That’s right! That’s not a typo. Owning a pet does suck. That’s why we prefer to call our pets companions 🙂 We have four furry friends living with us. They outnumber us by one, yikes! And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Um, What The Heck Does This Have To Do With Personal Finance?
I’m glad you asked, because the answer is PLENTY. Pets are liabilities and can cost lots of extra cash that could be funneled into savings, right? Right. Mr. MMM, Mini Monster, and myself truly enjoy our two dogs and two cats. It’s no surprise that they often find their way into our blog posts. Our most popular pet here on the site is Mad Money Cat – featured in the footer of most of our posts. Unfortunately, MMC isn’t as young as he used to be. Although you’d never guess it, he’ll be 16 years old this coming December. We think he still looks fabulous. And for all you pet people wondering out there…his real name is Bailey. He still prefers his last name to be kept under wraps. Ha!
Having A Pet Companion ROCKS!
Granted, Mr. MMM and I would not have chosen to have four pets altogether – it just kind of worked out that way when we met and decided to get married. And since we both took on the responsibility of these animals and vowed to care for them – we honor that – even if we are living in a furry paradise 😛
Meet The Furry Members Of Our Family
In summary, owning a pet sucks; but, having a pet companion is the BEST! If you can afford the cost of providing a loving home to a pet in need of human companionship, I highly recommend it. Pets pay dividends, too! Frugal Score. We get hours of enjoyment from our pets each week. We walk them, we brush them, we play with them, we make up silly voices for them, and we love every second of it. And dare I say, they actually save us money. The time we spend brushing, walking, and interacting with our pets is time we’re not out spending money on other stuff and activities. That equals free entertainment, baby.
What are your thoughts on pet companions? Are they worth the expense? Do you have a personal experience with a pet that enhanced your life?
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8 Comments
Having had some big vet bills in the past few months thanks to The Problem Cat, I totally hear you! I’ve been weighing adding pet insurance for the others, but keep coming back to the original plan of just squirreling away money to cover vet bills and “self-insuring”. Do you have your pets insured?
My dog definitely keeps me active! Getting in long walks with him means a healthier me! And having my cat lump curled up next to me as I sleep is probably good for … something? ha!
No joke! I am so glad we found Costco dog food and medication, it is saving us so much money. I sometimes fantasize about life after our pets have passed (we have two dogs over ten years old). I can envision more travel, but I am not sure if the trade off in companionship is worth it. I just love them so much, but I wonder what life would be like without all the pet hair. Good thing our choices don’t last forever. We could easily go pet free for a few years to wander, then get a pet again once we are stationary.
I fantasize about pet-free living as well! I’m sure it wouldn’t last though. Sooner or later I would invite another furball back into my life. 😛
Mrs. MMM
Worth. Every. Penny.
The Mr. Money Mustache post about pets being a bad value made me a little nuts. You can’t put a price tag on all that love and companionship… or the funny voices. 🙂 And, there’s no reason you have to buy a bunch of crap for your furry friends — pet ownership can be super affordable if you don’t buy lots of unnecessary things, overfeed them or overdo the medical care (oh, just like with humans, too!). But they’re so, so worth it!
Agree. Agree. Agree. Pets are a lot like kids. They’re a lifestyle choice that come with a certain price tag. You can choose to go nuts, or act responsibly. Meow!
Mrs. MMM