MAKE MONEY ONLINE POSTS: 02/20/16

السبت، 20 فبراير 2016

St. Luke's Monroe Campus shapes up for fall opening

Despite wintry conditions pushing most of its work indoors, the St. Luke’s Health Network Monroe Campus hospital in Bartonsville has already begun to take shape as about 150 contractors work towards an August completion date.The $80 million project is being managed by 11 regional contract firms and suppliers — four from Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg, according to a 2015 press release — found from a St. Luke’s-hosted job fair at the site last year. [...]

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Michael Baxter's new residential real estate division already busy

In his 32-year real estate career, Michael Baxter, owner and broker for Michael Baxter & Associates Commercial Real Estate and Property Management has never sold a home.But his company is venturing into a new frontier as it has just created a new division called Michael Baxter & Associates Property Management LLC. It signals expansion of the firm’s property management services and for the first time embarks on the residential real estate market.Historically, [...]

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Pocono commercial real estate market blooms as tourism, health care expand

A local, leading commercial real estate expert says the arrival of the Kalahari Resort and Camelback’s Aquatopia complementing the existing Great Wolf indoor waterpark resort, along with expanding hospital facilities from two health care providers in Monroe County, has spurred new business interest from hotel operators, entertainment entities and ancillary medical providers.“The market (commercial real estate) is very active right now and has been for a couple of years, [...]

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Strictly Business: Local designer's online calendar growing nationally

What started off as a resolution to a locally confusing problem could evolve into a national phenomenon.Dennis Jeter, founder and CEO of Stroudsburg website management and development company A Sound Strategy, has revamped online a Pocono Community Calendar, an outdoors activities guide. He says it’s not a website, although it has a url, but calls it a web-based content management platform.Businesses and organizations can post their events for free, link a video of the [...]

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Baxter commercial real estate's new residential division already busy

Local designer's online calendar growing nationally

Expanding leisure, medical hubs draw new commercial prospects

Deeds, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016

East Stroudsburg BoroughRonald T. and Mary Nauman to Michael and Diane Tepedino, Kiwanis Street, Tax ID 5-4-1-15-3, Pin 05/7311/09/16/4791, $280,000Hamilton TownshipDorothy I. Shadle Revocable Trust to Deer Run MHC LLC, Legislative Route 473, leading to Bartonsville, Tax Parcel 7/7/1/50, $313,000Stroud TownshipMartin M. and Michelle C. McHale to Daniel E.R. and Carolyn S. Hall, Lot 1, "Map of Minor [...]

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Protests planned across US to back Apple in battle with FBI

SAN FRANCISCO — Protesters are preparing to assemble in more than 30 cities to lash out at the FBI for obtaining a court order that requires Apple to make it easier to unlock an encrypted iPhone used by a gunman in December's mass murders in California.The protests organized by the Internet rights group Fight for the Future are scheduled to occur Tuesday outside Apple stores the U.S., the U.K., Hong Kong and Germany.The U.S. protests will be in cities [...]

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The Ins and Outs of Self-Employment and Working from Home

In Monday’s reader mailbag, I answered a question from Tammy on the drawbacks of self employment. In my answer, I said that this could honestly be a lengthy article on its own.

Whenever I try to tackle big broad questions like that in a fairly short mailbag answer, I usually end up getting questions from readers, and this was no different. People wanted to know many things about the ins and outs of self employment and working from home. How does one stay motivated? How does one stay focused? How does one maintain professional contacts? How does one build a “line” between personal and professional life?

Here’s the reality: I’ve been working from home, either in a self-employment situation or in a full-time contract situation, for the past eight years. Along with that, one of my closest friends also works from home and we’ve discussed our relative experiences quite often. I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to make working from home work.

Here are some of the most powerful things I’ve learned over those years, either by trial and error or by reading or hearing advice from others.

Self-Motivation Is an Absolute Requirement

If there’s one single piece of advice that I would give to anyone who is considering self employment or a work-from-home situation, it’s that self-motivation is an absolute requirement. Period.

When you work from home, you simply don’t have a manager watching over your shoulder to make sure you’re working. You don’t have coworkers checking on you all the time and noticing whether you’re working or doing nothing. You no longer have to hide it when you’re wasting time because there’s no one there to watch you. There are no web site blockers. There are no supervisors. There essentially isn’t any structure.

