Money, Macaws and Friends

[Birdman666]

I grew up in a well off family. They just don't believe in supporting adults, especially when you don't want to play by their rules (and believe me, no amount of money could have enticed me into being obligated to follow my parents rules as an adult). They did let me stay until I graduated, but I had to be out the next day so....it was something of a "don't let the door hit you in the *** on the way out" kind of thing. We did (and still do) get along better when I don't have to do what they say or live under their roof.

And I know the kind of rich people you're talking about too Disgusting, soulless, consumer-zombies that are shells of human beings:53:

Well, first of all, to me, it's not about "supporting adults." An 18 year old may be legally an adult, but that doesn't mean they are prepared or able to support themselves or make their way in the world.

My job as a parent is to help her prepare to fly on her own. Not to set her up for failure if her primaries haven't quite grown in yet... Helping them find their way, find themselves, and find their bliss... (Nurturing guidance isn't just for parrots!)

It shouldn't be about power and control issues. You live under my roof, so you bend to my will... (Okay, no, but will you at least clean your room and do the dishes?!)

Now, mind you, I don't intend to have a 25+ year old living in my basement... But if you can't support yourself yet, that's kinda like abandoning them!

That whole pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, was invented by someone who started out with a trust fund, and turned it into excess, and then wouldn't even share it with his own children! (Builds character, don't you know!)

As to the whole consumer-ism thing. No! That's an US and THEM thing...

These people are big time hunters. To them it's a ruthless world. It's kill or be killed. And the spoils go to those who have the balls to be ruthless... and pull the trigger... if you don't then you shouldn't whine about it, because you're a weakling, and destined to get eaten by someone anyway. Might as well be them... if there's money in it! (And if I got a cut of the 12 M I'd be saying Mine! Mine! Mine! And doing what I wanted with it too.)

Another favorite saying, if I don't like it "Maybe I should have gone to law school too, then..." (Never mind the fact that you come from old money, went to a private school all your life, and your dad paid for it! Yep! Pulled yourself up by your boot straps!)

The Gulf Stream, the homes? Those are as much about taking trophies, as a deer head on the wall...

That's the mind set!

 

[tab_xo]

after reading op post I did some looking in austral and found 4 b&g for less then $600 two of them were free 2 of them came with cages I don't know how far away they are or any details but the point I was hoping to convey to her there was hope not to give up

Hahahaha they were spams If there were macaws for 600 dollars in Australia, i would go and buy them personally... :09:

 

[joecomello1]

wendy
you did delete more then just the link ( I am sorry for breaking the rules)
the first part of that post was the link about the birds and not needing to spend 2000-4000 ect

 

[JerseyWendy]

there is no need to pay 2000-4000 for a macaw
up keep cost on a macaw is no more then that of a large dog in fact I think I have spent more on my dog then I have my macaw
dog vet 55 x2 advantage $60 every 3 months 75lb dog food a month $48 dog tags $15

macaw
food $25 a month fresh fruit and nuts $35 a month vet $60 toys $60 (I make most myself out of scrap wood blocks $0)new perch $35 mineral $6
dog $941 last year plus toys and treats
macaw $881 with toys and treats

wendy
you did delete more then just the link ( I am sorry for breaking the rules)
the first part of that post was the link about the birds and not needing to spend 2000-4000 ect

Pardon me, but that part IS still in your post, just have a good look.

 

[Colorguarder08]

[

Where the op lives b&gs go for 5k. Then there's the cage, which will go between 6 to 1k. I don't know where you get your vet, but I've never seen a certified avian vet that cheap, not to mention the tests that should be run on any bird brought into the home. And I don't see any way you could get a away with only spending $6 a week on fresh fruit and veggies and nuts.[/QUOTE]

They could be growing there own fruits and veggies freezing the excess in summer or $6 a week could be JUST the birds amount of fruits and veggies it can be done if your really careful on what you buy and usually going to farmers markets is cheaper than grocery stores

 

[getwozzy]

I'm not sure how you get away with spending only $25/month on fresh food for a macaw, unless you're growing your own produce and buying what you don't grow- I spend that per week on my galah (MUCH smaller than a Mac) ...do you feed them anything other than 6 grapes and 3 cherries per week?? IMHO that's nowhere near enough fresh fruits/veggies that a Mac would need.

and $35/month for vet bills??? My BUDGIE has been at the vet for two days and I guarantee you it's going to cost me an arm...possibly a leg too lol I could not imagine the cost had it been a macaw.

 

[Birdman666]

Well, the way I do it, is mine get fed what ever we are eating.

A certain amount of people food would be left overs anyway. A certain amount of fruits, just go bad before they get eaten.

This way, there is no waste. You're feeding living things, not garbage cans.

It's honestly not that much more expensive at all. One or two pieces of broccoli each, which is all they eat anyway, is like make enough for one more person at the table.

