This week on Frugal Friday, we’re focusing on the furry members of the family: our pets. And in addition to linking to as many cute pictures of puppies as we can, we’ll also be talking about the major pet spending categories -- and how you can save on each. 

Pet Food
The American Pet Products Association recently released a survey that revealed we spent a whopping $53 billion on our pets last year. Of that figure, $20.6 billion was spent on pet food. Now, we love our pets as much as the next person, but the thing to remember is that as long as the food you buy them contains real meat ingredients, they’re not going notice incremental differences in quality beyond that. 

“I don’t believe owners have to go to organic,” veterinarian Karen Halligan said. “It’s not documented that they live longer, like humans do.” She noted that owners should look at the first two ingredients in any pet food to make sure that they’re meat-based and not veggie-based. With a veggie-based food, there’s more filler, which Halligan said means “your pet has to go to the bathroom more because it’s pooping out all the filler.”

To save money on your chow of choice, check out Petco.com, which is running a 20-percent off promotion across its entire website -- and sales prices are good through March 28. Also, if you have a favorite brand of pet food, don’t forget to check its website to see if they’re offering any coupons. Purina, for instance, is currently offering five different coupons for various cat and dog food products.  

Pet Medicine
It’s important to protect your pet from fleas, ticks and other ailments, but doing so can be costly. Halligan recommends looking into generic versions of pet medication, just as you’d look for generic versions of the medicines you use for yourself. When it comes to flea and tick protection, her favorite generic -- because it’s been tested extensively -- is PetArmor, which retails for nearly half of what you’d pay for the “name brand,” Frontline Plus. Halligan noted that Frontline Plus is great for treating a flea infestation, but if you’re simply looking to prevent fleas, PetArmor is just as effective. And in addition to retailing for a lower price point, PetAmor is also currently offering a $5-off coupon on its website.

Leashes
If you’re not lucky enough to have a large yard and electric fence, you’ll need a good leash that can withstand wind, rain, and your dog trying to nab the scraps of pizza that fall in the street. Vet Halligan advises avoiding the temptation of buying a leash because it’s pretty -- instead, you want something that fits the dog you own. That means something thick and durable for your Rottweiler, while you can get something a little lighter for your 10-pound Yorkie. Kmart is currently running a 10-percent promotion on the latter type of leash, the Majestic Pet Lead Purple -- and they’re throwing in free shipping, too!

More from Jean Chatzky

It's Frugal Friday! TODAY's financial editor Jean Chatzky shared some great tips and deals for beating the winter blues without bursting your wallet, new credit card fees to watch out for and how to beat them, and where you can find the best deals on SuperBowl snacks and big screen TV's. 

RETAIL THERAPY

Winter is the season 36% of adults say they're likely to indulge in a little shopping to boost their moods. The key is to do it sensibly, because you don't need to splurge to get the same happy bump in your brain. 

"Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man is my little treat," Chatzky confessed.

NEW CREDIT CARD FEES

Starting Sunday merchants can start charging you a 4% surcharge on everything you buy with a credit card. It goes to cover the fees they pay the credit card companies for processing the card. It sounds bad, but it means that instead of raising the prices on all the items in the store in order to cover their credit card transaction costs, merchants can selectively charge only those who are conducting the more expensive transactions.

Have a Frugal Friday idea? Let us know!

The fees will likely be phased in slowly and with prominent warning signs, starting with airlines and hotels, then taxis and utilities and finally retailers, but if you want to avoid them entirely, "pay by debit card, or cash," said Chatzky.

SUPERBOWL SNACK DEALS

Score a touchdown with your wallet and your belly with these hot deals for SuperBowl yummies. 

Chipotle: Free Burrito, Burrito Bowl, Salad, Tacos with receipt for 6 or more burritos purchased Feb. 3rd

Whole Foods: 54 oz. Bucket Of Chicken Wings - $7.99

Kroger: Cheese, Chicken, Veggie and Meat and Cheese Combo Weekend Party Platters for $12.99 each.

YES, IT IS SMART TO BUY A BIG-SCREEN FOR THE GAME

Thinking about buying a huge new TV to impress your friends for the SuperBowl? Go for it.

"Now is one of the two best times of the year to purchase big TV," said Chatzky, the other being Christmas. Some of the best deals this year are in the 60" category. Look for these steals:

$1,298 - Sony BRAVIA 60" 120Hz 1080p WiFi LED LCD HDTV

$699 LG 60" 600Hz 1080p Plasma HDTV  at Fry's

$748 Seiki 60" 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV pickup at Walmart

MONEY-SAVING TIP FROM A VIEWER

On Frugal Friday we always like to feature a viewer who has a great idea for saving money. Amanda Rosen from Jacksonville, NC writes that she has 4 credit cards with different cash back bonuses.

"Each month I put sticky notes on them so we know which card to use at which location," she writes. "For instance, normally I would use Chase at a restaurant (3%), but when Discover gives 5%, we know to use that card instead. Everything that can go on a credit card, does. As long as you have the discipline to pay in full every month and pick cards with no annual fees, it works great! We are on a very limited budget and still make $500-$600 a year in bonuses."

Isn't it great when we can learn to save from others? If you have a great tip you'd think other people watching the show can use, send it in to our mailbag and it just might get featured on-air!

Happy Frugal Friday! How far will you go to get that last smidge of toothpaste hiding in the tube? Or makeup lying tantalizingly out of reach of the applicator wand? If you only use the containers the way the manufacturers designed them, you could be throwing away a few days worth of product. 

Do you have any great ideas for Frugal Friday? Send us your tips! 

For instance, Consumer Reports found that 17-25% of a container's lotion is still inside a pump bottle after the pump action no longer works. With a little bit of craftiness, and a good pair of scissors, you can extend the life of your health and beauty supplies, and put off that run to the store by a few days.

Deodorant

At the bottom of a stick of deodorant is a little curved well. When you turn the screw at the bottom, it pushes up the stick of deodorant. The bit of plastic form at the bottom uses some of the deodorant itself to hold up the rest of the stick. Eventually you get to a point where there's some gel left below the applicator lip. What you can do is place this register in the microwave for a few seconds, liquefy the gel, then pour it into a new stick of deodorant that you've screwed down as far as it will go. The gel will harden and you've just buffed up your deodorant supply by a couple of days.

Plastic bottles and squeeze tubes

After the bottle or squeeze tube is "done," after you've squeezed, ironed, and banged it as much as you can, carefully use scissors to cut the bottle or tube across the middle and you'll find a rich vein of product stashed inside. Score. Use, then store the remainder quickly so it doesn't dry out. There's several tactics, like tapping it out into a cleaned jar with a lid, sealing it in plastic wrap, or just drop it in a Ziplock bag. If there's still some clinging into the sides after you scrape it out, zap the container with a hair dryer for 30 seconds so it warms up and flows out more easily.

Lipgloss

After the tube seems to stop dispensing, there's still a few uses left, it's just hiding. Stand the lip gloss vertically in a coffee cup of hot water for 30 minutes. The gloss will drip down and give you some extra applications.

Eye cream

Scoop up the extra bits hiding in the crevices of your eye cream pots with a cotton swab.

Pump bottles

After the pump action is no longer bringing up lotion or cream, it's time to ditch that top. Swap out the pump with a regular lid or flip-top saved from another empty bottle (Oh yeah, by the way, you're going to start saving tops from other bottles now.) Turn the bottle upside down to let the material flow down. You can also add a tiny bit of water or apply heat to eke out those last drops. 

Do you have any great ideas for Frugal Friday? Send us your tips! Or leave a comment below.