old had to ration what they had. In the wild, burying food or a bone was a good way to save it for later. The cooler ground kept it fresher (relatively) than left exposed to the elements, and it was somewhat safe from other animals.

Instinctively (and sometimes to the great dismay of the humans) many dogs realize they cannot chew on more than one bone at a time, so they dig holes and bury the extras for retrieval later. Dogs realize they need to save some resources for another, perhaps less abundant time.

Are dogs smarter than we are? Financial experts tell us that we should save three to six months of living expenses in case of an emergency. With ready credit only a card away, are we as frugal as our canine companions? Do we ignore the need to be prudent with money now, shopping for things we don’t truly need by spending money we don’t really have?

When dogs dig a hole, it benefits them later. When we dig ourselves into a debt hole, we bury ourselves, accumulating objects we don’t need. How many pairs of shoes, outfits, etc. can we really use at one time? The average consumer credit card debt is $3,815 for the 80 percent of Americans who have a credit card. And even though interest rates remain at record lows, average credit card interest rates are around 17 percent, with many cards as high as 24 percent. Clearly, the holes we dig are not helping us for the future.

How many of us are prepared for a true financial emergency such as a sudden illness or injury, the loss of an income or a family member in need? Make an honest assessment of your monthly expenses and multiply it by six. Do you have that as ready cash, in a savings account or in a certificate of deposit in case you really need it?

Maybe we can take a lesson from our furry canines and realize that we really don’t need more than what we have, and we should save something for later.

Eating from the trash

Be willing to try new things: Dogs are known to explore all kinds of not-so-appetizing things in search of food. While, happily, most of our pets are well fed, their doggy ancestors were always on the prowl for objects to consume. In a modern-day pooch’s life, where their food is delivered to them in the form of kibbles in a bowl twice a day, the thrill of the hunt is mostly gone. But that doesn’t stop the dog from following its roots and seeking additional food, just in case. Dogs like to make sure they aren’t overlooking an opportunity. Since dogs are not very picky eaters, they find the trash can to be a bonanza of tastes and smells. If we apply the same idea to our entertainment, we can save money and try new things.

No, I am not suggesting that you follow your dog’s rather messy behavior by digging through the trash. But consider being flexible and look for new experiences, many of which are readily available for very little cost. You don’t have to go to dinner and a movie for a date, nor do you have to spend a lot of money to have fun.

Are there free concerts going on this weekend? It might not be the type of music you normally listen to, but you could go. What is going on in Kapiolani Park? There are always events celebrating all kinds of different sports, arts and cultures. Go outside in search of adventures. Go inside to the museums. The Academy of Arts, for example, has fabulous and constantly changing exhibits. Head to the public libraries to check out videos for just $1 for a week. While there, check out a few CDs instead of buying them right away to see if you like them well enough to warrant their purchase. Take an adult class in the continuing-education area at the community college to explore watercolor painting, ceramics, Thai cooking, golf or aikido. All are inexpensive entertainment ideas that can lead to other fun activities for little or no cost.

By being willing to explore beyond our normal parameters, we can develop interesting aspects to our personalities, enjoy new experiences and save money.

Sock chew toys

Recycling saves the environment and money: When my puppy was sinking her razor-sharp teeth into absolutely everything, we tried to do what our dog breeder taught us. Our breeder reiterated that if you don’t want the dog to chew on you as an adult dog, don’t let her chew on you as a puppy. Instead, make sure she has dog toys available to chew on so she doesn’t think the pants or shoes you are wearing are exercises for her jaw muscles. We were instructed to quickly give her something she can chew on. She made it easy for us.

My dog loved socks. Any socks. All socks. So we took the large pile of mateless socks, tied them all together (using more socks), and this became her favorite toy. Several washings and months of vigorous chewing later, the giant sock knot become threadbare and was finally relegated to the garbage. But who would have thought of making a chew toy out of throwaway socks? Well, the dog figured it out. She finds creative uses for all kinds of household objects. From her, I learned to look at objects in new ways, and that perspective is helpful when thinking about ways to recycle.

One of my friends on a tight budget was furnishing an apartment and learned quickly that if she was flexible and willing to do some painting or adjusting, she could find all kinds of secondhand pieces for fractions of retail. With minimal work at the local hardware stores, she researched and learned how to paint and restore furniture. She found that if she was open to new ideas, she could be very comfortable decorating her home and not go into debt. Additionally, there are significant environmental advantages of shopping for clothes and furniture at secondhand stores or thrift stores: You are recycling and creating less garbage.

Canine thrift

So I think my dog is pretty thrifty. We think digging a hole is a nuisance, but the dog is stocking up for the future. Searching the trash can for dinner doesn’t sound appetizing to us, but dogs see all kinds of possibilities because they are willing to try new things. If we are as clever as the dog in seeing new uses for things around us, we might waste less, recycle more and find we have more treasures to bury for later.

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