We decided NOT to buy a bearded dragon.

[u/[deleted]]

My wife and I were looking at getting a bearded dragon for our son for his birthday. A young beardie is only about $60. So we set aside $200 in our budget counting on buying a reptile aquarium and some incidentals.

Then we learned it needs expensive UV bulbs that last about 6 months and are about $40 each. Also the electricity cost the run this heat 24 hours can be a drain on the electric bill.

Also the beardie needs to go to the vet every 6 months for a checkup. And finally, food. They have a very diverse diet and can eat up to $15 per week in foods. So I did a total cost analysis for a beardie that lives 12 years and it turned out to be a whopping $10,000

Life pro tip, do a total cost analysis on pets before deciding to purchase. Even free pets are absurdly expensive. In 12 years both of my kids are going to be in college and I will desperately need $10,000 then. I will not need an aging lizard.

Edit: For everyone giving me shit about my poor son, don't pity him. First he didn't know about the beardie. Second we are taking that $200 and taking him to an amusement park. He's fine.

Edit 2: This post is not about "don't buy pets, they're expensive." The post is about "make sure you're aware of the full cost of something before making a decision." Yes we have kids and dogs. Yes they're more expensive than lizards, but for us well worth the cost. A reptile, not so much.

Edit 3: Thank you all for the "you're way overestimating" and the "you're way underestimating" posts. The accuracy of the cost really isn't the issue. The issue is we were expecting something minimal and almost made a big mistake. The point is, we did the research and it was way more than we were expecting and wanting to pay. To us, it wasn't worth it. We have other pets. We aren't frugal, but we are smart with our money. I am simply encouraging others to do cost analysis. And at the end of the day if a bearded dragon is worth 10k to you, awesome! Do it.

[u/[deleted]]

Another LPT is sometimes an emotional decision is ok. I'm more talking about a dog/cat, but being a cheapass fuck will not improve your QOL while having a dog for 10 years will.

[u/im_a_lurker_too → u/[deleted]]

As a perfectly happy pet owner, I don't buy the "[pet] should always be the priority, that money won't improve your QOL but, [pet] will!"

I've gladly spent thousands in a single year for a cat's medical costs because he does genuinely bring my family joy. However, I also realize that not everyone derives the same emotional satisfaction from pet ownership that I do and even if they did, they simply may not have the time, income, or motivation to devote to caring for a pet properly. In those cases, being a "cheapass fuck" absolutely will provide them with the best QOL.

[u/bobrocks → u/[deleted]]

Calm yourself, Iago. The guy was being responsible and decided this pet was not for him. It's a lot better than him getting the pet and deciding it's not worth keeping in a year or two. Yes, there is more to it than the cost over it's lifetime but I'd rather have people make a decision NOT to get a pet and to get a pet and try to pawn it off or neglect it.