Free Eye Exams for Service Dogs

It's that time of year again.  Time for free eye exams for service dogs. 

This is a great program offered once a year.  You go to this website to sign up.  They give you a confirmation number and then you choose a participating vet from a list of vets all across the country and call that vet to make an appointment.  It's completely free.

The veterinary hospital I took Isaac to last year for his exam was great.  In addition to the eye exam, he was examined by a general vet and an orthopedic vet.  They served treats for humans and dogs and everyone was really nice.  You can read about it here.  We are going back to the same place this year.

Big Foot

The butcher was out of marrow bones today, but she offered me a knuckle bone the size of Isaac's head. Seriously. This had to be a giant cow. At least, the cow had giant feet. She cut the bone in half and it was still gigantic. Can you tell how big this thing is?

And it was free!

Free Eye Exams for Service Dogs

If you have a service dog, he may qualify for a free eye exam.  Here's the place to go for more information.  Note that there are some criteria your dog has to meet to qualify, but for those that meet the criteria, it's a great program.  Isaac is already signed up!

America the Beautiful Access Pass - National Park Discounts for People with Disabilities

One of the reasons Isaac and I went to Cuyahoga Valley National Park yesterday was to obtain an America the Beautiful Access Pass.  The National Park Service provides these passes to people with permanent disabilities.  The pass is good for a lifetime and it allows free admission to all national parks and discounts on many activities such as camping, boating, cave tours at Mammoth Cave, etc. and many (but not all) national parks and national forests. 

The pass is free if you get it in  person at any national park office.  You can also request one by mail (see the National Park Service website for an application) for a fee of $10.  You need a photo ID, like a driver's license or state issued ID card, and proof of  your disability, like an award letter from Social Security or the VA or a letter from your doctor.  The National Park Service website lists all the forms of verification they accept, as well as a few things they don't accept (like a handicap parking placard).

We are planning a trip to Mammoth Cave this summer and with the access pass, will get 50% off on campground fees and cave tours, as well as free entrance to the park.  And yes, they do allow service dogs on cave tours.  I am curious to see what Isaac thinks of the cave!

Money-Saving Service Dog Tips

Service dogs are expensive.  And many people, though certainly not all, that need service dogs are on limited incomes.  If you are receiving SSI or SSDI, you probably aren't getting much money.  And people with disabilities often have many other medical expenses in addition to service dog-related expenses, not all of which are covered by insurance.  For instance, last year I spent $2,055.43 out of pocket on medical expenses, and that is not counting the $2,334.53 I spent on service dog stuff.  This is a significant percent of my annual income and it's hard to afford.

So how do you save money on service dog stuff?  Here are some tips.

• Service dog-related expenses can be tax deductible, just like any other medical expense.  See this article by accountant Traci McGowan for more information.
• If you receive food stamps (SNAP), turn in copies of receipts or other documentation for all medical expenses, including service dog-related expenses.  It can increase your benefits.
• If you are on Medicaid and have a spend down, turn in copies of receipts or other documentation for all medical expenses, including service dog-related expenses.  It can decrease your spend down and also be used to meet your monthly spend down.
• If you live in subsidized housing, like HUD housing, Metropolitan Housing or Section 8 housing, turn in copies of receipts or other documentation for all medical expenses, including service dog-related expenses.  It can lower your rent.
• Note that you will need receipts or other documentation for all these things.  Save your receipts for all service dog-related things.  See this list for examples.
• Keep track of your mileage when you take your dog to the vet.  This counts as medical mileage, which can be tax deductible and can be used to lower your rent or increase benefits like SNAP.  I use a simple spreadsheet in which I record the date, where I am going, and how  many miles round trip I drive.  I multiply the number of miles by the amount allowed by the IRS (which seems to change every year - I think it is 23.5 cents this year).
• Ask your vet, groomer, and any other dog-related professionals if they will offer a service dog discount.  They don't have to and not all do, but some will.  My vet does not charge me for office visits, although I pay for medication, vaccinations, etc.

Tax Deductible Service Dog Stuff

A few days ago, I posted an article written by my friend and accountant, Traci McGowan, about how your service dog might be tax deductible.