Rice? Beans? Pasta? That's cheap. And there's usually leftovers anyway. So, the fresh foods really are just table scraps in my opinion.

THE NUTS! Now that's where my monthly bird food expenses come in... plus pellets, plus nutriberries.

And 2 x 4's and wood blocks. Don't forget those!

 

[joecomello1]

lol I could be wrong wouldn't be the first time lol

 

[joecomello1]

lol I didn't want to bring up people food cuz I know there are a lot of people who think that's bad
I don't do any growing but I do buy all my fruits and vegges from the farmers market
as far as nuts go I get mine at the flemarket I don't do the pellets though I just buy the basic bulk parrot food

 

[thekarens]

Nothing wrong with people food assuming "people" are eating healthy. A bunch of carbs like pasta, white rice etc isn't good for humans or birds. The majority should be fresh veggies, then fresh fruits and whole grains with the occasional white pasta and rice.
I would argue that if you are like a lot of Americans and you only have one veggie at dinner that that isn't enough for your fid. They need a variety of veggies every day.

 

[Birdman666]

Nothing wrong with people food assuming "people" are eating healthy. A bunch of carbs like pasta, white rice etc isn't good for humans or birds. The majority should be fresh veggies, then fresh fruits and whole grains with the occasional white pasta and rice.
I would argue that if you are like a lot of Americans and you only have one veggie at dinner that that isn't enough for your fid. They need a variety of veggies every day.

There are only certain types of veggies mine will eat. Broccoli is one of them. So we eat lots of that.

Corn is another thing my vet advised me to limit. I was feeding them too much of it.

Sweepea was named after one of her favorite foods... raw pea pods.

 

[noblemacaw]

I use to feed too much corn as well. I have learned over the years I had to severely change the way I fed parrots to help them NOT develop heart disease.

Valentino loves those sugar snap peas in the pods. He will shuck them with such expertise quickly pods and pea husks are littered everywhere. If I was to name Valentino after his favorite food it would have to be "Pistachio".

Whoa. That would of been a great name for my RFM.

 

[Birdman666]

Sweepea is the same way. Loves her pea pods! But Pistacio is a universal at my place...

That actually would be a good RFM name because the color is fairly close...

 

[faeryphoebe1]

I cannot imagine someone suggesting you sell something that you love and brings so much joy into your life. I think it is a selfish thought!
I don't believe someone like that will ever be satisfied or enjoy the kind of relationship you have with your pets. Incapable. They miss sooooo much!
I admire you for having the strength to do the right thing for yourself and your loved ones by holding your tongue at the appropriate time.
I believe in Karma, and you will be rewarded in more ways than one

It was never on the agenda. And these are not animal people. These are wealthy redneck hunters...

I can't imagine spending big money to go out in the woods, sit in a deer blind and drink beer, and then shoot something just to watch it fall...

As I said, same planet, different worlds.

I need to do something else with my life. This is my wake up call.

Duck Dynasty fanatics? *gag*

A large part of my income has been going toward private school for my kids the last 12 years. Children are expensive, private school or not. Still paying my student loan, too.

 

[Kinny]

Mark, I think you'll appreciate this story University president gives up $90,000 of salary to raise workers' wages | MSNBC

I would argue in this day and age internet is a necessity. I know for my son's school he HAD to use the internet for some classes and submit homework online. I have some bills that only allow you to view your account information online. They do not send out paper information. I have certain bills that have to be paid online. Obviously not all companies are like that, but I do have some. It's why I have chosen to have internet, but I don't have cable. I don't enjoy TV enough to justify the expense.

Thats why I said in *most* cases. Obviously, in this day and age, some people do need internet or the capabilities of a smartphone, but not as many as who simply *think* they do or just want to. We went the first 4 years we lived on our own without internet at home (and I've never had a TV as an adult). We used the public library or the free wifi at the laundromat when we wanted to go online (including all our research/communication on finding Kiwi) or needed to pay bills and whatnot. My husband still has a "dumb phone" since he only needs to accept calls, but I did eventually break down and get a cheap pay as you go plan smartphone last year after we move because when I'm out buying things to resell on ebay I need to price check (but that's my source of income, so it was justifiable).

Maybe it's just the people we know, but theres more than one who complain about struggling to afford food or to buy their kid school supplies, yet they have the "ultimate package" cable, high speed internet, smart phones for everyone in the family on massive data plans..... It just doesn't compute how one could choose TV over food:52: and if they even kept one of those luxuries, they'd be able to afford what they need more easily.

So many replies!!! Took a break to go settle our new birds in their new aviaries and see to our NUTTERY children and come back expecting a few replies only to find PAGES! lol

This reminds me of my parents .. we never had enough food growing up and I was ALWAYS hungry, always. We lived on porridge, 2 minute noodles and rice. And when i finally moved out and interstate at 18 years old everyone I met was trying to shove food down my throat because I was so thin. Finally had a look at myself in the mirror and almost all of my bones were visible... O.O I was extremely underweight and weighing less than 40kg..I should've weighed at LEAST 50kg.

