10 Simple Ways to Save On Your Pet Expenses

Americans love pets. More than 68% of American households own a pet with the most common ones being dogs and cats. In 2016, they spent more than $66 billion on pets alone, and this is expected to reach almost $70 billion this year.

This number is higher than the GDP of Uganda, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo combined. The three countries have a combined GDP of $68 billion and a population of 133 million people.

Think about that.

Pet expenses are not cheap. For example, cleaning the teeth of a dog in New Jersey ranges between $2,000 and $3,000 while dog walking services start at about $20 per 20-minute walk.

These expenses are a huge. In this article, I will explore a few ways that will help you save money on your pet expenses.

Don’t Buy. Adopt

The initial cost of buying a pet can be high. On average, prices of buying a pet starts at about $500 and can go as high as more than $1,000 depending on the breed, age, and the seller.

To save on the initial cost, I recommend adoption, rather than buying.

Apart from the joy you get for rescuing a pet, the process is simple and cheap. At the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), you can even adopt a pet for free depending on its age.

As a precaution, always ensure that the pet is healthy by taking it to a veterinary officer for examination.

Walk Your Pet

Like humans, pets require exercise and dog walking is a very common type of exercise. But, as I mentioned, walking a dog can be expensive. On average, a 30-minute walk costs about $30 depending on the neighborhood.

To save this money, I recommend that you walk the pet yourself. Alternatively, if you have children, you can give them this task.

Groom Your Pet

You want your pet to look good. But, do you want to pay more than $90 for pet grooming? To me, that’s a lot of money which you can save by grooming it yourself.

If you don’t know how to do pet grooming, you can learn the process for free on YouTube. A YouTube video like this can move you from a pet grooming zero to a hero within a few minutes.

Find Pet Supplies Online

You can save a lot of money by shopping for pet supplies online. If you are among the 63 million Amazon Prime subscribers, I recommend that you use the website to buy your pet supplies. Amazon Prime gives you free shipping on eligible products. Alternatively, you can hunt for bargains in websites like Groupon and Coupons.com.

The rule of the thumb is, before you buy any pet product, compare the price online and go with the cheapest.

DIY Toys

Pet toys are expensive. For example, this pet toy sells for $34 which is a bit expensive. To save on pet toys, I recommend that you just do it yourself using recycled products. To do this, you don’t need to be an expert craftsperson. No. Using simple things like an old toy, you can modify it to fit your pet’s standards. This website lists several toys you can make yourself today.

Homemade Food

Feeding your pet is one of the biggest expenses you will face as a pet owner. On average, it costs thousands of dollars to feed one pet every year. For example, this packet of dog food sells for $56 while this dog beef treat sells for $140.

There are also pet meal kit products like The Farmers Dog that charges about $30 per week to deliver a prepared meal for your dog. Think Blue Apron for pets.

If you are trying to save money, I recommend that you ignore all these services and prepare the meals yourself. As you prepare your meal, I recommend that you also add a portion for your pet.

Doing all this will save you a lot of money without affecting the quality of service of your pet.

Avoid Expensive Pet Fashion

You love your pet, and you want it to be the best.

However, I recommend that you stick with the basic pet apparel. Why would anyone on a budget spend $1,200 on designer pet clothing?

To save money, I recommend that you avoid the designer brands and go for basic clothes that sell for less than $10.

Don’t Buy Brand New

You want your pet to have a comfortable life. At night, you want it to rest in a good bed. But, it doesn’t have to be brand new.

Many people in your neighborhood who own pets might want to sell their old products. Using platforms like eBay, Craigslist, and Letgo, you can find quality products at a bargain.

Take Your Photos

Pet photography is expensive. A session at NYC Pet Photography starts at $500.

To save on these expenses, I recommend that you take the photos yourself. If you have a good camera and some photography skills, you can take your own portraits for no fee.

Keep up to date with Vaccines

Pet medical expenses are high. Recently, a report suggested that pets medical costs can top those of humans.

The good thing is, with proper care, you can avoid spending thousands of dollars in pet healthcare costs by having regular veterinary checkup and vaccinations.

On average, the annual vaccination costs of a dog are about $100. You would rather spend the $100 than wait until your pet gets sick which will cost hundreds of dollars.

Final Thoughts

Pets provide good company. This video of a dog crying after its owner died has moved me for a long time.

But, pets should not interfere with your financial goals. In fact, pets don’t measure the love you show them with the amount of money you spend on them. They will never figure out that their sleeping pad cost thousands of dollars. But, they will always appreciate the love.

Following the tips I outlined, you will save a lot of money and at the same time, have a great time with your pet.