What service dog-related expenses can be deductible?  Pretty much all of them, including:

• dog food
• treats
• toys
• collars
• leashes
• vests
• harnesses
• crate
• food/water dishes
• doggie bed
• vet bills
• mileage when you drive your service dog to the vet
• flea, tick and heart worm prevention
• professional groomer
• brush, comb, shampoo, nail clippers, other grooming supplies
• dog walker (or, in Isaac's case, runner)
• dog sitter (which I doubt is needed often for a service dog, but if it is needed, it would be deductible)
• boarding (also probably not needed much)
• doggie daycare (also probably not needed much)
• someone to scoop the poop in your yard
• pooper scooper and poop bags (if you scoop your own yard and buy bags for that purpose - I just use plastic grocery sacks)

So make sure you save all those receipts!

Woof! Is My Service Dog Tax Deductible?

From my good friend, accountant and tax adviser, Traci McGowan.

A few of my tax clients are disabled persons. Some are able to work, most are not. All have an extreme number of medical expenses throughout the year they have to keep records of in order to continue to qualify for certain benefits in the cities/counties where they reside. While keeping track of all medical expenses can be a bit tedious, I’ve learned not everyone knows all those expenses could be deductible when it comes time to file taxes.

The IRS defines medical expenses as “the cost of diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatment affecting any part or function of the body. These expenses include payments for legal medical services rendered by physicians, surgeons, dentists, and other medical practitioners. They include the costs of equipment, supplies, and diagnostic devices needed for these purposes.”

So if you paid anything out of your pocket for medical expenses between January 1^st and December 31^st of last year, they are considered to be tax deductible (you can’t claim those items your insurance or some other agency/person paid on your behalf). This includes expenses incurred for those disabled persons who have a service dog.

Service dogs are amazing animals. For readers who don’t know, the American’s With Disabilities Act (ADA) defines service dogs as any dog that has been individually trained “to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” And the IRS says “you can include in medical expenses the costs of buying, training, and maintaining a guide dog or other service animal to assist a visually impaired or hearing disabled person, or person with other physical disabilities. In general, this includes any costs, such as food, grooming, and veterinary care, incurred in maintaining the health and vitality of the service animal so that it may perform its duties.”

It’s important to note two things. First: the service animal must be a dog. Any other type of animal trained or untrained are not considered service animals (although it’s really cool if your ferret can turn the lights on and off for you!). Second: the IRS does not go to great lengths to list out disabilities so you must make certain you are being treated by a medical practitioner. He/she will not only have a solid record of your disability, they can recommend whether or not your particular disability would benefit from a life aided by a service dog.

Many persons think a service dog is only for someone who is blind (i.e. guide dog), a disability can take on many forms from physical to emotional. If a person’s life is hindered on a day to day basis where they are unable to function normally, those persons may have a service dog. Some of those persons may have disabilities such as:

• ·         Paralysis or other mobility limitations
• ·         Blindness, deafness, and so forth
• ·         Diabetes
• ·         Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• ·         Cancer
• ·         Autism
• ·         Epilepsy
• ·         Bone and/or skeletal issues (i.e osteoporosis)
• ·         Wounded vet (armed service member)
• ·         Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

If you’re a disabled person who is under the care of a medical practitioner and you have a service dog, all of your expenses pertaining to the care and well-being of your service dog are tax deductible. I recommend you make sure your practitioner has sufficient documentation in your file to support your life with your service dog. Also, in the same manner you keep every medical receipt for your personal history, keep all of your receipts pertaining to the care and well-being of your service dog. It’s a lot of paper, but at the end of the year the documentation has the potential of maximizing your medical expense deduction when it comes time to file your taxes.

Traci McGowan is an accounting and tax professional living in the Metro Detroit area. When she’s not crunching numbers, she spends time with her brother (who’s a disabled adult) and her attention demanding cat-Tigger. 

Edited to add: Traci passed away unexpectedly a little over a year ago.  She is greatly missed.

Making Laundry Detergent Today

I am making laundry detergent today.  I've been making my own laundry detergent for a couple of years now.  This is the fourth batch I've made since moving into my current apartment - one five-gallon batch lasts me about six months.  I know it's just me living here, but over the summer Isaac gets a lot of baths so we got through a fair amount of towels, and when Cayenne was living she went through a lot of towels due to her incontinence.  It costs me about $2 to make six month's worth of detergent!  I can't imagine why anyone buys laundry detergent when it is this cheap and easy to make.

