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This is part of my ongoing series to track our pet finances here at the House of Two Bows.
March turned out okay. A lot of purchases were frontloaded at the beginning of the month, though the latter half barely saw any transactions — in part because I was out of town for much of it.
The Cost of (Pet) Things for March 2012:
- Food: $82
- Treats: $18
- Accessories and misc: $0
- Grooming: $2
- Vet & Medical: $10
- TOTAL: $112 (running average for 2012 ~ $154 / month)
Food-wise, we needed another big bag of Taste of the Wild, and I also bought a box of Honest Kitchen Preference to go along with the ground turkey patties purchased last month. The way I figure it, this makes us something equivalent to Primal Raw nuggets at about a half or 2/3rds the cost. The Bows are doing quite well with this combo, so we’ll see how it shakes out. Some RMBs round out the food total for this month.
Also, after one purchase of dental chews made at the beginning of the month, I embarked on a 30-day no-treat-buying challenge that will bleed over into next month. The numbers aren’t going to zero out, but I swear the commitment’s there!
In grooming supplies, I bought a new toothbrush and pair of finger brushes. Since my cumulative discount at this pet store kicked in ($10 off any non-food or flea treatments for every $100 spent), I basically paid a dollar and the tax on that purchase. The little pleasures of shopping local.
Finally, I attended a vet talk on holistic treatments for pet allergies led by a local, well-respected holistic practitioner. It didn’t exactly revolutionize my world view, as I was already practicing much of what was preached. But it was worth the entrance fee. In a later post, I’ll share some of the tips I gleaned from that event, since allergy season is very much on the horizon and I know some pups are already suffering…
(Neither of the Bows, though. So far, so good. EDIT: Spoke too soon.)
A related link: over at VetStreet, Dr. Patty Khuly gave a run-down of her average monthly costs to keep her menagerie. Because she benefits from 50% veterinary discounts, I was particularly interested in her estimated monthly vet bills, which she figures at $30/month including bloodwork, vaccines, and even dental work for her three small dogs (a Pug, a Frenchie, and a MinPin). Now that’s a figure I envy… even though she doesn’t factor in the expensive surgeries that her dogs have undergone.
