Those little extras

[Ashlar2006]

When you have a little extra money after paying the bills and stashing some in the savings account , what do you like to splurge on ? I spend what little extra money I have on my aquarium(s) and my dogs . Having an aquarium , there is always something you need or want , it is one of those hobbies that can lead into a lot of money . Right now , I am in dire need of a T5 high output dual bulb strip light so I am saving , literally , every dime . And then books , lots and lots of books .

So , what is that you just have to have after the bills are paid ?

 

[jason]

My hobbies vary. Home brewing, reading, and doing things outdoors. I think I spend the most on books though. It is a nasty habit. Right now though most of the money goes to the family, I never would have guessed how expensive a wife and kid could be. But the return on investment is good.

 

[jason]

You know what. I just figured out what is the most expensive and what takes most of my money. My house and garden. Just went outside for a little light yard work. Sat and thought about how much I've spent on the money hole, errr, house since I bought it and it is crazy.

 

[Ashlar2006]

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger , my house is costing me a fortune . When the wife and I have a little extra money , we do not talk about it in or near the house or our car/truck . I swear the house can hear us and something will tear up or breakdown . Just a few weeks ago , we ran into some extra cash , and I told the wife , great we have some wriggle room this month , but NO , the house heard me and the blower motor on my furnace went out . There went the extra money .

 

[JohnQ]

Glad to know I am not the only one! My wife and I have recently been looking into homesteading so to speak so we have been trying to get what we need for our first hunting season, learnig how to grow a garden, canning things like that. I am hoping all this stuff saves us money in the long run but it takes a chunk to get started.

 

[Ashlar2006]

Starting and keeping a healthy garden is hard work , but the return is worth it . I can not stand these hydroponic tomatoes from grocery stores , they are tough and have no flavor . Same with green beans , peas , etc; etc; they are so much better fresh from your own garden , or from a local home grown garden .

Now canning was what I hated the most about it all , luckily I didn't have to do that very much because the women folk took care of that for the most part .

 

[alice30]

things I like

I like to garden as well, books of course are a must. What I really enjoy is to use any extra money to take the kids camping. There is so much they can learn from those experiences and it is so nice to have wholesome activities we do together.

 

[Mortarfan]

I spend a lot of extra money each month. I'm lucky enough to make more than I need to spend. I love to buy books and clothes. My daughter also loves clothes and books, so I buy them for her too.
We also love to go to the movies and get pedicures too!

 

[Loyalntrue]

Every extra dime I have is going towards a much anticipated family trip across country in our camper. It's been years in the making and soon it will come to fruition!

 

[freeman]

I like little road trips to explore the environment around me. To valleys, parks and landmarks that we don't take the time to see when we live here.

I also like to splurge and buy really fine ingredients to make a delicous dinner for the family. That cheese that you would never buy because its way more expensive, or that cut of meat that you usually pass right by.

 

[Ashlar2006]

I am happy to say that I saved enough to get my new aquarium light , the wife is happier than I am because she was tired of hearing me complain about my old single bulb light . Now to start it all over to save up for a new canister filter in which I have wanted for a few years now.

 

[Brenda_Lee]

I guess our money always goes towards gasoline because we love exploring America. We just came back from a couple of weeks of driving around. We went to North Carolina to visit family and then to Georgia. Our favorite stop was the Georgia Aquarium. We have decided that we are going to see America one Aquarium at the time.

 

[Ashlar2006]

North Carolina is my favorite place to go , I love it there on the coast , and Florida a very close second .

 

[Custer148]

My extra money, when there is any, goes into a hobby that my dad got me started in, old 2-cylinder John Deere tractors. I enjoy the feel of bringing them back to life after sitting idle for many years and I just love the sound of them when they are working the ground.

 

[jason]

Ashlar, I wish I would have thought of you earlier. Where do you buy your lighting? My wife talked me into taking my brothers 55 gallon setup for our little half dollar size turtle. But it needs new ballasts. Where do you get yours? I need a heat one for him. I found one locally that was to help with the shell, but I was told he still needs a heat style one. I would like something simple, that just plugs in without having to wire it up. Any help would be great.

 

[Ashlar2006]

I get my ballasts and starters at my local electrical shop . This new lighting is a HO (high output) light with two special bulbs , one bulb for the plants and the other bulb for the fish . The bulbs run around $20 a piece but worth it . I will have to order replacement parts (other than bulbs) straight from the manufacturer , it's German made , and they make some of the best equipment for aquariums .

For reptile lamps I would check Big Al's , here's a link Reptile Supplies - Reptile Supply & Products Store at BigAlsOnline.com . Big Al's on-line has some of the best prices out there .

You could also try Foster's and Smith's web site , here's a link to there site .... Reptile Cages, Pet Reptile Supplies and Reptile Cage Products ? Drs. Foster & Smith . They have some good prices also .

I buy from both of them and have never had any complaints .

One thing you need to remember about the tank itself , once you use it for reptiles or small animals if you ever want to switch to fish you will need to strip out all the sealent in it and reseal it . The urine/waste from reptiles and furry critters will soak into the seals and leech into the water of the fish and will keep the ammonia at high levels which in turn causes damageto the gills of the fish and/or kill them outright .

Oh and one more thing . From what all my reptile friends have told me , use a lamp , as you are doing , and not the heating rocks . The rocks have a habit of getting to hot and burning the reptiles .

 

[Ashlar2006]

Jason , did those links help you any ? I have never built a light for reptiles , only for freshwater aquariums .

 

[jason]

Sorry, forgot to respond. I was busy looking at the links. I think they will help, yes. Thank you.

 

[Ashlar2006]

Wow , no sooner than I get my new light , the motor of my aquarium filter is starting to act hinky and it was my back-up as my other filter motor burned up on me a few months ago . I will now have to get a new Hang on back filter , but I really want a canister filter .
It never ends , but that is the price one pays for this hobby .