For most people, that sounds like a really good thing. Not having bosses around to hover over your shoulder sounds wonderful, right?

The truth is that for some people, such a lack of supervision is a disastrous thing.

Why? Just because the boss hovering over your shoulder goes away doesn’t mean that the deadlines or the responsibilities go away. You’re still expected to take care of every bit of work that comes your way, whether assigned by your boss or agreed upon with a client. You just no longer have anyone motivating you to do this besides you.

In the absence of that constant motivation of a supervisor, many people can find themselves falling into disastrous habits and routines. When you start allowing yourself to spend an hour playing a game, or when you start moving your household chores to the middle of the day but then also taking the evenings off to hang out with friends, you start to fall behind on your work. When you have a big deadline that’s looming but still a bit far off on the horizon and you choose to spend part of your workday on World of Warcraft or binge-watching Sense8 on Netflix, you’re going to fall behind on that project.

And as those comforting, fun routines become normal, you begin to establish a pattern in which it becomes very difficult to get your work done. And when you’re not producing the work you’re supposed to and you’re not in the office to defend yourself… you begin to look pretty ripe for downsizing.

You have to be self-motivated. If you’re of the personality type that plays while the boss is away, you should strongly avoid self-employment or work from home situations.

You Need a Strong System for Keeping Track of Things You Need to Do

If I did not have a strong task management system in place – one that I constantly used throughout the day and refined over time – I would simply not be able to keep up with working from home.

Here’s why: my to-do list is essentially my supervisor.

When you work from home without a direct supervisor in place, you effectively have to act as your own supervisor. You have to be able not only to produce good work, but also to make judgment calls about what work needs to be done next.

Those are two completely different skill sets. Your working skills are really not all that different than working in an office. You’re producing things in a regular fashion as is expected by whatever the terms of your employment agreement are.

However, in an office environment, if you’re stuck on what to do next, you can just turn to your supervisor. Your supervisor is essentially a smart to-do list, in a way. He or she can inform you what tasks need to be done next.

When you work from home, you have far less guidance from an external supervisor, if you have any at all. So what do you do if you’re not sure what to do next? The truth is that you have to be able to step back, look at the big picture, and figure out what’s next. In essence, you have to be your own supervisor.

I find that, for me, switching between the two modes all the time isn’t really very productive. I find it much easier to spend a portion of my day in “supervisor” mode and another, larger portion in “worker” mode.

What I typically do in “supervisor” mode – which either starts the day or takes place at the end of the previous day – is evaluate what the next steps are on everything that I’m currently working on, then prepare a very clear to-do list so that I can complete those tasks in a logical fashion. I have been using Todoist for this for a while, though I recently began to migrate (back) to Remember the Milk.

When I’m actively working on tasks – in “worker” mode, in other words – I’m not thinking at all like a supervisor. I’m just trying to burn through my to-do list as efficiently and sensibly as possible. If something comes up that indicates something that I need to take care of, like an email from a client or something, I jot it down for quick reference later when I switch back into “supervisor” mode.

In other words, I separate the “deciding what needs to be done” aspects of working from home from the “actually doing stuff” aspects.

Everyone needs a supervisor when they’re working. The trick is figuring out how to be your own supervisor when you’re working from home. For me, keeping the roles fairly separate and using a to-do list makes this all work out quite well.

You Have to Look Out for Number One and Assume Other People Won’t Always Be Ethical

Over the last thirty years, the working world has changed significantly. A person can no longer truly believe that their employer will be there for them for the rest of their working life and that a safe retirement will be waiting. That ship has sailed.

Workers today need to look out for themselves. They should be planning for their own retirement with individual retirement accounts. They should be keeping their resume prepared and ready to go. They should be ready to walk away from situations that treat them unfairly.

This is doubly true when you’re self-employed and working from home. Your reputation and professional standing are entirely up to you and no one else. It’s up to you to make sure you’re keeping money out for taxes. It’s up to you to read the contracts. It’s up to you to save for retirement. It’s up to you to be preparing yourself always for the next step in your career path, whatever it may be.

Here are a few specific pieces of advice.

