Frugal Pet Tips for an Inflated Economy
- Author: Chris Remington
- Posted: 2024-04-05
In the United States of America right now, there's a financial crisis happening that you won't see a whole lot about in the media. The average American in the lower and middle-class is paying over 30% more to live in 2022 than they were in late 2020 and 2021. Rent, fuel, food and other costs have gone up a lot. Another thing the media isn't talking about but is hitting Americans hard is the cost of caring for their pets. Cat food is up over 50% in the past year. Those cans that used to cost less than a dollar are now nearing the $2 mark. Pet grooming is something millions of pet owners relied on, but those costs are up nearly 100%, especially in metro areas. Vet care has also risen through the roof. It's costing Americans thousands of more dollars a year to care for their pets compared to 2020, and it's a financial sting that many people are feeling.
Millions of Americans adore their pets and do not want to get rid of their pets just because of the inflation that's gripping the nation. What most pet owners do is budget for their pets and they end up sacrificing in other areas. There are a lot of different things you can do to be more frugal and save money when caring for your pet, without you or your pet(s) needing to sacrifice anything. So, for cat and dog owners out there, just know that there are different ways you can save a lot of money on the care of your animals. Here are a few things you can do.
Make Homemade Food
What people may consider scraps are like five-star cuisine for your cats and dogs. So, when it comes to feeding your cat and dog, you can actually save a lot of money making it at home. The added benefit here is that homemade food is healthier, because you know what's going into it. What sorts of items can you buy that your pets will love? Well, things like chicken livers and oxtails are 100% meat but are still pretty cheap at the store. These are items that are considered 'stock pot' ingredients, and so they're pretty cheap. Boiling down a bunch of scrap meat for hours and taking a stick blender to it can create a thick, delicious and nutritious meal that your pets are going to love.
Again, the added benefit here is that you can easily control what goes into your pet's food. You don't need to load it up with fillers or a bunch of salt and sugar. You can even get creative and try different types of meat and fish. Skin and fat are also great to add into these recipes, while also being very cheap. This will allow the food to congele when cooled, which makes it a lot easier to portion out and store.
Clean is Clean
Another area where a lot of pet owners are spending a lot of extra money is at the pet groomers. Of course, inside animals like cats and dogs need to smell good. You're not just going to have a stinking animal jump up in the bed with you! The issue, of course, is that the average groomer is charging a whole lot more now just to give your cat or dog a bath. This is a needless expense. You can bathe your own animals and save $50 to $100 a pop. And you also don't need to buy any of that expensive pet-specific shampoo. That's the way to go if they have fleas, but clean is clean other than that. The same shampoo you use is fine for your pets, unless otherwise stated on the bottle.
You would be shocked just how much money people spend at the groomers. A bath every other month, for $50 a pop, is $300 a year on cleaning your dog. Why would you pay that massively inflated rate when you can do it at home for the few pennies it costs for the water and soap?
The point here is that you can save a lot of money if you're willing to make a few simple changes at home in the way you care for your pets. There's no need at all to spend a lot of money on pet food or grooming sessions.
