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5 Online Ways to Save Money on Your Dog Expenditures

I need to give a very big thanks to Paris from DogTipper.com not only for this great post and a book giveaway for our readers, but for also keeping me upbeat last week when Toby hurt his leg. The comments, tweets and concern were so helpful. We are so excited that you are guest posting today! Thank you! 🙂  
At a time when everyone’s looking for ways to trim the budget, a few minutes spent online before shopping can fetch some real savings for dog lovers. While you’ll still find plenty of old-fashioned savings methods like Sunday newspaper coupons, the Internet can be a real treasure trove of coupons to use at both brick and mortar and online stores when shopping for your dog’s needs.
1. Search for dog-related coupons online.
Before you head to the grocery store or pet supply store, do an online check for coupons at www.couponmom.com, www.coolsavings.com, www.wow-coupons.com, www.coupons.com and others. Usually you’ll need to download a printer application that permits you to print coupons.
Once you print the coupons, don’t cut them out but instead take in the entire page to your store so they can see you didn’t copy the coupons but instead have printed a legitimate printable coupon. You can print the coupon in black ink (you’ll save money by not printing in color.) If you have questions about using printable coupons, check your store’s coupon policy on the store website; most spell out their policy toward printables. (Generally most grocery stores accept printable coupons that include a bar code.)
2. Sit up and beg.
As you’ve probably learned from your dog by now, it never hurts to ask! Try sending a nice email to your favorite dog-related companies and requesting coupons or coupon codes. Many companies will supply coupons on request to faithful (or potential) customers.
3. Look for a manufacturer’s coupons on its website.
If your dog especially loves a particular brand of dog food, visit the manufacturer’s website for potential coupons and offers. You’ll often find downloadable coupons (especially if they’re coming out with a new product.)
4. Sign up for email newsletters from your favorite companies.
Many dog food and treat manufacturers offer electronic newsletters that provide special discounts and coupons, news of new products, and subscriber-only specials. Check websites for signups.
Don’t want to clog your inbox with offers? Create a special email address on Yahoo, Google, Hotmail or another free service. Reserve this address just for your dog-related emails such as coupon requests and newsletter subscriptions; it will make it easy to search this special inbox before your shopping trips.
5. Follow favorites on Twitter and Facebook.
Just about every company has a Twitter and Facebook presence these days (just check the company website for links). You’ll often find some great fan/follower discount offers that are only promoted through Twitter and Facebook; we’ve received and redeemed some good discount codes for everything from bully sticks to dog toys this way.
Thanks to smart shopping techniques—ones that take just minutes—you can keep a leash on your budget and still shop for your favorite dog-related brands at the same time.
About the Authors
Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of professional writers and the publishers of DogTipper.com, a site featuring tips for dog lovers. The couple recently published their 28th book, Barkonomics: Tips for Frugal Fidos (http://www.dogtipper.com/barkonomics), with over 300 tips on saving money on all aspects of your dog’s care.
Win an Autographed Copy of Barkonomics: Tips for Frugal Fidos!
Win a copy of Barkonomics autographed by the authors by leaving a comment at the end of this post about which area of your dog’s life you’d most like money on: dog food, veterinary care, grooming, etc. The giveaway is open to readers everywhere; one winner will be selected at random using random.org and announced on Monday, November 15, 2010.

9 thoughts on “5 Online Ways to Save Money on Your Dog Expenditures

  1. Heh. I just posted something on my blog about how my dog destroys all of her toys. Other than bones, she doesn't have many because we can't keep buying new ones every other day.

    It would also be great to know about more affordable but still good quality food out there.

    Thanks for this post!

  2. Animal medication is a sore spot due to costs. In terms of online you can never tell the remaining shelf life, etc of the drugs you can procure via online sales.

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