My husband and I have a full household with two dogs and two cats, and while we love them to bits, the reality is they do cost money. An important decision to make before you adopt a pet is if you can afford the food, toys, vet bills, licensing fees and any unforeseen expenses due to things like a medical problem. While it is very important to make sure you can afford the expenses that come with being a pet owner, I would like to share some of the ways that our pets actually help us reduce some of our expenses, here is how:
Exercise: Our dogs keep us on our toes! They also hold us responsible for making sure we all get enough exercise. As affectionate and loving as our dogs are, they do not care if we had a long day at work or if we are tired; they just want to go for a run. We don't have a treadmill or a gym membership because we don't need them. Instead of buying a gym membership, driving to the gym using gas and hanging out with a bunch of sweaty strangers (can you tell the gym is not in my top ten favourite places to be?), my husband and I get to relax with a nice walk and it also give us time to talk! Treadmill: $800 - $1000, Gym membership: $30 a month, two dog leashes: $20. I'm sure you can see how it's a bargain! For those days that are too cold/snowy/rainy for long walk, we have lots of fun playing with toys in the house. Since the cats aren't too big on the outdoors walk, we opt to play with them indoors as well.
Eating at home: Our dogs and cats all eat and go to the bathroom. The cats, being the independent species they are, don't really care how often we come home as long as we are there when they need their food and water filled and their litter boxes cleaned. The dogs on the other hand have to wait for us to get home from work before they get supper and get let outside to do their business. This means either my husband or I always have to come straight home after work to take care of them. Even though I say that eating out is by far our worst habit, it at least gives us the time to think about what we are having for dinner. There is no "we aren't going home after work so let's just grab something". This has actually helped us to reduce our eating out by a lot over the last couple of years! Our biggest down fall down is we grab food when we are out for other things, such as groceries.
Heating: This may seem like a really silly point, but I still feel it's important. There is no better way to go to bed then when you get into bed and it's nice and warm because the cat or dog was just laying there. It sounds silly, but I think fellow pet owners will agree with me. My cat knows just when to come lie on my lap, or occasionally on my chest in the middle of the night. He keeps me warm! My animals are the reason I don't own an electric blanket. Have you ever noticed how much warmer a cold night is when there is a dog curled up to you in bed?
In the summer, we like to spend lots of time outside with the dogs. We are not inside so we rarely turn on the air conditioning. We have a kiddie pool in the back yard to help our dogs keep cool, and occasionally we stick our feet in to cool down. Not having the air conditioning on is the big one though, that saves a lot!
Vacation: Sometimes pets are added expenses to vacations, whether you're boarding them or flying with them. We try and plan a vacation, like camping, where we can take our dogs with us. If you're doing this you have to be careful as it's not fair to leave your dog in a hot car while you're in an air conditioned restaurant. Make sure you do your research ahead of time where dogs are allowed to be.
If you cannot take your dog with you, why not start a pet sitting circle? If you have a couple of close friends that have animals, perhaps you can take turns looking after each others. We did this with a friend of ours who would bring his dog and stay at our house while we were away. It gave the dogs a chance to play and him a chance to be without roommates for awhile. Then when he went away, he left his dog at our house. Our dogs were getting lots of exercise and play dates, and it wasn't costing us anything.
Inspiration for a Second Income: I have met many people over the last few years who have taken their love for their animals to a whole new level. They let the opportunities of having a pet create a part time income for them; whether it's dog walking, sitting or training. Perhaps you have a special toy you make, accessories you sew, or a recipe for a special pet treat you sell online. Maybe you even have a blog to share your stories and tips about your furry friends. Whatever it is, there are lots of opportunities to let your pet inspire you financially.
These are a few of the ways that our pets have helped or inspired us to save money. More importantly, the love they give outweighs their expenses. Coming home to a pet can quickly turn around a bad day. They always seem to know when you're feeling down, and are there in a heart beat to cheer you up.
Last year, I spent about $700-800 on our dog. That's not a ton of money but it's no chump change either. He has to get groomed regularly, his dog food costs us $80 every 2 to 3 months, and he needs to go for shots and check ups too. But he is worth every single penny. Pets are definitely members of the family in my opinion. You just can't put a price on love : )
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