Anyone up for a challenge? If you absolutely HAD to make a decision to reduce your food costs HOW would you implement it?

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

This is a thought I have long contemplated and am surely in good company.  Make no mistake, I am not looking for a new food for our doods but what IF?  In a time when folks are losing so much and find themselves faced with very difficult decisions are there no options?  Is is possible that in some instances pets might be spared from being surrendered if there were more budget friendly options?

 

I fully support that one must know what they are committing to before they choose to bring that darling puppy home BUT how many planned to lose their jobs, watch their 401K, savings or other investments evaporate?  Sometimes stuff happens. 

 

Fast forward to my challenge, IF you were in a position to make a different choice, be it a result of finances or maybe even a situation of abrupt lack of availability where would you trim specifically?  Would you make a complete replacement or would you try to stretch it by combining or alternating?  If you had to switch to a less desirable brand which is the least benign?  Maybe you might just change your source and look for options there?  Are there other options hidden in those labels?  I do have some thoughts on trimming but I think this could be a lively and informative discussion so I am just going to hit the 'add discussion' button for now.     

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would begin by buying larger bags of Orijen...I'm currently buying 5.5 lb bags, and the costs really add up. I'm spending well over $100/month on dry food alone, for one dog. I would have to find more freezer space and try to buy in bulk. I'd also buy the Adult formula more often, and the others less often, as the Red & Fish formulas are several dollars more per bag.
I would seriously consider homecooking; again, doing this economically would entail finding more freezer space.
(I suppose buying a freezer doesn't work very well in this "cutting back spending" scenario, lol!)
I haven't priced Acana, but if I could buy it for less than Orijen, I would.
I would spend more time researching alternative grain-free options.
I would start eating less expensive food myself and put that money into my dog food budget. Good excuse to eat junk food, lol!

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

I know you were joking about the cost of the freezer but wanted to add for those that may not have thought along those lines that the investment of an additional freezer could account for savings very quickly and pay for itself in just a couple of months. Unfortunately for us we go through a 30 lb bag so fast I do not even worry about the bag being open so the storage does not matter, but for those with smaller dogs or that have to have it as fresh as possible due to the potential for mites freezing is a frequently looked over option.

I am very glad that you brought up the formula alterations because even though we have discussed the many benefits of doing this anyway I think it is still not practiced as much as we should. This can equal a lot of savings for instance in my neck of the woods I can obtain ACANA Wild Prarie for under $50! We have been heavier on this formula lately because well it is far more economical. We implement this a couple of ways ~ we may pick up say 4 Prairies, 1 Grassland, 1 Orijen Adult and either 1 6 fish or Regional Red, over the course of a week we may either open a new bag every other day or sometimes we will mix the higher end formulas into say the Prarie ~ the Prarie is the lowest price point, it is also usually the most readily available when November rolls around and the shortages are recognized.

And BTW, off topic in this regard but I am already starting to look at that winter shortage. It is my *opinion* that as the popularity of this product escalates and more move to it in light of take overs and such it could be an even tougher winter for supply. Last year it was tight between November and February. If you can manage at all it may be to your benefit to buy an extra bag (with proper storage of course) over the course of the next couple of months and also to introduce some additional options to carry your dood through this if it happens again this year. I have a friend I pick up food for and she has already asked me to pick her up 2 bags each time until she tells me otherwise so she can spread out the cost, she has one dog who MUST be on the 6 fish so she fully realizes the need to plan this year.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We are actually looking for a way to cut dog food costs so I will be watching others' contributions.
Now that we have another bigger dog, we are using a large bag of EVO in about a week and a half. I don't get it and keep looking to see who 'stole the food' (LOL) We are also using a more expensive EVO lately, Salmon, because I want to try to see if the chicken/turkey could be a reason for two of my dogs to be itchy.
1. One of the ways we do already cut costs is to measure the portions out pretty strictly. We tried some other foods because, except for Ned, our guys appeared hungry. After doing that with no success, we just decided that they will have to 'suffer' with less to eat but better quality. We do not throw away any uneaten food (this would only be Ned) but give it at the next meal.
2. One of the things I am considering is mixing a cheaper food mixed with EVO or
3.going back to a grained food.
But that would be defeating my purpose so.....
4. We don't give much in the way of treats but once in a while we do stuff Kongs with the 'free sample' dog foods (that are of the same caliber as EVO) that have been mixed with water and made into a 'cereal' mixture. Or we take a jar and put some 'yummy' treats that we have cut up smaller, with the free kibble. We hope the free kibble takes on the scent of the especially 'yummy' treats.

