I love my dog, but whoever coined the phrase, “You can’t put a price on love” probably wasn’t a pet owner. Last year, between food, treats, toys, dog park memberships, vet bills, and medicine, my large dog cost me more than $900.

Dog and cat owners don’t pay the same amount for their four-legged family members. The ASPCA did a study on the average cost of owning a dog or a cat. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

• Small dog – $1,314 the first year, $580 per year after
• Medium dog – $1,580 the first year, $695 per year after
• Large dog – $1,843 the first year, $875 per year after
• Cat – $1,035 the first year, $670 per year after

These totals include the following first-year costs: spay/neuter, other initial medical, collar/leash, litter box/scratching post for cats, cage/crate for large dogs, carrier bag for small dogs/cats, and training class for dogs. Annual expenses include food, recurring medical, litter for cats, licenses for dogs, toys/treats, health insurance, and miscellaneous.

Of course, those are averages – the ASPCA says, “You shouldn’t expect to pay less than this, and you should definitely be prepared to pay more. Don’t forget to factor in the costs of unexpected veterinary care, as well as boarding facilities, pet sitters and dog walkers, if you plan to use them.”

But what the ASPCA doesn’t mention is ways to trim expenses. For example…

1. Vet bills

The ASPCA says cats and dogs should see a vet at least once a year. The first year (when they usually require the most shots) is slightly more expensive. For example, they say vet bills for a medium-size dog break down like this:

• Recurring medical – $235
• Other initial medicine – $70
• Spaying or neutering – $200
• TOTAL – $505

You might reduce some of those costs by comparison shopping. For example, one vet in my neighborhood is $25 cheaper per visit than another. However, be sure to compare the costs of both regular visits and emergency ones. Impromptu trips – like the time my puppy ate a bag of nickels – get costly.

As Stacy mentioned in the video, check local animal shelters for discount spaying/neutering, shots, or other medical services. Some offer them, others don’t.

You can also reduce your costs by shopping around for cheaper medicines. Target and Kroger offer $4 generic pet meds.

Some owners use pet health insurance to save money on their vet bills – both expected and unexpected – but it’s not cheap. The ASPCA says health insurance for a cat runs about $175 a year. Before you sign up check out Do You Need Pet Insurance? 6 Ways to Save on Care.

2. Food and supplies

The ASPCA says that the average yearly cost of food and supplies for a large dog like mine breaks down like this:

• Food – $235
• Toys and treats – $75
• TOTAL – $310

But I spend less than that, and I buy organic. Check out 9 Sites for Saving Money on Pet Supplies for help finding cheaper pet food, treats, toys, and basic meds. For example, I used to buy my dog’s food at a local pet store. A 30-pound bag costs $57.99, but I found the same bag on Amazon for $51.99.

3. Grooming and training

According to the ASPCA, training and grooming for a small dog breaks down like this:

• Long hair grooming – $264
• Training class – $110
• TOTAL - $374

I save money on these pricey extras by not paying for them at all. In 3 Pricey Pet Services You Can Do Yourself, I talk about a few pet services I’ve learned to do. For example, I bypassed training class entirely. Instead, I taught my dog basic commands and a few tricks using dog training sites. Here are a few of my favorites:

• WebMD Pets has great one-minute training videos featuring a certified dog trainer. You won’t learn everything you need to know, but it’s helpful to watch the techniques in action.
• Petfinder has a training section that covers everything from behavioral problems to basic dog tricks.
• Perfect Paws has a ton of helpful articles on positive reinforcement training. They also have a section on how to train cats.

I also do all my own grooming, and save about $160 per year. I also learned how to do that online. If you’re looking for grooming advice, check out:

• Grooming FAQ from the ASPCA
• How to Groom a Dog from Beneful
• Grooming Your Dog’s Hair with Clippers from Dummies.com

Bottom line? Animals aren’t cheap, but as with two-legged family members, where there’s a will to save, there’s a way. But even if your dog or cat does end up costing a little more than expected, they’ll still do something no other purchase will: pay you back a thousandfold in companionship, loyalty, devotion, and fun.

If you happily get out of bed every morning for work, you're one
of the lucky ones — not everyone is satisfied with their current job.


