Why It Pays to Sign Up for Amazon Prime Once You Adopt a Pet

It's a move that could really pay off.

There are several steps worth taking after adopting a pet. First, it's a good idea to sign up for pet insurance so you're covered in the event of injuries or illnesses. It also pays to set up an area in your home for pet supplies and gear, whether it's a corner of your bedroom, basement, or office.

But here's another move it could pay to make after bringing a pet home: signing up for Amazon Prime. Doing so might benefit you in more ways than one.

Why Amazon Prime is great for pet owners

There's a reason people are told to budget carefully when adopting a pet. Between food, gear, medications, and supplies, the cost of pet ownership can really climb. In fact, it's important to not only budget for pet supplies, but also beef up your savings in case an unplanned expense related to your pet arises.

But if your goal is to save money in the course of stocking up on pet supplies, an Amazon Prime membership could be a good bet. Amazon actually has a number of pet items, from food to treats, that it stocks regularly. And if you sign up for its Subscribe & Save program, you can arrange to have your pet supplies shipped directly to your home automatically at intervals that work for you, whether it's monthly, every two months, or every three months.

Best of all, with Subscribe & Save, you can snag discounts on the items you know you'll be buying anyway. And you'll potentially save a decent amount of money by virtue of not having to drive over to your local pet store all the time (especially with gas prices being so high).

Now, Amazon isn't the only source for discounted pet products. It could pay to do some comparison shopping and see if another service, like Chewy, offers a better deal on the specific items you need. But if you run the numbers, you may find that Amazon actually has the most competitive prices for many pet items.

A less obvious but important benefit

Clearly, an Amazon Prime membership could help you save money on pet supplies. But here's another less obvious perk: If you get your pet food delivered to your door, you'll spare yourself the hassle of having to physically wrangle it from the pet store to your car to your home.

If you have a larger dog, for example, the weight of a bag of pet food could be substantial. Not having to deal with hauling it around yourself (and potentially throwing out your back in the process) is a nice thing.

Is Amazon Prime right for you?

Amazon Prime offers way more than just a convenient way to purchase lower-cost pet supplies. With a Prime membership, you can access free content and try on clothing before committing to buying it, among other perks. If you've yet to join Amazon Prime, sign up for a free trial membership and see where that takes you. As a pet owner, you may find that it comes in extremely handy.