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

More great suggestions, I especially like your kong idea using premium samples. We also use the non customary foods in kongs both kibble and canned yummies, and freeze them to make the process last longer for them.

In your mention of extending it with less expensive food I think there are still some options available but they are dwindling. Until the recent sale I would have given consideration to using Natura's Healthwise to mix in, it is more economical and they had established their place for me in terms of earning their reputation and my consideration. Unfortunately for me I cannot say that is still the case, in this industry I have developed a 'convince me' attitude rather than an 'I will trust until you give me a reason not to' attitude, so we will see where that road goes. I have looked at several other brands, for us our dogs just do not do well on grain and so our own options are limited.

To expand upon the addition of your own home cooked food I would throw out there that even if your dog cannot seem to eat grains there ARE potential options. I liken this to a similar journey in my own life as I discovered this year that I am gluten intolerant, I also do not do well with rice (did not know that and though it is very hard feeling 'normal' is from a whole new perspective!) which really places some limitations since many prepared gluten free products substitue rice. So here is what I personally have discovered which may offer options for those that want to add home cooked either as additions to or in whole and seem to have issues with the typical grains ~ I can eat oats and oatmeal with no issue, Quinoa has presented itself as another great option and the types of flour I am discovering are numerous indicating further possible substitutions for me (if you want to be surprised go look at a health food store at flour options ~ coconut flour, chick pea flour, who would have thought?). Now please note I am note advocating gluten free for your dog or suggesting you use flour, I am merely paralleling the paths of discovery, a reaction to one grain say barley does not mean all grain options are out and EACH individual metabolizes differently.

A recent discovered delight here? Our dogs LOVE chick peas! I have been eating many because I know it is a safe food for me and now buy bags of dried and cook because they love to *help* me eat them. We also do what others have mentioned buy on sale and stock up and also purchase meats from wholesale clubs, Costco has a pretty nice selection of organic meats if that is your preference.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

This is interesting Dianne. As you know, I am a homecooker, but still use dry food for convenience and to stretch the real food at times. I do look for economical ways to stretch his foods and I use a lot of green beans and lentils as they go very far and both are nutritional. I buy vegetables and meats on sale to cook with and will cook up a batch of food once a week. All leftovers that we eat and won't use for another meal are given to Murphy. I also have a garden and what veggies aren't particularily pretty or are overly ripe I will use either raw or cooked for him.We also stretch his meals with yogurt or cottage cheese as he loves both. Maybe a tablespoon each meal. I use low-fat and sugar free when I can find it. Have used greek yogurt, but that is pretty expensive unless on sale. I do find that he always seems so hungry when he is on orijen, so I went back to Wellness and he does seem much more content, I make his liver treats which is very inexpensive for how much you can make and how long they last in the freezer. Treats are rare however, so it does last me a long time. My brother in law goes to a butcher who gives him meat scrapes once a week and bones, for free, so that might be something to look into. One of his dogs is a mastif and over 120 pds, so he really has to find ways to save on food and this works for him. Buying cheaper foods, or rather a lesser star than Origen is rated was my solution, I believe Wellness is one star less, but can't remember. I do buy in the biggest bags available as well as that usually is the most economical.
I have cut my dog food costs by about $25.00 a month with these solutions and I have been watching our budget for quite a few months now to see if homecooking is more or less than dog food. I could easily go to all homecooking at anytime, Just haven't as I can see that he will get a little fussy when he is just given dog food plain (which is VERY rare) and I don't want to have to deal with him not eating because he wants real food all the time. That may never happen considering he is such a pig, but he is just starting to snub his nose at dog food and not wolf it down like he usually does.

