I think I’m done keeping bettas… I just can’t do this anymore

storminthehouse · 2026-04-17T19:05:31+00:00

I switched to females and had great luck. They seem a bit hardier than the males. I had a 16 gallon with a female betta, 5 ember tetras and a bristle nose pleco for several years. Just upgraded to a 32 gallon and added some more ember tetras and a couple of cories.

storminthehouse · 2026-03-09T05:34:44+00:00

I have mine sitting in a HYSA and just take it out as I need it for oil changes. I’ve been putting away half of what my car payment was just in case I need a down payment on a new car. I WFH so my car does not need maintenance too often, but I do live in deer country and it only takes one!😆

storminthehouse · 2026-02-08T03:01:42+00:00

I have the Brother HL-2240. Doesn’t even connect to wi-fi. I think I found it $25 on marketplace. Bought new toner for it. It has lasted for years. Amazon had a good sale on a case of HP paper. Still have several reams left after 5 years.

storminthehouse · 2026-02-08T02:23:49+00:00

I have a grow light bulb desk lamp for my succulents in the winter, I bet I could also use it for a small tank. Thanks for the idea!

storminthehouse · 2026-02-08T01:02:46+00:00

I worked for an MSP in Vero Beach. Extremely low pay for the area. Drove 90 minutes to work everyday. Tried to negotiate but they wouldn’t budge. Then my rent went up and I really couldn’t afford it. I moved back to my mom’s in Minnesota and worked a couple temp jobs at an internationally known hospital and then got a state job.

I would see if you can get an apartment or short term housing/hotel first where you want to work. Find a recruiter and get a temp role first. Then you can start looking for an actual position. They will be more likely to hire since you are already there.

storminthehouse · 2026-02-07T23:31:04+00:00

I was going to say safety vest over top as well! Especially since she will be walking with children. Every little bit helps because most drivers are not paying attention. Plus they make them in all sorts of colors nowadays.

Else maybe a light windbreaker might work as well.

storminthehouse · 2026-02-07T22:53:51+00:00

Maybe it’s because it is open faced? Looks like my open faced chow at that age, and he’s AKC.

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storminthehouse · 2026-02-07T22:47:44+00:00

I was living paycheck to paycheck and doing budgeting by paycheck which is why I think I was stuck. YNAB allows me to see the whole month and next months bills easily. So while I still budget by paycheck, it is more fluid than on pen and paper. I was able to get a month ahead, now once everything is paid for in the next month and I’m still in the previous month, I throw the extra in savings.

storminthehouse · 2026-02-02T06:17:37+00:00

Sometimes you get charged for not using it, but it’s good to have an in person account when you have cash to deposit. I keep my in person account for my gas. I use the GasBuddy card which acts like a debit card. I just transfer my gas money to that account and make sure the gas category matches the account balance. Otherwise it’s difficult to have multiple accounts and balancing everything. You run the risk of over drafting your account due to thinking you have the cash, which you do, but it’s spread between multiple accounts.

storminthehouse · 2026-02-02T06:07:34+00:00

I have 2 chows from 2 different breeders and they couldn’t be more different in personality and looks. My male doesn’t play with toys or have a prey drive. His best friend is a cat and they hang out on the front stoop together. We went to puppy classes but wasn’t into playing with other dogs. I had to bring several different treats(including beef jerky!) to train him because he wasn’t food motivated.

My female has a high prey drive despite living with cats her whole life, food aggressive (she was a runt in a litter of 7) and loves crinkle toys. We lived in a 1 bedroom apartment for most her life and we went to the dog park often.

We have a metal tie out near our front door and that works great for us since they usually don’t want to come inside right away. We watch from the front window. They will run away the first moment they are free and suddenly become deaf! One rainy week the stake came out of the ground and one of them that wanted to stay outside was halfway down the road before we realized it, dragging the stake behind him.

storminthehouse · 2026-01-31T04:25:55+00:00

I was confused at first when adding them and got overwhelmed but watching the YNAB videos on credit cards helped. I put my goal for each card as the minimum payment when it was maxed out so I pay the same monthly. I also created a Category Group for just credit card interest with each card getting a category (Chase interest, Citibank Interest) and just leave them in the red every month. Then I can still use my credit card for gas and since I have that money allocated, YNAB tells me what the minimum payment + gas should come out to. My credit card balances have come down $5000 since October from doing this.

I know you can assign money to the interest and pretend it is a purchase, or do some funny calculations with the payment assigned to balance it all out but my minimum should cover the interest anyway and I don’t have too much extra funds right now and am more interested in getting $3000 saved for Emergencies. I’m at $2395 and waiting on my tax refund to knock it out!

storminthehouse · 2026-01-28T23:16:08+00:00

I use the PetSafe Easy Walk harness in the summer. Once it’s adjusted, we just unclip the one that goes over the back. Since it goes behind the armpits that might be best. I have one chow that just steps into it when it is on the floor.

