Frugal Living with Pets
Most of us have pets, so we know how expensive it can become to have fur children. But just as with our human children, it doesn’t have to be expensive to have pets and take care of them. Frugal living with pets works, if we know what to do and what not to do.
Here are some frugal living tips for parents of fur children, to help save money and still provide great pet care.
1. Pet food - Dog food and cat food doesn’t have to cost a lot. If you have coupons for the name brand pet foods, then by all means use them (more so if the item is on sale – extreme couponing!). Some (not all) store brands of pet food are the same as the name brand, meaning the name brands package the exact same thing under a store brand. Trial and error on this will help you know which is which and what your pet likes and will eat.
The higher priced dog food and cat food might have more vitamins, but this doesn’t mean you have to buy it, just for the vitamins. Buy tablets or a paste and add it to your pet’s food. This is healthy but much less expensive.
2. Pet vaccinations - Pets need their vaccinations just as your human children do, although obviously different ones. Taking your pet to see the vet, if only for shots, can run into some money. A much more frugal approach to this is to visit your local feed type store. You can get the vaccination shot along with the needed syringe and give the vaccination to your pet yourself at home. Buying the vaccination and doing it yourself costs about $10, as opposed to a much higher fee if you go to the vet just for the pet shots.
Of course, if your pet is sick or hurt, by all means go to the vet. This frugal tip is only concerning the vaccinations, not medical care if it’s needed.
3. Pet grooming - If you have a pet (usually a dog) that requires a lot of grooming (such as a poodle), then you know that taking your pets to a groomer can run into some money – especially if you have more than one pet to be groomed. There are frugal ways to save money on dog grooming.
One way to save money on pet grooming and be frugal about it is to do your own dog grooming. This DOES take practice, and time, but you can do it. The first couple of times might mean your dog comes out looking a little funny, but remember that it does grow back. Plus after a little practice, you will become good at grooming. You can get a dog grooming kit at places such as Amazon.com, Walmart, etc. A good dog grooming kit will cost you from about $50 or so, maybe up to $100 – basically the cost of one or two grooming trips.
Another frugal way to save money on dog grooming is to barter, or trade, for the services of a dog groomer. If there’s something you do or can do, that a dog groomer would be willing to trade to groom your dog, then you’ve both saved money and gotten a good deal. For example, you might craft something the groomer wants, update a web page, create a WordPress blog, babysit for a few hours, etc.
Conclusion: Having pets can run into some money, but if you practice frugal living with your pets, then you will be happy and your pets will be happy, but you won’t be broke or in to poor house just because you have pets.
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