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

I am thrilled with how this is starting to roll, I think this is important! I long for presenting options to those that have a genuine need to examine how to get the most bang for their buck while keeping the best interest of their beloved pet a top priority.

I wanted to add under your post in regards to treats we often use the highest end kibbles for treats, while 6 fish Orijen may not be a daily food option here due to pricing it is very economical for a bag of treats. Take a look at what your fav treats run for 7 to 14 ounces and figure out how much 30 pounds of it would cost, $70 is looking pretty good now isn't it? We also love Ziwi Peak food as treats. Additionally we use a dehydrator to make our own treats.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I have found home cooking to be less expensive thaan the Orijen or Acana that I buy for Murphy. I think the reason is because I can buy things on sale. If you buy brown rice is large quantities, it is really inexpensive. I usually use leftover veggies (it seems I have vegs leftover at every meal), so that's pretty much "free" because I had been throwing them out. I buy the meat when it's on sale also. In this area, if you look around, you can usually find chicken at a very reasonable price, and the ground chicken or turkey is very economical. They love whole grain pasta with tomatoes, and again I stock up when those are on sale. I buy the cheapest beef stew meat on sale, and just cook it to death so it is tender (but I save the broth and include it to get the nutrients). The prices of the good dog foods don't seem to vary that much (although I did find it cheaper to order online), but you can really control what you spend on home cooking by shopping the sales. I also feel like we used to waste food in the past...I had some leftovers at almost every meal. Now anything that is appropriate goes to Guinness.

[Adina P]

I'm not sure what reasonable foods are considerably less expensive than Canidae.  I think if I HAD to pay less for dog food I would have to relook at the cheaper options and the reasons they are not 'premium' and decide which ingredients were truly dangerous vs just less desireable.  For example...unless all corn in dog food is shown to be contaminated...I don't have a problem with it.  Rosco used to get dog food with corn and never had an issue...so I don't think HE has an allergy to it.  But other ingredients might be more of an issue and other companies might be too risky to buy from.  I already buy the BIG bags of food and if money were a big issue than I probably could not afford to buy several bags at once even if the total were discounted...the total would still be paying more than for 1 bag at a time. 

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

You have brought out an excellent point in 'dangerous vs less desirable'. This was precisely what led me to this discussion in the first place, I decided for the most part though our members were in the know but may still need to stretch that dollar hence that spin. Recently I spent so much time in the pet aisle of the grocery store that they probably considered calling security ;) I poured over ingredients as well as made note of who the manufacturers were. The box store will either have to be split over many days or I will have to pack my sleeping bag! There will always be people who absolutely will feed their dog grocery store food, can I change their mind? Probably not, it is a journey that one usually only arrives at after a very difficult experience, often premature loss or life altering illness possibly with very expensive treatment plans. But as the eyes glaze over when I speak of something I am so passionate about are there less 'worse' options that may be considered? Our discoveries of personal options may just open the door to a few more, thanks to all who are contributing to this one!

[Pat & "Tucker"]

Plan 'A" -I would have to cut out the expensive treats and make my own and use the kong much more with peanut butter (cheap on sale!). I spend a lot of money on treats unnecessarily, e.g premium treats, bones, bully sticks, antlers, you name it and in addition on toys! I probably spend as much on these types of thing as I do the Canadae.
Plan "B"- would likely go to home cooking and add a less expensive kibble to fill in as long as the ingredients are safe.This would take a lot of searching- but you would have to do what you have to do.