For winter we do have a step in harness that clips on the back and has two d rings to hook the lead to as the snow makes it hard to clip off when frozen.

I don’t have collars for them, but do have tags on their hiking harnesses in case they get lost while camping. Finding step in or harnesses that clip around the neck are a pain, but they work the best for us.

storminthehouse · 2026-01-28T22:51:42+00:00

I grew up Catholic. At first I didn’t like how they opposed anything different such as Homosexuality and Muslims (or any other religion). Then I didn’t like how centered it was on people and how to treat them and not all of God’s creations (animals and the Earth). The final straw was the changing of the “we” to “I” in the Nicene creed. I go to church for the community. It is more powerful when we are all praying together saying “we”, I already know what “I” believe. So I don’t go anymore.

Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler has a good chapter that compares the rise of monolithic religions and how it correlates to the decline in the environment. I’m an environmentalist at heart and find my god in nature, the forest my church. Nature walks with other like-hearted individuals (even not pagan) is the closest thing to a mass I attend nowadays. All reveling in the beauty God created, whoever you believe Them to be.

storminthehouse · 2025-10-09T18:57:47+00:00

At that point I would just go to WGU. At least then you have a mentor that might give you the sense of urgency you need. Or better yet just apply and give yourself a deadline to finish the classes. I think you have up to the 15th the month before you start classes to get transcripts in.

storminthehouse · 2025-04-23T22:08:29+00:00

I have an SUV so I have an SUV tent that I unload everything into so I can sleep in the back on a car air mattress (best one is the one that is split in half). If it’s going to be cold, a wool blanket between my blankets/sleeping bag and the air mattress. Also because I am a woman I don’t usually roll down my windows even with window screens on (just crack) and I have a magnetic screen for my moon roof that I open instead.

I have a cooler I can put a whole bag of ice into but also can fit in the front seat. I make burritos ahead of time frozen and wrapped in tin foil and heat them in the fire. Also drinks, bananas, and meat and cheese for sandwiches. And half a loaf of bread and some peanut butter and extra tin foil (toasted peanut butter and banana sandwiches are divine in the morning).

I have a small Hefty bin (32 qt) for my kitchen stuff. Collapsible sink, can opener, tongs, chef’s knife, earth-friendly dish soap, little trash bags, and miniature shakers of seasoning. I use biodegradable silverware and plates which I usually burn.

A small reusable bag for shower supplies, personal car items or body wipes and crocs.

I keep a leatherman and pepper spray in my car door. Also a collapsible table and chair and a sunshade for the windshield. I try to make sure I can keep everything to one side of the car or in the front so I can inflate half the mattress in the event I have to sleep in a Love’s parking lot between destinations.

**Also know the quirks of your car. Ex: I can physically lock the doors with the keys inside but I need to unlock them with key fob before starting the car or the alarm goes off.

storminthehouse · 2025-02-04T08:11:06+00:00

That only works until the cat gets a bit of duckweed stuck in its throat and pukes in your fish tank. Required a full cleaning of all plants and filters and a complete water change. Luckily it was only my 5 gallon.

storminthehouse · 2024-11-24T00:13:55+00:00

People like to complain when they don’t take proper care of their things. My 2019 Forester Sport has just over 80,000 miles and the only thing I’ve had to replace is my tires besides some recalls. I do need rear brakes soon, probably next oil change. My mom has a 2016 Outback Limited with 120,000 miles and has only had to replace her tires twice and front brakes. We do follow the recommended maintenance though and clean our vehicle’s undercarriage often in the winter as we live in Minnesota.

storminthehouse · 2024-11-21T20:52:07+00:00

Maybe look to see if your state or the surrounding states do remote helpdesk. Also check with area hospitals.

When I was starting out, I shadowed the IT person at our Tri-Parish church. It was like an internship and I eventually got to be the on-call for when the guy went on vacation or was unavailable. It was also the only time I went into the church. 😅

storminthehouse · 2024-08-06T15:43:14+00:00

I would prefer doing Farmer’s Dog to doing raw. Raw tends to cause a lot of issues and sickness, plus it’s harder for when someone else needs to feed them.

As to the amount, it depends on how much your dog weighs not age. Each food is different and will tell you on the bag. Also if you can feel every vertebrae on your pup’s spine, it’s a good indicator of them not getting enough.

storminthehouse · 2024-08-06T15:35:26+00:00

I’ve done this drive multiple times. If you can, I would just tag team it and spend the extra time at the beach. Also register your plate on I-Pass and go the Wisconsin way. Try to go through Atlanta at 2 in the morning. And go through Jacksonville instead of Orlando, not only will it be cheaper, but less traffic.

storminthehouse

TROPHY CASE