More than half of the people I work with have pets and just about every one of them is completely in love with their dog, cat or whatever animal they chose to look after. One thing that I have heard just about every single one of them talk about is how much their pets are costing them. Some even go as far as saying that they cost them more than human with the biggest complaint being food, veterinary bills and entertainment. That got me asking the question why you would spend more on your pet than on your child.
I did a bit of research and found that the total US pet expenditure for 2008 was $43.2 billion with food (after a breakdown) topping the list at $16.8 billion. That is a lot of money spent on food and that was in the US alone! One thing people can when it comes to cutting down on food bills is by considering generic pet food. Some generic pet foods are manufactured by premium pet food companies and sold as something else. It would pay to take a look at the ingredients and maybe even talk to your vet about the food.
Coming in second after food at $11.1 billion is veterinary care. One way to cut down on costs is by doing something hopefully all of you are already doing – going to the doctor for regular check-ups. Just like in the case of humans, prevention is better than cure and going for regular checkups may catch something that may not only cause problems down the road but also burn a deep hole in your pocket.
Coming in after food is pet supplies and over-the-counter medicine with a $10 billion spend total. The best way to cut costs in this area would be to sit down and down a bit of research online. There are a number of major pet supply stores such as Mutt Mart and Petco and healthcare stores such as PetCareRx, Pet Care Choice and Petscriptions.com that you can take a look at and do a bit of comparison shopping.
There you have it, just a couple of small things you could try and do to save a bit of money when it comes to your pets.
No comments yet.