Everyone knows how much I adore my dogs. That being said, I also adore my bank account and my savings. I’ve been doing some research and Americans actually spend more than $60 billion dollars annually on their pets. That amounts to more than $1,600 a year although in my house we are firmly on track to spend far more than that given that we have two dogs and one just was spayed to the tune of nearly $600. Our puppy Annabelle also has skin issues and is given to expensive ear infections.
I would never skimp on medical care but I do manage to save in other areas. One of those areas is treats. Reports vary but some state that Americans spend $16 a month on treats alone.
Really? That sum seems awfully low to me.
We save money on treats by buying them at our local discount grocery store. We also make a lot of them from scratch. The following recipes are quick and cheap and pup tested and Annabelle and Sophia approved.
Yummy Good Balls
Ingredients:
1 cup mashed yams or pumpkin
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups oatmeal
Drizzle of honey
Method: Mix everything together well. Wet hands and shape into golf ball sized balls (or smaller if you have little dogs). Chill well and store in the fridge.
Frozen Pupsicles
Ingredients:
2 bananas, mashed
4 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup peanut butter
Drizzle of honey
Method: Mix everything together in a food processor until blended. Pour into muffin tins and freeze for four hours.
Crunch-tastic Biscuits
1 cup leftover meat or poultry
1/2 cup rice
1/3 cup flour
1 egg
Leftover chicken broth (a cube from your freezer stash should do it)
Method: Pulse everything together in a food processor. Add in a splash of chicken broth if too thick. Press into a square cake pan and bake for 20 minutes until done. Cool and cut into thin rectangles.
thefrugallife 