One, never accept work where the full payment comes after the delivery of the work. It becomes very easy for the person or group for whom you worked to simply disappear. You should expect up-front compensation, at least in part, for the work that you do. You can be a little looser with this if you have a long-standing relationship with this person or group, but if it’s an unknown entity, you should expect at least some compensation up front.

Two, everything you’re doing should be a resume-booster. You should look at all of your work not only as a tool for fulfilling your contracts and work requirements, but also as a way to build out a resume. You should be building a social media following if at all possible. You should be building skills that are resume-worthy when you take on projects. You should be completing things you would be proud to have on a resume. Ideally, you want to be in a situation where you’ve achieved so much that it doesn’t really fit on a single page. You want to be in a situation where plenty of people have heard of you and your skills and talents are in demand, where opportunities start coming to you instead of you needing to chase them down.

Three, whenever you’re paid with pre-tax money as a contractor, take half of it and put it aside for taxes right off the bat. Don’t even blink an eye about this. If you get a $5,000 check, take $2,500 and put it aside for taxes immediately. You don’t have anyone putting this aside for you if you’re a contracted employee. It’s up to you to take care of this, and if you don’t do it now, you are going to be in a real bad position come next April.

Four, have the biggest emergency fund you possibly can. Sometimes, contracts will just dry up whether you expect them to or not. Sometimes, you’ll be flooded in work and sometimes you won’t be. The best way to survive this is to just keep as much cash as you can in your savings account. I advise three months of living expenses for your family plus one more month for each dependent you have. If you don’t have that, you may find yourself in a real pickle if the opportunities dry up for a little while.

All of this comes down to one thing: watch out for yourself. No one else is going to.

If You Take Advantage of Schedule Flexibility, That Time Needs to Be Recovered

I’m the first person to admit that I take a lot of advantage of my schedule flexibility. As I write this, I have a load of laundry running in the laundry room. Earlier today, I went out for a long lunch with an old friend. A couple of weeks ago, I went to a daytime meetup and essentially got nothing done during that day. I’ve also spent days with my children when they’ve been home sick recently.

That schedule flexibility is great, as is the ability to seamlessly intertwine professional and household tasks. However, the reality is that non-work tasks eat up time, and that time is time taken away from what you need to get done.

I have enough on my plate most of the time that it eats up about 45 hours a week. Most of the time, I handle this by working about nine hours a day on weekdays. Sometimes, there’s more work to be done than that; on occasion, I have less to do. The average is about forty five hours.

Now, let’s say that I spend an hour each day doing household chores. Great, household chores are done, but then there’s five hours of work that’s undone. That time needs to be made up.

It’s easy to make up a few hours. I can make those up by getting up early on the weekends and doing what I need to do before anyone gets out of bed.

The problems come in when I borrow too much from my week. If that happens, I might need to sacrifice a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon to work, which means time away from my family, something that I loathe.

The other option, of course, is to push that extra work into the following week. Usually, that’s an even worse option as it risks missing deadlines and putting too many hours into the following week when, inevitably, a disaster will occur. I’ve learned the hard way over the years that “putting it off until next week” usually means that next week will bring a sick child or an emergency home repair or a great opportunity that I’ll regret missing out on.

The key thing to remember here is flexibility does not mean time off. It just means that you have some control in terms of moving your exact work hours around. It does not mean that you now work less hours, because if you take that route, you will fall behind.

It Can Get Lonely

There are times when I relish the quiet and solitude of the house. I can just shut off distractions, bear down on my work, and get things done. It’s one of the real perks of working from home.

Still, that perk has a drawback. There’s very little social interaction. There’s no one to go grab lunch with. There’s no one to bounce ideas off of on the spur of the moment. There’s no one to meet up with at the water cooler.

There’s a big social aspect of a normal work environment that disappears if you work from home. The ease of interacting with coworkers disappears almost completely. For some, that may not be a big deal, and it can even seem welcome at first, but there are times where the social interaction is really useful and valuable, both professionally and for personal well-being.

Over the years, I’ve found a few great substitutes for this that really work for me.

One, I sometimes co-work with other people who work from home in the area. We’ll either go to one another’s house or meet in a neutral place, bringing our laptops along. Usually, we just treat this as something of a brainstorming session, where we bounce current work projects and ideas off of each other and look for new perspectives. The conversation usually weaves through our various projects and into other areas as well. This actually ends up being a powerful technique not only for socializing, but for renewal of my perspectives and energy and for my ideas, too.

Two, I participate in a Slack channel with several other stay-at-home workers in my area. Mostly, we just use it to joke with each other, talk about current events, get feedback on something we’re working on, or set up face-to-face meetups.

Three, I engage in a lot of face-to-face social things in my spare time. I participate in several community groups and I have a fairly large social network of people that I see face-to-face reasonably often. This helps make up for the “social shortfall” from my work day.

If You’re Married, You Need to Communicate Clearly with Your Spouse

This section is perhaps as much for the spouses of people who work from home as it is for the workers themselves.

The reality is that having one spouse work from home while the other does not can create a lot of friction if there’s not clear communication. The reason for that is simple: both spouses tend to see the grass being greener on the other side.

Take my wife and I, for example. She often perceives my job as being one where I can basically just stop working whenever I want and do whatever I want. However, in focusing on that flexibility, she loses track of the challenges – that I have to define my own work tasks, that I have to make up for the hours that I “flex” elsewhere, that there are social challenges, and so on.

On the other hand, I often see the positive aspects of her job. She has a lot of camaraderie with her coworkers. She has a pretty pleasant commute, all things considered, giving her time to unwind while listening to audiobooks and calling friends and family other things that I simply don’t have (working from home often means virtually no “unwinding from work” time). She also rarely has to deal with family crises – if a child is sick or needs something for school or there’s a problem with the water heater, I just handle it, period. Yet, at the same time, she doesn’t have the flexibility to do some of the things she’d like to do.

These issues can cause friction if you allow them to fester without communication. They even sometimes cause friction between Sarah and myself, leaving each of us, at various times, feeling unappreciated.

Don’t be afraid to talk about these things. Lay them out there in the open. Listen to your spouse when they’re talking about the challenges they’re having with work and look for ways to address both of your needs.

Always keep in mind that you are a team. You should be working together to make sure that the negatives that you both perceive from your life are minimized and the positives are accentuated. If one of you feels the need to be more social while the other one is worn out from a day in the office, let that person go out and socialize. If one of you is frustrated because of an inflexible work situation, the other one should step in and help give that person access to the things they’re missing if at all possible.

Communication is at the root of all of this. If you’re finding that there are things bothering you about your spouse’s perception of your work and work schedule, say something about it. If you can’t talk about it seriously, then there are signs of deeper marital problems that should be addressed with the help of a professional.

Final Thoughts

Work-from-home situations, whether self-employment or telecommuting, can be fraught with professional, personal, social, and financial challenges. Although the flexibility is a wonderful thing, the other aspects of working from home can be quite difficult to work through.

If I can boil all of this advice down to two words, those words would be organization and candor. Be organized with your time and your money and understand that you’re both a supervisor and a worker. Be candid with yourself in terms of the challenges and with your spouse as you work on the challenges of this professional route.

Is it worth it? I would say yes, only because of the benefits that my professional choice has brought into our lives. It’s enabled our children to have a parent hug them as they go out the door to school each morning and be waiting with a snack when they get home. For us, that adds up to enough to deal with the other challenges that working from home can bring.

The post The Ins and Outs of Self-Employment and Working from Home appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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A Field Guide to Facebook Yard Sale Groups

Selling stuff you don’t need is a simple way to make some extra cash, and the Internet has made it possible to skip the headache of holding a yard sale. But if you think your online options are limited to sites such as Craigslist and eBay, you might be overlooking an even easier option that you probably use every day: Facebook.

Facebook yard sale groups have grown from one small, little-known facet of the massive social-networking site to one of its major functions. Facebook has recognized this explosive growth, adding features that make it easier than ever to sell your stuff, including the ability to pay for an item immediately by sending money via Messenger.

I’ve personally turned to Facebook almost exclusively in the past few years to sell unwanted items. Buyers tend to be much more reliable than they are on Craigslist — perhaps because I know their name and anything else that’s publicly on their profile. In fact, I’ve realized that I’m selling to friends of friends on more than one occasion! And of course, selling locally means I don’t have to deal with the hassle of shipping items to an eBay buyer.

