Guidelines for Buying Things For Your Pet
A Guide to Less Waste
We love our pets. We buy stuff for our pets. But we live in a world with finite space and if you’re like us and you live in tiny apartment, this cannot be any more real. Whether or not you’re a minimalist, into sustainable living or zero waste, things can get out of hand real fast. Here is a guide or rather a point of view for buying things for our pets. Whether or not you are a seasoned pet owner (then you should know) or a new pet owner, this guide will keep us in check and keep us less wasteful.
ESSENTIALS
These are necessities that we really need. Life would be compromised without them. Whilst there are general things that our pets can’t do without like food, water, and in the case of our dogs, collars, harnesses or leashes. We have segmented these essentials into
Just In Case
These are the 3 most dangerous words. This is the excuse that will make sure you find space for 10 feeding bowls. We live in a very commercial world today. Amazon Prime can fetch you things within 2 hours. There are many 24 hour supermarket chains that have a pet section. So there’s nothing you really need to have stockpile for, you know, just in case. We rarely use these just in case items, in fact, sometimes we forget we even have them. It’s better to save the space and buy them only when we need. Perishables in particular, they all have expiry dates, they should never be purchased “Just In Case”.Emergency Items
These are the only just in case items you should have. As they really might come in handy or save you a ton of money. Things to keep handy are a couple cans of pet food (that you know your pet will eat but because they are perishable don’t have too many at a go), bottles of mineral water, extra blankets. Some medicine like antihistamine, charcoal tables, a deworming course, for when they have allergies or diarrhoea/vomitting. No matter how much we prepare, we can’t prepare for everything. Keep this to a bare minimum and don’t justify everything as emergency items!Just For When
There are always going to be items that we know we’ll need to use in the future. These are similar to just in case items, except that you’re certain you will use them. These could be their daily essentials too like pee pads, wet wipes, etc. Again, we live in a world where we can get them pretty quick. So unless you’re trying to save a buck and stocking up during sales times, be sure to watch expiry dates and set yourself a limited amount of space to store these items and that will help you control this much better.
NON-ESSENTIALS
Nothing that is essential falls under this list. These are things that we want, not things that we truly need. However, some of these things may amplify, augment or enhance your pet’s life experiences.
Stockpiling
if you are buying perishable items for your pet, make sure you watch the expiry dates closely and only buy what you know your pet will eat within the date, if not, stop buying. Food is the last thing you should stock up on. Alternatively, buy samples to know for sure if your pet would consume the items before buying bigger sized packs/boxes.
For non-perishables, you really don’t need two of everything or ten feeding bowls as mentioned. Curb your purchase of these things within a set amount of space and be mindful of what is truly essential (because most things aren’t).Toys
The reality is your pet will love new toys. But only for a while for most of these toys. They will have their favourites. And the truth is, toys are the conduit for them to play with you. Sometimes, all your pet wants is your time, doesn’t matter what toy or what you do. Kuro is very happy chasing a toilet paper cardboard core, or the kitchen towel cardboard core. Heck, even a crushed up piece of paper (although this sometimes causes more of a mess than anything). So don’t keep buying new toys for your pet. Buy good ones that last. Or practice the “one-in, one-out” policy, if you are still stuck with many toys after you’ve removed the unwanted ones, then remove one every time you buy something new.Wait For It
Okay, if you truly insist, yes, perhaps that doggy bowl is due for changing. Time it well. You don’t have to buy a reserve for your reserve. Actually, food is food and if placed your pet’s food on the floor, they’d eat it without the bowl even. But let’s save our floor. For some of these items, unless it’s something you know you truly love and it’s limited, then perhaps you need to get it and keep it right away. For most things, you don’t, and taste will change, there’s always a better design or color round the corner. Wait for it. Wait for the monthly or quarterly sales period to buy it. Keep it in your online shopping cart. You don’t need it right away. And sometimes, after 60 to 90 days, maybe you don’t even need it at all.Don’t Upgrade
You don’t always have to have the latest. Don’t give in to FOMO. Sometimes you really can go without. Always assess and the upgrade. How much extra value are you going to get out of it? So what if that pet tray has a night light? Your pet has never needed it. Don’t upgrade for the sake of it. And if you really must, do sell or give away the old one, you don’t need to be keeping version 1.0 through 10.5 for everything.Gifting
There are always going to be sales. You don’t have to hoard things to give to your friends who have pets. Most items are available all the time online and sales happen every month! You also don’t need to stock up on perishable items as gifts. It’s likely it will perish before you can give it. You can always order Kuro Snacks on demand and have it over to your friends in a jiffy.
JUNK
Again, we’ve all been there. For example, if you are still hanging on to a toy that your cat or dog is no longer playing with, and hoping they will pick it up and play again, you might be sadly mistaken! This will become junk and you’re hanging on to empty hope. These are things you know for sure is a waste to hold on to. It’s eating into your space when it won’t bring your pet joy or serve its purpose. Get rid of your junk to make room for everything else more important to your pet and you.
Perishables
We mentioned Stockpiling. But honestly, if you have some pet food that your pet is unwilling to eat, that’s the sunk cost that’s already lost. Your pet is not going to magically want to eat it at some point down the road. Whilst you almost have a full bag, you can consider selling it at a fraction of the cost as a means to recover some money or give it to someone else who has a pet that would eat it. The key thing is to not let it go to waste, you would have either thrown it away or kept it for no good reason until it’s time to throw it away anyway.Seasonality
If you are having difficulty identifying if an item is a piece of junk or not, ask yourself these 3 main questions:
Have l used this item on my pet or has my pet used this item in the next 60 to 90 days?
Will I use this item on my pet or will my pet use this item in the next 60 to 90 days?
Is this item seasonal and will be used once every 90 days or 3 to 4 times a year?
If you answered yes to any of the above then it might suggest that this item has value and you should keep it.
If your answer to the above is no, no, no - you got your answer. It has to go.
Selling
For perishables, it’s almost impossible to get back your sunk cost. So the best way to get rid of perishable junk is to give it away. in Singapore, you can use apps like Carousell (and mark it as $0 and you can even ask the buyer to pick it up) or Olio, a community that takes what you want to give.
For non-perishables, whilst it is easier to sell, it’s back to that sunk-cost fallacy. You should have a good plan - plan your price according to how much others are selling for on the average for a pre-loved item or brand new in box (BNIB). Give yourself a time frame, either update your listing or lower the price and after an extended period of time, know when to waste less time for this and give it away instead.Giving
It truly is better to give than to receive. If something is no longer sparking joy for you, and you don’t have the time to go through the hassle of selling it, then give it away. Not so long ago, a friend of ours got a new dog. We had been hoarding some toys, gifts that people have given Kuro that she won’t use (or I don’t want them) and other things for Kuro for a while, so this was the best time to offload them - to new pet owners who would actually get value out of these things. We’ve also given away Kuro’s play pen and so many things she used when she was a puppy to others on Facebook communities. There’s always a new pet in your community and it’s always best when all of us pay it forward.
And remember, Kuro Snacks make the best gift for any pet:
