Nearly $100 billion spent on pets in 2020?

By on March 11, 2021

According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), Americans were projected to spend $99 billion on their pets in 2020.

As we know, there weren’t quite as many dollars to go around thanks to COVID, but estimates for pet spending still look to be in the bunch-of-billions range. Bain & Company predicted the sales of luxury goods decreased by a minimum of 25 percent. 

Whether it’s $50 billion or a record $1 trillion, that’s a lot of dog treats, raw food, and grooming bills.

There’s some interesting data from 3,000 pet owners that tells us who would spare an expense to give more to pets, what that money would be spent on, and which generation would spend in this article from possiblefinance.com.

Some highlights:

  • 62 percent of survey respondents would ditch a personal expense to have more cash to spend on their pet.
  • 64 percent of people wouldn’t splurge outside of basic needs on behalf of their pet.
  • Millennials are the least likely to make an expensive purchase for their pet.
  • Baby Boomers are the most likely to give up their own expenses to have more to spend on their pet.

Also cool from that article is a list of ways each of us can save a bit while things return simpler pre-COVID times. A helpful informational graphic from that post can be found below. First though, the list of ways to save (we’ve included some details, but more can be found here):

  1. Keep your pet active: Keeping animals active not only helps their physical wellbeing, but their mental wellbeing too. Regular exercise will keep your pet even-tempered and satisfied. So get some fresh air and take a stroll.
  2. Train your pet at home
  3. Create a luxurious nighttime routine: Think about how luxurious you feel when there’s a turndown service at a hotel. Give Fido or your feline the royal treatment with a turndown service that fluffs the pillows and tucks them into their cozy castle for the night.
  4. Make your own treats: 
  5. Do your own grooming:
  6. Give your pet a spa treatment: 
  7. Find free samples: .
  8. Shop discounts and clearance racks: 
  9. DIY pet toys: Old t-shirts, plastic bottles, and old boxes sometimes work better than even the most expensive toys on the market. Search online for do-it-yourself toy tutorials to keep your animals entertained for hours on end without spending a dime.
  10. Find Fido financial aid: You might be surprised to find out that there are financial aid programs available for families with pets. If your situation meets the right guidelines, search for local grants in your area, locate a pet food pantry, or find other pet-related community service programs for additional assistance with your pet.

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