These people feel stuck for a variety of reasons, including low pay,
irregular hours or the inability to move upward, says a report published by
CareerBliss.

The company identified the unhappiest jobs based on more
than 100,000 employee-generated reviews between February 2011 and January
2012.

The ratings are based on key factors such as work-life balance,
one's relationship with their boss and co-workers, their work environment, job
resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company
reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work that they do daily.


Here are the top 10 jobs that make workers' lives
miserable.

1. Security Officer

Average salary:
$29,641
Bliss Score: 3.510/5

Why:
"People might think that the work environment security guards often face, such
as working late hours alone at night, would be what contributes to unhappiness,"
Matt Miller, the chief technology officer at CareerBliss told Smith. "However,
our data shows that growth opportunities and lack of rewards in this field is
what affected the overall sentiment around this type of job. Work environment
scored relatively high."

Description: Guard, patrol, or
monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. The BLS
projected the growth of these jobs to be 18 percent through 2020.


2. Registered Nurse

Average salary:
$43,663
Bliss Score: 3.595/5

Why:
"Nurses . . . have more issues with the culture of their workplaces, the people
they work with and the person they work for," Golledge
says.

Description: Provide and coordinate patient care,
educate patients and the public about various health conditions. The BLS
projected the growth of these jobs to be 26 percent through 2020.


3. Teacher

Average salary:
$43,663
Bliss Score: 3.595/5

Why:
CareerBliss' chief executive Heidi Golledge told Smith: "CareerBliss
has found through our research that teachers appear to be quite happy with their
work and their co-workers. However, the rewards for their work, lack of support
and lack of opportunities to be promoted counteract many of the good parts of
the job."

Description: Prepare students for future
schooling and working by teaching them a variety of subjects. The BLS projected
the growth of grade school teaching jobs to be 17 percent through 2020.


4. Sales Engineer

Average salary:
$71,283
Bliss Score: 3.636/5

Why:
Smith reports that these engineers don't appreciate the "lack of growth
opportunities, company's culture, compensation and
support."

Description: Sell complex scientific and
technological products or services to businesses. They must have extensive
knowledge of the products’ parts and functions and must understand the
scientific processes that make these products work. The BLS projected the growth
of these jobs to be 14 percent through 2020.

5. Product
Manager

Average salary: $81,865
Bliss Score:
3.648/5

Why: Smith says that these workers "voiced
unhappiness with the range of growth opportunities, compensation, company
culture and support."

Description: A blog describes
product managers as those who "conceive the idea; run with it for many months;
... gather, [develop], test, [go] through the painful exercise of bringing that
product to market, and then support it until it is made
obsolete."

6. Program Manager

Average salary:
$94,371
Bliss Score: 3.655/5

Why:
Jacquelyn Smith at Forbes reports that "the unhappiest aspects of
[this] job are a lack of growth opportunities, the culture of the company they
work for and the surrounding workplace support
system."

Description: Plan, coordinate, budget, and
supervise construction projects from early development to completion. The
program managers' responsibilities are finished when the product is delivered,
and they turn it over to the product managers.

7. Marketing
Manager

Average salary: $64,437
Bliss Score:
3.677/5

Why: Thomas O. Davenport at TLNT.com
says: "With many organizations expecting managers to act as player-coaches, both
performing and overseeing work, their roles often become complex and
unwieldy."

Description: Plan programs to generate
interest in a product or service. They work with art directors, sales agents,
and financial staff members.

8. Director of
Sales

Average salary: $91,821
Bliss
Score: 3.677/5

Description: Set sales goals,
analyze data, and develop training programs for the organization’s sales
representatives. The BLS projected the growth of these jobs to be 12 percent
through 2020.

9. Marketing Director

Average
salary: $68,873
Bliss Score:
3.688/5

Description: Plan, direct, or coordinate
marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and
services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential
customers.

10. Maintenance Supervisor

Average salary:
$52,799
Bliss Score:
3.691/5

Why: Long hours and a lot of on-call schedules.


Description: Reviewing contracts to ascertain service,
machine, and workforce requirements; answering inquiries from potential
customers regarding methods, material, and price ranges; and preparing estimates
according to labor, material, and machine costs.

Source: CareerBliss and Bureau of
Labor Statistics