If you've never made your own and would like to give it a try but aren't sure you want to go to the trouble of tracking down the supplies and don't want to end up with extra supplies you might never use, I sell a kit for making your own laundry detergent in my Etsy store.  It costs a bit more for the kit than if you buy all the separate things yourself, but buying the kit is a good way to try it out once without having to buy a whole box of washing soda, for instance, when you only need one cup of it, and so forth.  You can check it out here if you're interested.

Living on a Very Tight Budget

I'm often asked how I manage to live on a very tight budget.  Well, it's not easy.  There are lots of things I do, though.

• I don't buy much.  That sounds really basic, I'm sure, but it's true.  When I go shopping, I go with a list and I very, very rarely ever deviate from that list.  If I see something at the store that I think I want or need, I don't buy it then.  It can go on my list next time I go shopping, if I still think I want or need it after I've had some time to think about it, if I decide I can afford it.  But I do not buy things on impulse.
• I plan ahead for expenses whenever possible.  For instance, last fall I bought a pair of boots for winter.  I'd been planning that purchase since the previous winter.  I knew several months in advance in which month I would buy them.  I knew I had to pay my car insurance in September, so I planned to buy the boots in October, and I had that planned since probably the beginning of the summer.
• I buy used stuff whenever possible.  I love thrift stores.  I have only a few articles of clothing that did not come from a thrift store - underwear, socks (because second hand underwear and socks is just icky to me), a shirt my mother bought me at Kohl's a couple years ago, and a few sweaters that I bought myself about 15 years ago.  Yes, I have sweaters that are 15 years old.  For several years, I couldn't wear them because I had gained weight, but they now fit again.  I've always washed them by hand.  They are in great shape and do not look nearly that old.  But I'm not just talking about clothes.  A lot of other things in my house came from thrift stores.
• I get used stuff for free when I can, too.  My dishes were free.  I found them on Freecycle.org.  I got a bunch of free towels through Freecycle, too.  My bookshelves were given to me by various people.  My coffee table was given to me.
• When I buy new stuff, I keep it for a long, long time.  Like my sweaters.  My couch is also about 15 years old.  My bed is about 20 years old.
• I make my own laundry detergent.  It's easy, doesn't take long at all, and is super cheap.  It ends up costing about one or two cents per load.  I make five gallons of it at a time and a five gallon bucket costs me less than $3 to make and it lasts me more than six months.  Of course, I live alone so I don't make that much laundry myself, but I do have an incontinent cat that pees on a lot of towels that have to be washed.
• I make my own toothpaste.  It's also quick and easy to make and super cheap.  I haven't done that math, but it probably costs me about 10 or 15 cents to make eight ounces of it.
• I make most of my own cleaning supplies.  Most things I clean with vinegar and water in a spray bottle.  Other things I clean with baking soda and water or borax and water.  Cheap and also better for the environment than commercial cleaning supplies.
• I very rarely use disposable paper products.  I use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins, cloth rags that I wash instead of paper towels.  Most of the time, I use cloth wipes instead of toilet paper.  I use cloth menstrual pads instead of disposable pads or tampons.  All that means most of what I buy at the grocery store is actually food.  I don't buy stuff like laundry detergent and paper products.
• I buy groceries on sale and use coupons whenever possible.  If you contact the manufacturers of products you like, they will often send you coupons on request.  If you like companies on Facebook, you can also get some good coupons.  I shop at dollar stores for certain items that cost less there.  In the summertime, I buy local organic produce cheap at farmers' markets and farm stands.
• Last summer I did a little bit of canning.  I plan to do a lot more this year, so I can have local organic produce all year around.
• Once a month I get some groceries from a local food pantry.  I also get $15 each month in food stamps, which is not a lot but it does help.
• I buy vitamins when they are on sale and stock up.  For instance, I buy calcium citrate (the Kroger brand) when Kroger has it on sale, buy one get one free.  So I get two bottles for about $9.  I also started taking glucosamine/chondroitin at the recommendation of my rheumatologist.  That stuff is ridiculously expensive.  But Kroger had their brand on sale, buy one get one free, so I got two huge bottles for about $36.
• I don't have cable.  In fact, I don't have a television.

