The love and companionship of our pets is priceless, but taking care of them definitely has its costs! Between food, grooming, visits to the vet, and more, the costs of caring for a pet can add up.
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And since we could all stand to save a bit of money where we can, today I wanted to share some easy ways to save money on pet-related expenses. But more importantly, I wanted to share money-saving tips that don’t cut corners when it comes to your pet’s health and wellness.
Because saving money and taking great care of your pet shouldn’t have to be mutually exclusive! :-)
11 Ways To Save Money On Pet Expenses
1. Adopt, Don’t Shop
Buying a pure bred pet from a breeder can cost thousands of dollars. Consider adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue instead, which will not only be cheaper, but will also save an animal’s life!
Even if you have your heart set on one particular breed, you can still find ways to adopt or rescue one. All sorts of breeds end up in shelters, and you can even find rescues that work exclusively with one breed.
2. Spay/Neuter At A Humane Society
Getting your pet spayed or neutered can be a big expense. Getting it done at a local humane society instead of at the vet can save you quite a bit of money!
To find a low-cost spay/neuter program near you, use ASPCA’s locator tool.
3. Use Price Matching
Use price matching to make sure you’re getting the best price on your pet supplies. Both PetSmart and Petco offer price-match guarantees!
Check prices at both stores, as well as at online pet supply stores like Wag.com and Chewy.com to make sure you’re paying the lowest price possible.
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4. Exercise Your Pet
Pets that don’t get enough exercise can turn into troublemakers, or even become downright destructive! Replacing chewed up furniture is a massive expense, and you can avoid it by making sure your pet has a healthy outlet for all their energy!
Make sure to take your dog on regular walks, and be sure to give cats proper exercise too. Some cats love dangly toys, others love chasing laser pointers, and others prefer climbing. Try out a few things to find the best way to keep your dog or cat active!
5. Try A Subscription Service
As long as you buy the same products for your pet on a semi-regular basis, signing up for a subscription service is an easy way to save money. Here are a few popular pet supply subscription services and their features:
- Amazon – Save 5% through Subscribe & Save, and up to 15% off when you order 5 or more products in a given month to a single address.
- PetSmart – Save 5% on every autoship order, plus free shipping on orders over $49.
- Petco – Save 30% on your first Repeat Delivery order, plus free shipping on orders over $49.
- Chewy – Save 30% on your first autoship order, and get 5-10% off select brands in future orders.
6. Join A Rewards Program
Many brick-and-mortar and online pet supply stores offer rewards programs for their customers. Make sure to take advantage of these to save yourself some extra money!
- PetSmart treats – Earn points with every purchase and redeem them for discounts on products and pet services.
- Petco Pals Rewards – Earn rewards points and redeem them for cash rewards, and receive free shipping on repeat delivery orders.
7. Groom At Home
On average, taking your dog to a groomer costs somewhere between $45-70. If you get your dog groomed every 6 weeks, that can add up to $400-600 a year!
Grooming your dog at home some or all of the time can be a big money saver. Invest in a few basic grooming supplies and watch some dog grooming tutorials on Youtube to learn how its done!
8. Save On Treats
Fancy dog treats are often expensive too. You can save money by supplementing those treats with treat-sized pieces of dog-safe human foods! Here are some healthy options you can try out:
- Sweet potatoes
- Ice cubes
- Baby carrots
- Watermelon
- Blueberries
- Green beans
- Homemade dog treats
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9. Buy Cheaper Bags
When it comes to picking up dog poop, any ol’ bag will do. Since many dog owners have to buy poop bags frequently, make sure you’re getting a good deal on them!
You can often pick them up at dollar stores, or you can get a good deal by buying them in bulk online.
10. Keep Up On Vaccinations
It’s much cheaper to stay current on your pet’s vaccinations than it is to pay to fix expensive health issues down the road! You can even order certain pet medicines and vaccines online and administer them yourself at home to save even more money.
11. Brush Your Pet’s Teeth
Did you know that most dogs over the age of three show some signs of gum disease? Gum disease is not only painful for pets, but it can also lead to or worsen other health issues down the line.
