Pets are an integral part of society and a source of emotional support for all those who need them. They can help relieve you from stress and bring out the feelings of compassion within all of us. Many experts have studies making it evident that our furry friends play a huge role in saving us from depression and loneliness. But all of this comes at a hefty price, no doubt. A pet after all isn’t a stuffed animal. It’s a living breathing creature that has needs, just like all of us. We all know that there’s a price to take care of our pets and with time these expenses can pile up. Here are a couple of suggestions that’ll make taking care of your pet a little more budget-friendly.

Go Frugal on Pet Chow

Some may say that the heaviest expense involved in having a pet is feeding our four-legged furry friends. But it does not always have to be that way. One free app called Fetch Rewards may be the answer that you’ve been looking for. It gets you gift cards so that you can shop for pet food at Amazon or Walmart. All you have to do is shoot a picture of the receipt that shows that you bought a product listed in Fetch. You can also make use of the Capital One Shopping service to get your pet food. You’ll find it has great offers and coupons for all types of products.

Build a Pet Emergency Fund 

Taking care of your pet is a big responsibility that you have to live up to. Part of acting responsibly is having an emergency fund. The pandemic has been a hard lesson for everyone on how important it is to have a financial backup plan. One of the first things you need is to find a safe place to put your savings, and what you have may have to do is open a separate account for doing just that. Every month, take a little bit of money and put it aside to take care of your pet, and you’ll find that it will grow after a while. You should check investing solutions, such as Robinhood and other online platforms to help you make the extra money to put aside.

Leave Pet Your with Savings After You’re Gone

Just like you have to take care of your family after you pass away, you should also ensure that your pet is looked after if anything should happen to you. For this reason, you may have to consider some financing solutions so that your family will have the funds to take care of your pet. You should consider consulting your financial advisor for a suggestion about this. The best thing to do is plan ahead. Don’t wait until a disaster happens for you to do something.

Invest in Preventive Care 

Be strict about conducting regular veterinary checkups on your pets because the sooner a problem is caught, the less costly it will be to solve it later on. Be selective about the food your pet eats, so that it doesn’t cause him/her any long-term health problems. Medical procedures are very expensive these days and it is hard to finance veterinary healthcare. It’s important to note that you can also find low-cost veterinary clinics in your area which may charge $200-$300 for a regular checkup.

You also have the option of buying your pet’s medications online and in some cases, you’ll be able to get some good deals. But don’t just go anywhere online for your pet medications, since criminal elements on the internet do take advantage of concerned pet owners. Two reliable websites you can go to include Chewy.com and PetMeds. They’re the best!