Finding a Facebook Yard Sale Group

It’s simple to find a sale group on Facebook. Go to the search box at the top of your screen and type in your city or area, plus a term such as “sale group,” “yard sale” or “buy sell trade.” A long list of options will probably appear. If not, broaden your geographical search. For instance, instead of using the name of your small town, search your county name or the nearest larger city.

You may also have a “sale groups” tab in your left-hand column that will give you a list of suggested groups and a map of where they’re based.

To join a group, click on the name. You’ll see a green “join group” button toward the top of the page. Once you click it, the button will show that your membership is pending. That’s because the group’s administrator will have to approve you. For a community-based sale group, this is typically a formality, but be patient: It may take a little time for the admin to OK your request.

Photo: Michael Pereckas

Using a Facebook Resale Group: Eight Tips and Tricks

There is a bit of an art to Facebook sale groups, but if you’re willing to study up, you’ll vastly increase the chances that your items will quickly yield cash.

1. Read the rules.

Once you join a sale group, the very first thing you should do is read the rules. You’ll typically find these either in a pinned post at the top of the page or in the group description along the right. Rules will vary widely from page to page, but they’ll typically specify the following:

Buying/selling area: While you may be able to join a group for a city where you don’t live, it’s common for the rules to require you to deliver your item there.

Acceptable items: Some groups are general and allow just about everything; some are more specific (furniture, toys, clothing). Certain items, though they may seem to fit the group, may be excluded. I’ve seen page admins ban firearms (Facebook has recently banned them altogether), mattresses, baby formula, handmade items, and much more. They may also specify that an item must be in good or excellent used condition (“GUC” or “EUC”) with working batteries, no stains, and so forth.

Instructions for selling: Most groups will require you to post a current photo of the item you’re selling. That means you can’t simply find a stock photo online and use it; members need to see the item in its current condition. They may also specify that you describe it as fully as possible and name a price — for instance, no free items or asking for members to make an offer. Finally, many groups will prohibit you from listing a large “lot” of items, allowing only a certain number per post.

Instructions for buying: Again, rules will vary by group, but most groups will allow a potential buyer to post either “interested” or “sold” under an item. “Interested” is essentially a placeholder, giving you a certain amount of time to ask the seller questions, see whether your spouse likes the item, or do some research on the purchase. If you haven’t decided to buy the item within that time period, the seller can move on to the next person who posted.

Ban on self-promotion: Sale groups offer quick access to a potentially large audience, so admins often ban members from posting about their own businesses or services.

Once you’ve read the rules, make sure you follow them. While most admins understand honest mistakes, repeat offenders are usually removed from the group.

2. Take good photos.

This should be a given for anyone trying to sell anything, but I still see posts all the time with dark, grainy, blurry photos. Good, clear photos from multiple angles are often the difference between making a sale and seeing your item languish.

If possible, get a picture in natural light, which is less harsh. Try not to use flash. If needed, dust or wipe down your item, and move it away from other clutter. If you can, find a solid background that will help it “pop,” and be sure to get a close-up of any flaws so that potential buyers are clear about its condition.

3. Describe, describe, describe.

Good photos are most important, but a good description is a close second. Tell the buyer exactly what they’re looking at. If you’ve barely used the item, say so — maybe you’re only selling something that was the wrong size, or a gift that wasn’t your taste.

For furniture or other large objects, post dimensions. If there are any flaws, be specific. If you have a smoke-free, pet-free home, it’s worth noting — both are selling points, especially when it comes to furniture or clothing.

4. Set a fair price.

Before you list anything, scan your group for similar items. What are they being listed for? Is there any interest? While you don’t necessarily need to resort to rock-bottom, yard-sale prices, you still need to take into account two main factors: demand and condition.

I recently sold a desk and matching bench for $50 just minutes after I listed them. In fact, there were multiple people interested. Why the quick response? The piece was relatively modern, with clean lines, which typically fetches a premium. But my young children had scratched and damaged the finish, so I knew whoever bought it would likely have to sand and paint it. Had it been in better shape, I’m probably could have listed it for double the price.

5. Look for more-specific groups.

You’ll probably have much better luck selling an item if you can find a group that’s as narrowly tailored as possible — it helps to make sure you’re reaching members that are more interested in buying.