Hmm... Those are all the things that come to mind at the moment.  That's basically how I do it.

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Over the last two years, I've made big efforts to be more green.  You know, eco-friendly.  Earth friendly.  I've done things like starting using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins, cloth rags instead of paper towels, and cloth wipes instead of toilet paper.  I now make my own laundry detergent, cleaning products and toilet paper.  I take my own cloth bags to the grocery store, etc.

Not only are these things better for the environment, they save money, too.  For that reason, I wanted to share some articles I've written about being green for the holidays.

How to Be Green for the Winter Holidays

Green Gift Ideas for the Winter Holiday Season  

Green Gift Wrap Ideas for the Holidays

Making Laundry Detergent

This morning I made some laundry detergent.  Anyone else make their own?  I started doing it about a year and a half ago.  It's easy, doesn't take long, and it saves a ton of money.  It costs about one to two pennies per load, which is way less than name brand detergents and less than even the cheap brands I used to use.  It's also better for the environment.  It works well and it smells good.  This time I added a little fir needle essential oil to it.

Here are instructions, if anyone is interested in trying it.

Saving Money on Service Dog-Related Expenses

Service dogs are expensive.  All dogs are, really.  But in addition to things like food, toys, and veterinary care, service dogs require training, vest, other special gear, maybe other things pet dogs don't require.  They are expensive.  And people with disabilities often, though not always, live on rather limited incomes.  So how does someone afford a service dog?

Here are my tips for saving money on service dog-related expenses.  Many of these tips can help you save money even if your dog is not a service dog, though.

• Feed your dog a good quality food.  It doesn't have to be the most expensive food on the market, but don't go for the cheapest food available, either.  Paying a bit more up front for a quality dog food will save you money in the long run because your dog will be healthier.  Shop around for the best price on the food you decide to feed your dog.  
• Use coupons.  If you contact manufacturers of dog food and dog treats, they will often send you coupons if you just ask.  You can also get coupons on many manufacturers' websites (Purina has lots of coupons available on their website for dog and cat food and treats, for instance) and one their facebook pages.
• Check dollar stores like Dollar General and Family Dollar for dog treats.  They carry many brands and they are much cheaper there than at pet stores.
• Invest in quality dog toys, like those by Kong and Nylabone.  They cost more up front but last a long time, saving you  money in the long run.
• Take your dog to the vet yearly for a check up and vaccinations.  You'll save money in the long run by keeping your dog healthy.
• Ask local vets if they offer, or will offer, a discount for service dogs.  If your dog is not a service dog but a service dog in training, an emotional support animal, or a therapy dog, go ahead and ask if local vets will offer a discount for that.  If your dog is simply a pet but you're on disability, ask if they will offer any type of discount.  (Isaac gets free office visits and free "labor" from his vet; I pay for medication, vaccines, medical supplies, stuff like that, but the vet works for free when he sees Isaac).
• Ask vets if they will offer a discount if you have more than one pet or if you pay for more than one thing at once.  For instance, the vet I take my cats to (not Isaac's vet) offers a discount on flea prevention if we buy several months' worth at once.  It costs more up front but saves money in the long run. 
• Groom your dog yourself if you can.  It's much cheaper than paying a groomer.  If you need to take your dog to a groomer, ask local groomers if they will offer a discount for service dogs.  Also ask if they will offer a discount if you pay for several grooming sessions up front; for instance, if your dog needs to be groomed once a month and you pay for six months up front, will they offer a free grooming session after that?  Pay more up front, save in the long run (see a pattern here?).
• Walk your dog yourself if you can.  It's much cheaper than paying a dog walker.  If you need to hire a dog walker, it will probably be cheaper to post an ad on Craig's List or something like that than to hire a pet sitting service, but the person you hire from Craig's List may not be as reliable as a pet sitting service.  In my experience with Isaac, I've found college students to be the most reliable and they are willing to do the job for a reasonable fee (I pay $15 for a 45-minute run).