Keep your pet’s teeth clean by brushing them with the proper tools and pet-specific toothpaste. You can also ask your vet to include a dental exam and cleaning as part of your pet’s yearly exam.
Tell me about your furry friends in the comments below!
My beautiful rough collie loves apples! Peal and quarter any eating apple, and slice across the quarter apple to about the thickness of a nickel. A good treat. So is a thin slice of chicken breast, poached without skin, cooled and cut into one inch squares.
AS a mom of three dogs ranging in ages 14years to 8 months I always recommend pet insurance. You may think that does not go with “how to save $”; however, if you chose the right policy for the age of your pet – changing it to match their age and needs- it can be a huge savings. All it takes is one incident or major illness to hit hard on the pocket book. Peace of mind is also worth a bit. We have used PetFirst out of IN for 13 years and have been very satisfied. Also- if you… Read more »
I love Chewy! Prices are great, and their customer service is outstanding.
For cat treats I buy a small bag of quality cat food that’s different from what I usually feed them. Is much cheaper than regular treats and they still clamor for them.
In addition to re-using plastic grocery bags, shopping at the dollar store for pet waste bags, the bags used for human baby dirty diapers are the perfect size for picking up pet waste and the cost is nominal for 50 to 100 bags.
Reuse grocery bags for picking up poop!
That’s what we do as well. I have the reusable grocery bags, but we still get some items in the plastic grocery bags. We also use the plastic grocery bags ,for the small trash cans in each bedroom,instead of buying bags.
Just one word of caution about ice cubes – give ice chips or crushed ice instead. Ice cubes can fracture a dogs molars and then you are faced with a very expensive vet bill.
I do not like dogs nor cats one bit but I save all of my empty bread bags and similar empty plastic bags(that are too small to reuse for trash liners) for friends that do have pets. I feel good about recycling or reusing those bags and they don’t have to buy bags. I bet everyone has multiple friends who would be willing to save bags for them. This not only saves the environment by manufacturing less bags but also saves money. Think of the annual trash savings if only 100 of OGT pet owners started reusing and stopped buying… Read more »
I can certainly understand not wanting to own(?) a pet, but not liking them one bit is a rather strong statement. But I appreciate your thoughtfulness for your pet-owning friends. We have several rescued cats, and we also save our plastic bags to deal with their messes. I stopped buying litter, and use old newspapers, magazines, and printer paper to line the litter boxes. I collect the used paper in the plastic bag, tie it up and toss. Saves us lots!
These are all great ideas! My daughter is the chef, groomer, walker, chauffeur and chew toy…..(just kidding!) We raised service dogs and got them when they were 6-8 weeks old. She got them used to getting groomed immediately, brushing them usually twice a day. Always hands on….. to get them used to it. Brushing their teeth, clipping their nails, getting bathed was never a problem when you ease them into it. He had no problem with loud noises and thought the vacuum was a noisy toy. Our last pup wasn’t crazy about water (and he’s a Lab!) but he liked… Read more »
Carie, thanks for sharing this. How wonderful that you raise service dogs! :-)
How about tips on Flea, Tick, and Heartworm meds…they are soooo expensive at the vet…
Lettie, here is my recipe for a homemade collar. Hope this helps!
http://bit.ly/2yjXBb2
You can get them cheaper by going thru an online account. Just give them the name and address of your vet and they can call the vet and get the Rx, and it will be delivered to your door. We get both HeartGuard and NexGuard that way.
I found canadapetcare.com couple years ago and have been buying Advantage Multi (called Advocate in Canada and little less potent and bad smelling but works just as well) at about half the cost of that in US. No online store in US can beat their prices. Shipping takes longer so order in advance and use tracking. They have a sale going on most of the time.
You can get a script from vet and then purchase online from chewy.com or another reputable source. Also, research essential oils. I use Geranium oil for ticks, and you can mix up a recipe for fleas. I believ brewers yeast is also a good flea deterant if sprinkled on food. A little research can yield many ideas and you can see what works best for your pet. Talk to your vet for advice too. Heart worm meds I think are just necessary – haven’t found a sub for the expensive meds. Good luck
I am retired and my SS check doesn’t go as far as my pay check did. So I find that Costco has the best price for heartworms meds. It is $59 cheaper than from my vet.