For instance, I sold my sons’ old crib on a resale group specifically for children’s furniture and gear. Though the group has fewer members than some of the other, more general groups I’m in, the people there are specifically interested in baby-related items.

Also note that there are some groups with more of a focus on pricing and quality: “yard sale groups,” “upscale groups” and everything in between. Don’t try to sell your Louis Vuitton purse on a yard-sale group, and don’t list your kid’s ratty onesies on an upscale group. You won’t get the buyer you’re looking for, and worse, you could be removed from the group.

6. Be clear — and safe — about meetups and payment.

Pick a convenient public place to meet buyers. I typically meet with people at a big-box store near my house — since it’s close by, I don’t have to spend a lot of time and gas money driving to meet a buyer. I also tell potential buyers where I meet in my listings so it’s not up for negotiation.

If a buyer needs to come to your house for a larger item, try to make sure you aren’t home alone. Also, don’t put your address, phone number, or any other personal details in the item’s listing where everyone can see it — wait until you are arranging final details with the buyer.

As for payment, cash is king. I re-confirm the sale price with the buyer before a meetup so there isn’t any confusion. I also try to have a little change on me. (Most buyers don’t expect this, but every once in awhile, someone will show up with a two $20 bills for a $30 item.)

7. Don’t start (or feed) drama.

I’ve seen more than my fair share of drama on Facebook sale groups. Typically, this stems from 1) a seller not following the group’s rules when there are multiple potential buyers or 2) a buyer not showing up after agreeing to meet a seller.

The best way to handle these scenarios is to contact a group admin about the situation. He or she can then contact the member or remove them from the group.

Do not write a long, angry post for all group members to see. These posts tend to take on a life of their own as other members pile on and rubberneck to see whether the accused will chime in and defend themselves. But they certainly don’t solve anything, and some admins will ban members who start them — regardless of who’s at fault.

8. Be the seller you would want to buy from.

Don’t make your buyer jump through too many hoops to get your item. Respond swiftly to comments and messages, and try to be flexible (within reason) when you’re setting a time to meet. Above all else, be honest about the condition of your item with a thorough description and clear photos.

When you’re a good seller, you may even find you get repeat customers. I’ve sold to the same people more than a few times because they know I have quality, well-priced items and they appreciate a smooth transaction.

Starting Your Own Facebook Sale Group

You may live in an area without a lot of Facebook sale groups, or maybe you want one for a particular niche. It’s fairly easy to start your own:

Go to “groups” on the left-hand side of your screen. There will be a “Create New Group” button toward the top of the page.
In the window that pops up, name your group and add members. You have to add at least one friend to start out.
You’ll also need to choose a privacy setting: Public, closed, or secret. You probably won’t want to create a secret group, because that means people won’t be able to see your group or join unless they’re specifically invited by a member. With a closed group, anyone can join but you’ll have to approve them; with a public group, they won’t need approval. Also note that only members will be able to see posts in closed groups, whereas non-members can see posts in public groups.
Once your group is created, you’ll need to tinker with the settings by clicking on the three dots at the top right. That will give you the option to “Edit Group Settings.” You can pick the group type (“Buy, Sell, Trade”), which will add buying/selling functions to posts, like a spot to specify the price of an item.
Remember to set clear rules about the kinds of items allowed, the geographical area for buying and selling, and instructions on how buyers and sellers should proceed. Look at some of the larger groups in your area for inspiration.
Promote your Facebook sale group by inviting friends. You may also be able to post a link in other sale groups, as long as it’s OK with the admin.

Remember, Safety is Key When You Sell Online

Facebook sale groups are a low-hassle way to sell your stuff, but don’t let knowing a little more about your buyer lull you into a false sense of security.

You should still meet in public whenever possible; if that’s not an option, never set up a meeting with a buyer when you’re home alone.

Never post personal details — wait until you’re making final arrangements with a buyer, and only tell them the bare minimum needed to complete the transaction.

And always trust your gut — if something seems “off,” or the buyer just seems kind of flaky, move on.

For more tips on selling items online, check out some of The Simple Dollar’s previous articles:

The post A Field Guide to Facebook Yard Sale Groups appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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21 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Save Money on Pet Care

We consider our cats our children.

