Every year, Americans spend $60 billion on pets – and the biggest piece of that budget is the $23 billion spent on food. With so much at stake, the competition for those pet food dollars is greater than ever before. Fortunately, competition spells opportunity for savvy shoppers, who can take advantage of great shopping techniques and save money on their pet food purchases with these easy methods:
Save your coupons for a sale
When pet food companies promote a product – whether a new product or perhaps one with a seasonal tie-in, they make a major push to attract business in multiple ways. Often when the companies issue a coupon, they will have an in-store sale coming up as well. Save your coupon for that sale and stretch your savings!
Get social with your favorite pet food brands
Whether you are trying to save money on pet food, treats, or litter, it pays to follow your favorite brands on social media, as well as through their electronic newsletters. You will often find exclusive fan and subscriber coupons, and special offers. Worried about filling your inbox? Consider obtaining an email address through Yahoo, Google, or another free service just for newsletters. Not only will it keep your inbox tidy, but it will also make finding your special offers that much easier.
Search for pet food coupons online
Before your next trip to the store, visit some online coupon sites and search for printable as well as electronic coupons for your favorite pet food brands. Also search the websites of the food brands themselves, looking for exclusive coupons that you can print and take to the store.
Determine unit price
Are you wrestling with the decision of whether to purchase the seven-pound bag of dog food at your local store or travel to the membership club to purchase a 26- or 44-pound sack? Break it down to figure the cost per pound. Although pet food bags are specially made for safe food storage, you will still need a cool, dry place to store large sacks to prevent spoilage. If you have a small dog, it may not pay to purchase the larger sack – or you might want to find a fellow pet lover to split an economy-sized bag.
Create a price book
Start your own price book of your favorite pet food brands to detect sales patterns and help you identify a true sales price. Use a little notebook to track the date, store, size, price, and unit price for your favorite brands. You will soon be able to see that your favorites are on sale every six weeks or so, a common sales pattern for grocery stores. When you find a good sales price, you can stock up enough food to last until the next sales period.
We hope these tips save you money that you can then go spend on people food!
Photo ©iStock.com/SeanShot
