5 Frugal Tips To Save Money On Pet Food

Financially, it’s a big responsibility to have a pet.

With grooming, healthcare, and food, those costs really start to add up.

Now while you don’t want to skimp on your pet’s medical care or their cleanliness, there are ways you can save money on their food consumption. Of course, we aren’t saying it’s going to be free, because that’s not what having a pet is about.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t overhaul your buying habits and your pet’s eating habits to make it more frugal, and more budget friendly.

Here are a few frugal tips to save money on pet food and a few really great home made dog food recipes to try!

1. Buy In Bulk

Buying in bulk is obviously the smartest way to save money in the long term. If your local grocery store offers bulk discounts, this is where we’d recommend starting. Even if your supermarket doesn’t do bulk buying, choosing the largest bag of kibble will generally work out to be cheaper in the long run. You can also choose to buy the absolute maximum amount of canned food that you can when the cans are on special, which can also result in hefty savings.

Frugal Buying Tips:

• Try your local Stock Feed Store for deals on huge bags of dog food.
• Shops like Kmart and Big W often have great deals on large bags of dog food.
• When there is a big sale at places like Woolworths, buy up big and store it if you can.

2. Specialised Home Delivery Dog Food Can Work Out Cheaper

If you aren’t able to access cheap pet food at a retailer near you, or you aren’t finding the savings at your local supermarket enough, check out specialised dog food home delivery services.  The great thing about shopping for pet food online is you can often access much better deals than you would get locally. Many online retailers also allow you to buy in bulk, or sign up to a subscription service for your food (where new food is delivered on a monthly basis). These are all great ways to save money in the long-term on your pet food.

A few that we found online include:

• Happy Healthy Dog
• Doggy Bag Delivery
• Raw and Fresh
• The Butcher’s Dog

If you can’t find one local to your area, try calling your local Vet to ask for recommendations.

3. Bulk Up Dog Food with Rice

via revista.weepec.com

Rice is cheap and when you add a cup of cooked rice to the dog food it bulks it out, filling your dog’s tummy and making it go further.

4. Don’t Waste Money on Dog Snacks

Snacks can be a great training tool, but the fact is they are far from essential to your pet’s diet and for the most part, aren’t that good for them.

Many of the snacks are, nutritionally, no better for pets than lollies and chocolate are for us.

So if you’re looking to cut costs on your pet food, snacks are definitely where you would start!

5. Make Your Own Dog Food

Making your own pet food is hardly the convenient option, which explains why so few of us are interested in figuring out how to do it. However, if you have the time, making your own pet food isn’t just cheaper, it can be better for your pet. Canned and packaged pet food has a lot of mysterious ingredients, but when you make your own pet food, you’ll know exactly what’s being included. Not sure how to go about making your own pet food? It’s so easy!

Dogs don’t just need to eat meat. There are a number of vegetables, grains and other protein sources, like egg, that are appropriate for them.

Have a hunt online for some ideas, there are lots out there!

Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Turkey and Rice Dog Food

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1kg minced turkey
• 1kg frozen mixed vegetables
• 5 cups water

Place all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours.  Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

• 1kg minced turkey or beef
• 1 large sweet potato, diced
• 2 carrots
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 cups water

Place all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours.

What methods have you used to save money on pet food in your budget?