June 2016 Expenses

I use a budgeting app in my phone to track all of my expenses, including cost of living bills, etc.  It is extremely helpful, and helps keep tabs on all areas of my spending, as I pay cash (debit card) for 99% of things.  I have two categories for my dogs within this app - one for food, and one for non-food expenses.  It is handy because I can also jot down notes about what I purchased and where I purchased it at when adding an expenditure. 

Having said all that, I have calculated my dog-related expenses for the previous month.

June 2016 Expenses

Food - $220.55

Health - $317.65

Treats - $39.48

Grooming - $12.00

Total - $589.68

Hello, sticker shock. 

Food expenses include the normal chicken leg quarters from the grocery store.  I also picked up some organs, turkey hearts, and green tripe from My Pet Carnivore, and a small amount of "dog food" from a local butcher.  Also included was a little splurge purchase of Primal Turkey and Sardine frozen raw.

Health expenses were much more than typical this month.  Neeko had her yearly vet appointment, which included a heartworm test, tick-borne illness test, and a senior panel.  She's only six, but I went ahead and had them draw labs on her.  All of her blood tests came back perfect.  I also purchased four doses of heartworm preventative, as heartworms are a real concern in my area.  I also purchased Bruce's medication, as usual.

Treats expenses were a bag of treats and some bully sticks.

The rare grooming expense was a DIY dog wash for Neeko.  When she blows coat, which is later in the year than the boys, she gets a little stinky because of her coat texture.  So she earned herself a bath, which she was not pleased with.

Not including the costs associated with Neeko's vet visit, this would have been a very typical month. I have no complaints, and count myself fortunate in that I have healthy dogs who only see the vet once a year.