I put my money where my mouth was and decided to put my own advice on buying pet medications to the test. I put in an order today at 1-800-PetMeds (aff) for some heartworm and flea medication and was surprised by how much I was able to save.

I shopped around a bit and found EntirelyPets.com to have the lowest prices on the medications I wanted. But living in California, I got charged tax at 8.25%.

Since I had better coupon deals with 1-800-PetMeds, I decided to use them and try their price match guarantee. I placed my order, sent in my price match request, and no more than 2 minutes later, I received a confirmation email saying my request had been honored. Here are the results:

Shipping was free from the online merchants because I bought over the necessary amount (guess I’m lucky to have two similarly-sized dogs with the same needs). And I looked at my receipt from the vet and couldn’t make heads or tails of the sales tax amount; it seems they might not charge for all medications or supplies, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt in the comparison above.

Coupons are always good. For 1-800-PetMeds, I usually find a coupon in one of those direct-mail ValPak envelopes (yes, they can sometimes be good for something!) for 10% off a minimum order of $39, and free shipping. By the way, for September, the coupon code was VALPA8. The VALPA8 coupon code worked fine, even though it was supposed to have expired by September 30th. If that one goes bad, there’s supposed to also one out there for 10% off your purchase, expiring December 31, 2006, if you enter in code couponcabin. Update: I found a coupon code 5831 for $10 off $39 that was sent to us when one of our previous orders fell through. The small print says “Not valid on vaccines or refrigerated items, or with any other offer. Expiration Date: 10/11/06”. Hope someone can use this, and sorry I didn’t notice it earlier. I’m just now cleaning out our coupon pile.

For non-Californian residents out there, EntirelyPets might still be your best deal. There are usually EntirelyPet coupons listed at HappyCoupons. Keep in mind that most online pet medication vendors don’t allow combining or stacking coupons or offers, but given the savings available, I’m not going to complain :)

Here’s a thrifty tip that’s actually fun. One of the easiest ways to fight that acquisitive temptation is to go for freebies. There are a couple of sites that list free items, like Fatwallet or Slick Deals, and if you think of it as window shopping, the fun comes twice, in occasionally finding and signing up for something worth getting, and then when you receive it in the mail a few weeks later.

I thought it’d be fun to list the top 7 freebies (in order of value) that I’ve gotten over the last 9 months or so:

1. Cubic zirconium necklace: This was a fun little surprise for filling out a survey on a nail product. It was a cute thing, not worth very much, but a nice gift for a young girl if you decide not to use it.

2. Pedometer: The US Dept. of Health and Human services created a 7-week challenge this summer to get women walking and exercising, so anyone who signed up in time got a pedometer as part of the challenge. (As the narrator from Frontline quipped in a recent program, “Americans are highly competitive and gadget-centric, so maybe a pedometer is the best chance to get the nation to exercise.”)

3. Pet pedometer and ball: A pet pharmaceutical company offered a pet pedometer for filling out a survey on the health of your dog. The pet pedometer was actually nicer than the human one I received, and it came with a nice rubber ball, too. Too bad the pedometer was too big for my dog!

4. “Doctor in the House” Black handbag: Consumer Health Education Center (CHEC) was offering this nice freebie to anyone who wanted it, along with useful literature about precautions mixing over-the-counter medications. (The theory was that women and mothers tend to be the “doctors” of the family, so the gift was targeted at women.) A surprisingly nice bag!

5. Omaha Steak Burgers: A rather spammy survey site was offering a $25 gift certificate toward purchases at Omaha Steaks, so I used it to buy some burgers. Looking forward to these!

6. Tumi Accessory Bag: Same as above, but this time a survey offered by Tumi. $25 toward the purchase of anything in their store, so I chose a bag.

7. 1-year print subscription to Barron’s: E*Trade customers were offered a complimentary 1-year subscription to Barrons (worth $149). Despite being E*Trade customers, I found out about this nice deal from Fatwallet. This is the highest-value freebie I’ve received, not to mention a perfect one for my profession and this site.

I’ve also gotten a few free razors, cosmetics, and lotions from manufacturers, which will come in handy after I had to toss most of my cosmetics into the trash when I travelled last Thursday. Argh!

So how do you get these? It’s not too hard, especially if you’re into window-shopping. You just have to check the sites listed above from time to time and see if there’s anything worth getting. In general, freebies come from filling out surveys, educational promotions (like the pedometer or handbag above), and manufacturers promoting new products. If you’re filling out surveys, it’s probably wise to use a throwaway email address, because spam often does come.

Of course, there are some ethics involved. Personally, I don’t fill in any surveys or sign up for medical freebies offering products for those who actually could use them. There are also freebies that aren’t worth having or that don’t come.

It’s always a bit of a roulette game, but hunting for and getting freebies does allay some of that buying urges that we all have from time to time.

So what are some good freebies you’ve gotten?

From reddit: Woman bakes cookies on dashboard of her Toyota. Seems like a nice, cheap way to get a mid-afternoon snack for the office.

On the other hand, I’d want it done in a pretty clean car (I like my cookies smelling like cookies and not picking up odors of stale and hidden fast food). I’m also not sure I’d want to do it and leave my car smelling like cookies. Mightn’t that attract ants and such?

We end up traveling and calling overseas more than the average American since our families live in four other different countries. Besides the cost of the plane ticket, there are always other common expenses that pop up that are consistently overlooked. Here some comments and resources on how to save on them so that your pleasant memories of your vacation aren’t ruined by a jarring shock when bills from the trip start rolling in after a few weeks.

Foreign transaction fees on credit cards: If you didn’t know, most Mastercard and Visa credit cards out there charge an additional 3% fee when you use their card for purchases overseas, and this is in addition to any unfavorable foreign exchange rates. There’s a long but regularly updated discussion thread about credit card fees and exchange rates for foreign transactions that I check from time to time. The problem is that credit card reps don’t always know their own policies or companies are always “about to change” their terms and conditions. Currently, it’s rumored that Capital One charges no extra fee whatsoever, and there are a couple of MBNA cards that might only pass through the 1% from Visa without adding anything additional on top.

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I just came back from the vet’s office, where the checkup and a small battery of regular exams (heartworm, minor ear infection, office visit) for our dog Lola, ran a shockingly high amount. This got me thinking about how we try to save on pet care in a safe and responsible manner:

1. Shop online for pet meds: For an urgent situation or the first time we need medication, I tend to buy whatever medication my dog needs at the vet’s office. Yes, it’s more expensive, but at least you’re sure of what you’re getting. Once you’re in a situation where medication is something you have to buy regularly though (for example, Rimadyl for doggie arthritis) and are familiar with the dosage, brand and name you need, go online and price shop. There are several stores online which will almost always be cheaper than the vet’s office — 1-800-PetMeds(aff), EntirelyPets, KV Vet Supply come to mind — but prices will vary depending on what medication you need.

By the way, if you aren’t aware of this, there’s nothing out there that requires you to buy your pet’s medication through the vet. Vets must provide you (or the vendor) with a copy of the prescription at your request, unless there is no medical reason it’s needed.

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