We once spent $1,000 to cat-proof a back yard so Jack and Opie could roam outside — without escaping to the dangerous world beyond the fence (the life expectancy of a cat is several times longer if it doesn’t run free).

Our guys have a variety of cat furniture, and they eat food that costs more than $7 per pound.

Maybe you spoil your pets, too. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to save money on pet care.

For example, you can buy expensive food, but on sale. You can build elaborate (or simple) pet furniture, instead of paying a fortune for it.

Here are some more ways to save money on your pets.

1. Buy Smaller Pets

If you haven’t yet chosen a pet, consider smaller ones.

A small dog will cost you $295 less per year than a large one ($580 versus $875), suggests ASPCA data on pet care costs. That’s even less than a cat ($670 per year), partly because of the cost of cat litter.

Of course, you could consider even smaller animals. You’ll spend an average of $200 per year on a small bird, and just $35 on a fish.

Note: First-year costs for all pets are substantially higher than the figures given above because of one-time costs like spaying or neutering, and buying pet carriers and other equipment.

2. Adopt Instead of Buying

The breeder price for a dog is typically three times higher than the cost of adopting one from a shelter.

You might save hundreds getting your dog or cat from a shelter, and you could also save a life.

Over 2 million shelter animals are euthanized in the U.S. each year. We adopted Opie from a shelter, and Jack adopted us when he was finally ready to upgrade his alley-cat lifestyle.

3. Join Pet Store Loyalty Clubs

I just received a $5 gift certificate from Petco, because I used my Petco Pals Rewards card for the last $100 in purchases there.

I bought food that was on sale (rewards card required, of course). Most of the major pet supply retailers have similar programs.

4. Use Discounted Gift Cards

You can buy discounted gift cards on a number of good websites. Most carry cards for more than one pet supply chain.

For example, you’ll find:

Pet Food Express on Raise

Petco on ABC Gift Cards

PetSmart on Gift Card Rescue

Pet Supermarket on Gift Card Bin

5. Watch for Pet Food Sales

We buy expensive cat food, because there’s a difference in quality.

And recent evidence linking canine diseases to grains in dog food suggests you could make your pet sick and have future vet bills if you go too cheap.

But even the best pet foods go on sale, so why not stock up when it costs less?

You can find weekly ads for pet supply retailers online. You can also link your email address to your customer loyalty card to get sales alerts.

6. Feed Your Pets Some Human Food

What do baked carrots, steamed broccoli and boiled eggs have in common?

They all cost less than cat food (at least the stuff we buy) and they’re all safe and healthy for cats to eat, according to Animal Planet.

WebMD has a list of people foods your dog can eat, but you’ll have to do the math to see which ones will save you money versus buying your regular dog food.

7. Stack Savings Tactics for Cheaper Food

To really reduce the cost of pet food, try deal-stacking.

For example, I recently bought our usual brand of cat food at Petco using a coupon, while it was on sale. And, I paid with an American Express card with an “Amex Offer” for a $5 statement rebate.

Or, buy discounted gift cards and use them when there’s a sale — a simple strategy that could make a good sale even better.

8. Store Pet Food Properly

We discovered early on our cats refuse their food if it’s too old — and then we have to throw it away.

Even if we just overfill their dishes and the remainder sits there overnight, they won’t eat it. It’s probably less healthy by that point anyhow.

Check the expiration date for your pet food, dole it out a little at a time and store it properly to keep it fresh.

We prefer to use up our cat food months before the expiration date. We store it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. The cats like the food better this way (yes, we tested), and we save money not having to throw away any of it.

9. Have Your Pets Spayed or Neutered

You spend money upfront to spay or neuter your pets, but there are long-term savings.

For example, some of the negative behaviors associated with not spaying or neutering dogs and cats can be expensive.

Unspayed cats can damage furniture and carpet spraying urine on them to attract males. Unneutered dogs can be more violent, leading to possible lawsuits if they attack people.

There’s also the obvious huge cost of not fixing those pets: puppies and kittens.

10. Call the Vet Before You Need One

The worst time to find an affordable vet is when you have a medical emergency. If you love your pets, you’ll pay whatever it costs in the moment.

