I am writing this as a separate tip (to be included on the original article) for two reasons: it is a valuable money-saving tool, and this tip is one that can be expanded to many sites to save money on pet food and supplies.
My mom is a coupon clipper. I try to be, but inevitably lose the little paper coupon before I even get to the store. Internet coupons are different though. You can use then online with just a couple mouse-clicks or print them out on your printer. It must be that full size paper that I also use as my list, because I rarely lose these "online" coupons, and have saved quite a bit of money on pet food using them.
Disclaimer: the sites mentioned in this article are suggestions to check out. Offers and sign up deals may change over time. Visit and sign up for deals at your own risk.
I signed up quite a while ago at a large pet supply retailer using my email address. It was so long ago that I can't exactly remember what my original reason was, but I have been happy with what has shown up in my email box: coupons!
The coupons have been for both the retail (brick and mortar) store and for online shopping. The discounts have ranged from a percentage off of the total, free shipping (online purchases) or a specific dollar amount off when you spend X amount, usually with three different price ranges, so it works for both large and small shopping trips. Coupons are available for both online use and for printing out and taking to the store.
Typical emails have included three coupons to use in the store or online, or both! I was surprised at the level of savings. A recent example: save $15 on an order of $50 or more, save $10 on an order of $40 or more, and save $5 on an order of $25 or more. That level of savings really adds up.
Places to look for deals
- Pet food and supply retailers: merchants such as PetsMart, Drs. Foster and Smith, or Petco offer a large variety of pet supplies and foods. Typically, the "email sign up" link is a prominent one, outlining special subscriber deals and coupons.
- Coupon "warehouses": many sites on the web are dedicated to listing coupons for online use or printing out. Some sites are cluttered with out-of-date or otherwise non-functional coupons, but some are well-maintained and a good place to bookmark. Here are a few "pet specific" sites that offer a variety of money saving coupons:
- Doggie Coupon
- Coupon Cat
- Coupon Cabin - Pets
More sites like this can be found using Google to search 'pet coupons' or similar search terms. - Pet food Manufacturers: searching for the word "coupon" on your favorite pet food brand manufacturer site often yields several coupon choices. Here are some examples. Search Google for your favorite brand of pet food to find manufacturer deals. (Note: these are examples of pet food sites that offer coupons - not a direct endorsement of products.)
- Purina
- Iam's
- Hill's Science Diet Pet Food
- Hill's - Nature's Best - And don't miss the About.com Guide to Couponing site: lots of great tips and ideas here for both pets and family. Here is the pet coupons and special offers page from Guide Donna L Montaldo at About.com.
Photo: "Half in the Bag © klynslis on Flickr