My parents had 6 kids and my Dad earned over $1000 per week, yet we were all starving.. A few years ago when my husband and I were struggling to put food on the table with our now 3 year old my parents offered to buy us a pram or carseat. We already got a pram from a friend so accepted the carseat offer. Didn't hear from them for months and then called and got my excited mothers response saying sorry they couldn't afford to buy us a carseat anymore. Why? My Mum had just gotten a tummy-tuck and 'upper-item'-job, which cost $14,000 each. Then my Dad went and impulse bought a speed boat and 4WD PURELY to pull the boat... all up they spent $86,000... And they still have 3 kids at home who aren't getting quite enough nourishment as they should. *shakes head and sighs* They really don't manage their money very well...

 

[Kinny]

It's not the upkeep of the Macaw that I'm annoyed about, that's simple for us cos we buy fresh fruit/veggies/grains/legumes etc for all our birds AND our children anyway. We eat healthy And I make extra healthy and tasty Pizzas myself too! There are 4 different supermarkets where I live and one of them will ALWAYS have a special on veggies/fruits/nuts so we just duck into each shop and get what's on special.

It's the initial purchase price of the bird itself and the cage and the vet that's the hard part. Mini Macaws here sell for $2000-$6000 ayway, so I'd rather spend the same amount on a B+G or GW, though at the moment GW's are 8-9000.

Oh yes Tab I also ULTIMATELY DREAM of owning a Hyacinth..but I'm pretty sure that is an unattainable dream for me.

I never even finished 9th Grade, i was taken out to do homeschooling and the way the silly schools here are going we'll be homeschooling our kids. Far too much scary stuff going on in schools nowadays, not to mention the mean teachers! I once 'wet' myself in class in year 8 because the teacher wouldn't allow me to go to the toilet, and got a detention for it. Another time i got a detention for wandering the school grounds because my teacher locked me out of the classroom for not being able to say a full sentence in Indonesian... Don't want to subject my kids to people like that. So yes, I've never had much..I've had playstations and TV etc but i never wanted that.. I wanted FOOD!!! My husband studies and i get government payments for being a stay-at-home-Mum, and because we budget we manage quite well. It's just $4000 is a LOT of money when all 3 of your kids had to be formula fed.. $22-25 each week just for the formula... it adds up when they are having that for nearly 2 years...

EDIT: I also did some year 11 VCAL and finished 1 year of a 2 year course with top marks (could'nt do better, i was so pleased!! - Cert 2 in racing: qualified stablehand) but my parents cut the payments and told me to get a job and pay for my course and schooling within 2 weeks.. well that never happened! So i have education, I'm just not qualified to do anything and am an audi/visual learner and TERRIBLE at mathematics..so finding a 'normal' job is hard for me, so i stick to my birds.

 

[Birdman666]

[/QUOTE]

Duck Dynasty fanatics? *gag*

A large part of my income has been going toward private school for my kids the last 12 years. Children are expensive, private school or not. Still paying my student loan, too.[/QUOTE]

NOPE. Just native Texans. There seems to be a love affair with guns and hunting around here. It's ingrained in the red neck culture. Somehow going off into the woods and killing things equates to "manhood."

Personally, I just don't get it...

And excuse me, it doesn't take a whole lotta balls to sit in a deer blind with a high powered rifle, and shoot something that doesn't have a fighting chance (except maybe for all the beer you drank, throwing off your aim!)

Fortunately I have a very good SHUT UP line:

Now, when you're really ready to experience manhood, put the gun down, get on a jump plane with me, and open the door at 15,000 feet...

Suddenly, all that macho bravado turns to crickets...

Yeah. That's pretty much what I thought...

 

[Phlox]

Guess I better not posts pictures of my house here...my bird stand is right under the deer head mount.

The meat is how we feed ourselves red meat all year long. Honestly, the whole "evil hunter" business really makes me roll my eyes. Maybe the south is different, but only 20-30 years ago, people couldn't survive here without the meat from hunting. It saves us huge amounts of money. It's not about going out and hurting animals. And it sure is a lot more environmentally friendly than eating cows...Just saying.

 

[thekarens]

Hunting in Texas is pretty darn expensive. Almost all property is privately owned, so if you want to hunt you have to get a lease or go out of state and that's not cheap either.

I'd doubt there's anywhere in the US that 20 years ago you had to hunt to survive. 20 years ago was 1994.

I'm not opposed to hunting (though I'd never do it myself or marry someone who did it) but I am opposed to trophy hunters.

 

[faeryphoebe1]

I don't like the "Duck Dynasty" look that some people seem to emulate, especially the dirty, long beards. The members of ZZ-Top also have long beards but they look stylish, not gross.