To lower the cost of routine and emergency pet care, choose an affordable vet before you need one.

Use websites like VetRatingz.com to avoid bad vets (we can tell you from experience, they’re out there). Call the acceptable ones and ask what they charge for a basic checkup, vaccinations, teeth cleaning or other procedures.

If you have an idea of what services your pet might need, ask about those.

In any case, ask about a few different services so you get an idea of the general price level of each veterinary office.

11. Don’t Shop at the Vet Office

In our experience, everything from cat toothbrushes to flea collars costs more at the vet’s office.

You’re better off buying anything you can at a pet supply store, including any non-prescription medications or treatments.

12. Buy Pet Medications Online

Many pet medications are cheaper online.

Here are a few places you can fill pet prescriptions:

Discount Pet Medicines

PetCareRx

VetDepot

1-800-PetMeds

13. Skip the Pet Insurance

Pet health insurance can save you from unexpected and large vet bills, but most pet medical procedures aren’t nearly as expensive as their human equivalents. Try saving money for your pet’s eventual medical needs.

Consumer reports analysis of pet insurance found it overpriced. It concluded most pet owners are better off simply saving money for emergencies.

14. Make Sure Your Pets Get Exercise

Pets benefits from exercise just like humans. It helps keep them healthy and avoid obesity, which means fewer vet bills for you.

15. Make Pet Furniture

Why buy pet furniture when you can make it for a lot less?

Here are some examples of what you could build:

Cat Condos

Pet Beds

Dog Houses

Pet Stairs

16. Make Pet Toys

We buy toys for our cats at least a couple times each year.

Sadly, the result is almost always the same: What seemed so cute and fun is completely ignored by Jack and Opie.

The good news is they love almost everything we make for them, especially paper balls and anything involving string.

Moral of the story: Why spend a fortune on unwanted pet toys when you can make better ones?

Here are a couple resources to get you started:

DIY Dog Toys

DIY Cat Toys

17. Make Your Own Pet Enclosures

Want to provide a fenced area for your dog or an outdoor “catio” for your cats?

Why not do it yourself?

You can see one of my own creations in my post about building cat enclosures.

More recently, I fenced in a patio area and cat-proofed it for $450 ($140 just for a building permit). The lowest quote I got before going it alone was $950.

There are plenty of online tutorials online on how to build your own dog fence, and you can check out photos of cat enclosures for ideas.

18. Groom Your Own Pets

Professional pet grooming prices run between $20 and $100, depending on the size of the animal (cats are in the middle of that range).

But there’s no reason you can’t comb, wash and clip nails yourself. Not only will you save most of the cost (you’ll still spend a little for tools and shampoo), but grooming is another opportunity to bond with your beloved pet.

19. Find Cheaper Pet Sitting

Pet sitting prices run from as little as $15 for a stop-in visit to as much as $100 for overnight stays.

We’ve paid $50-$60 per night for cat-sitters many times over the years.

Fortunately, there are alternatives.

Find a broke friend you trust who’ll work for cheap. My friend would stay with our guys for $20 per night if I left a few beers in the fridge.

Trade pet-sitting duties with friends and family to get your cost down to zero.

20. Train Your Own Pet

Basic puppy training at PetSmart costs $119, and it’s just one of many classes they offer.

Instead, read one of many books that help you train your pets yourself.

Free online resources can show you how to train your pets and teach them tricks — even how to train your cat to use a toilet.

21. Pet-Proof Your House

Looking at all of the tooth marks on our lamp cords, I’m not sure how Opie survived his first years with us.

Luckily, we learned a few tricks to break this bad habit, like hiding the cords as much as possible and putting two-sided tape on them to scare him away.

The American Humane Association even has a list of ways to pet-proof your home.

Preventing damage to your things and avoiding vet trips with simple pet-proofing will save you money and possibly your pet’s life.

Your Turn: Can you add to this list of ways to save money on your pets?

Steve Gillman is the author of “101 Weird Ways to Make Money” and creator of EveryWayToMakeMoney.com. He’s been a repo-man, walking stick carver, search engine evaluator, house flipper, tram driver, process server, mock juror, and roulette croupier, but of more than 100 ways he has made money, writing is his favorite (so far).

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