Owning a dog can be one of the greatest joys in life. But with it comes a lot of responsibilities and a lot of bills. Let’s be honest; pet ownership is a pretty expensive deal. From regular checkups to the vet to good-quality food, there are a lot of things you’ll have to spend your money on when you get a dog.
Did you know that the average dog owner has to spend almost $2883 per year on their pet’s expenses? One area where the bills touch the sky is dog food. If you wish to figure out ways to save money on dog food without compromising on the benefits, here are seven tips.
1. Make your own pet food
If you feel that the price charged by the pet food company for the food that your dog eats is reasonable, there’s no problem. But many dog owners feel that the store-bought pet food costs way too much. In this case, making your dog food can be a good way to save money.
You can make dishes using mashed carrots, beans, rice, or even a bit of baby food for your dog to include all the nutrients. If you wish to add meat, buy the ones on sale. One effective way to make nutritious and tasty dog food is to first ask your vet and then proceed.
2. Use cashback apps
Cashback apps like receipt-scanning apps can be useful when you want to buy store-bought pet food. Many groceries and retail brands are willing to give discounts or reward points to their customers.
There are apps like coupons.com, Rakuten, and Ibotta, etc where you can avail cashbacks while purchasing online.
3. Use shopping browser extensions
Shopping online for pet food saves time and helps you purchase items at much lower prices. You will also save on fuel money by not driving to the store. In addition, many online browser extensions further help you to save money when you buy food online.
For example, in the US, Capital One Shopping applies coupon codes automatically across a wide variety of online retail stores. Some similar extensions are Honey and Rakuten, where you can redeem your points after making certain purchases, which will be used as discounts.
4. Buy in bulk
Whenever you find a good deal, buy it in bulk. You don’t need to buy tons of pet food because it might go bad, but just make sure you have enough when the time comes. Most stores offer discounts to their customers when they buy in bulk. For online shopping, Amazon is a reliable brand that gives a lot of discounts on pet food.
However, make sure you buy the pet food your dog likes to eat. If you end up buying a lot of packets of a certain item that your pet doesn’t seem to like, you’ll just end up wasting food and money.
5. Don’t overspend on organic food
If there’s one thing gaining popularity without any reason, it’s items labeled as “organic.” Most of the time, we don’t even know if the items are healthy or not. Since organic pet food costs a lot more than usual, it’s best to stick to non-organic pet food. You don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune on food just because the company claims that its products are organic.
6. Get a premium subscription
You can also explore some dog food subscriptions that suit your pet’s dietary needs and medical condition. You will find plenty of them online in all kinds of budgets – all you have to do is check the contents to ensure that it doesn’t have any negative impacts on your pet.
Many of these subscriptions also come with discount offers and deals, so ultimately, you’ll be able to save a few bucks.
7. Subscribe directly
Several petcare websites allow you to subscribe directly from their websites to avail yourself of discounts. You can subscribe here directly instead of using platforms like Amazon. If you wish to buy regular pet food and enjoy the convenience of having a subscription, this can be a smart move.
Over to you…
There are many ways to cut down on pet food costs, but remember to never compromise in terms of health. If you can cut down on pet food costs, it will reduce your annual pet care budget too.
