If you’re looking for tips on how to save money on pet supplies, don’t miss this HUGE list of ways to save on pet food, supplies, and prescriptions!
We asked for your top ways to save on pet expenses on our Facebook page and y’all had so many amazing suggestions! Here are some of our favorite frugal ideas:
How to Save on Pet Supplies & Costs
- Use mobile vet or local vaccination clinics for vaccines.
- Buy vaccines at Farm & Fleet, and administer them yourself (this doesn’t apply to the rabies vaccine).
- Brush teeth, clip nails, and groom at home.
- Make your own dog and cat food and treats from scratch at home.
- Buy food in bulk because larger bags are often cheaper per pound.
- Use horse pellet bedding or chicken feed as cat litter.
- Pick up a bag of free stuffed animals at Goodwill for puppies instead of buying full priced toys.
- Cut treats in half.
- Trade pet-sitting services with friends instead of paying for boarding.
- Make your own pet bed with repurposed pillows and blankets.
- Order flea and tick meds online (petbucket.com, Petshed.com, or vetshopmax.com).
- Adopt your pet from the rescue center and spay/neuter will be covered.
- Use Swagbucks for gift cards to the pet store.
- Fill prescriptions at Costco.
- Use Amazon Subscribe & Save for regular purchases.
- Order supplies online through Petco and then pick up in the store — often saving up to 50%.
- Look for toys, pee pads, and treats at Dollar Tree, Ross, Home Goods, and TJMaxx.
- Purchase pet supplies or sell what you’re not using anymore on Marketplace.
- Swap pet toys with friends.
- Cut the leg off an old pair of jeans, cut the fabric into strips, then braid them together and tie knots at the ends to make tug toys.
- Prevent fleas and ticks year-round — prevention is cheaper than treatment.
- Always ask if there’s a rebate for your pet preventative medicine. (There usually is!)
- Compare vet prices, especially for routine services.
- Consider fostering a pet or just pet-sit for friends instead of taking on the cost of owning a pet.
- Feed them quality food and give them lots of exercise so they stay healthy and don’t need extra vet visits.
For more ways to save on pet supplies, head on over to our Facebook page!
Looking for other money-saving ideas? Check these out:
- How do I save money on groceries when costs keep increasing?
- 35+ Ways to Save Money on Your Energy Bill
- 65+ Cheap & Free Date Night Ideas
- 55+ Simple Tips to Save Money at Home
- 30 Creative Ways to Save On Gas With Rising Fuel Prices
How do you save on pet supplies? We’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!
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Costs money upfront but could save thousands in an emergency – pet insurance. I chose a plan withOUT wellness because my dog was already neutered and caught up on vaccines when we adopted him. We also decided on a high deductible and 100% reimbursement vs a lower deductible and lower reimbursement once we penned out some scenarios on paper with numbers from previous dog’s vet visits. The premium for this plan was actually cheaper to our surprise. You can get quotes online, but most have a coverage limit ($10k, $20k annually) so if you are looking for unlimited coverage (that’s what we wanted) you will likely have to call some of the companies for a quote. There is a facebook group I found very helpful when I was shopping around — “Pet Insurance Info Exchange.”
Thank you so much for sharing!
Please be careful making your own pet food. It’s easy to end up with nutritional imbalances that can lead to to costly vet bills or worse heartbreak for you and suffering for your pet. Complete and balanced commercial diets or working with a veterinary nutritionist to develop a balanced home cooked diet are the safest options for your pet.
I will also add my vet indicated some of the “real food” pet foods (which are actually quite pricey) can also not have all the vitamins/minerals a particular pet may need. We discovered this was the case when our dog presented with a skin condition. Once we switched to a kibble (vet recommended) the problem cleared up. Just a reminder that more expensive isn’t always better!
How timely! Just tonight a neighbor gave us a free dog house for our dog! Accepting people’s used pet supplies can help both them and you!