Lifestyle

Most people think that personal finance is all about loans, credit cards, mortgages and debt but in reality it's about anything that you spend your hard earned cash on.

So if you're thinking of getting into debt to treat yourself to that latest piece of must have tech or saving up for a seasonal shopping spree then the lifestyle section is essential reading.

And this section of the site is also where you'll find Foxy, my favourite female fox (she doesn't answer to vixen) who'll impart her wisdom on everything from heels to healthly living.

How To Ensure Your Android Is Secure

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Your mobile phone is no longer just the thing you carry around to chat with friends and stay in touch with family. It is the hub for your digital existence and as such can be used to access a wide variety of services and store vast amounts of personal information.

A Pet Is For Life…

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If you have kids, or you have reached that point in your relationship where you feel it’s time to move things on a little, then you could be thinking about getting a pet. However, just like kids, pets do not come cheap, and even if you have rescued a dog from an impound, the cost of keeping it will soon mount up.

So you will need to seriously budget to fit in all of the extra pet expenses along with your own – and not just for food, but for vaccines, vet bills and care costs if you go away on holiday.

And with that in mind, let’s take a look at the different care costs involved for cat and dog owners; first up, cats…

Your Feline Friend

On the face of it, cats seem relatively straightforward animals to look after; you feed them a couple of times a day and then put them out at night, that’s about it.

However, the average cost of a cat over its lifetime will run into the thousands and you can easily expect to pay around £50 per month to keep your cats in the lifestyle they become accustomed to.

One of the first costs you’ll encounter is the cost of having them spayed or neutered and this can come in at anywhere between £50 and £100 depending upon the vet you go to and the the type of cat you have.

If you have a house cat then litter costs can come in at around £150 per year, and, according to research by Sainsbury’s pet insurance, you can easily expect to pay around £400 per year to keep them in food – more if you like to spoil them with the more expensive food that is available.

Then there’s the cost of the annual vet check ups and vaccines which can be about another £100 and then worming and flea treatments, which should be carried out every few months can cost around £30 per year and you’ll can expect to pay around £200 per year on pet insurance, but this will vary depending upon the age and breed of the cat.

And although pet insurance is one corner that you may think you can cut, you’ll regret not taking it out should your cat need veterinary care or an operation.

Then you have cat treats and grooming products to factor in and again, the price you pay for these will depend upon the type of cat you have, while some will happily groom themselves, others – particularly pedigree breeds – will require more looking after.

And then, all being well, you’ll have your feline friend around for at least the next 15 years which means your cat will come at a cost of around £13,000.

So, what about the dogs..?

Your Faithful Friend

So you’ve taken the plunge and taken in a dog and because all of the breeds are vastly different, this will have a huge impact on how much it will cost you to keep.

So let’s say you have an ‘average’ dog – somewhere between a jack russell and a rottweiler – and, again, the first expense could be to get it spayed or neutered which could come in at anywhere between £50 and £100.

You can, again expect to pay about £400 per year on food and a further £200 on grooming and £200 on vet fees and medical treatments.

Factor in pet insurance at around £200 per year and you can feasibly expect to spend about £1,000 per year on your dog and that’s before you factor in any doggy treats or time in kennels when you’re away.

This means that f your dog lives a relatively healthy 18 years that’ll amount to £18,000 for your faithful friend.

So, as you can see, owning a pet takes not just takes time and love, it also takes a fair financial commitment too.

How To Do Up Your Home Without Breaking The Bank

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A combination of an uncertain housing market and a dearth of buyers – due in no small part to the fact that you need a massive deposit and, seemingly, a letter from God to get a mortgage these days – has meant that many of us are sprucing up our homes instead of selling up and buying a new one.

An Introduction To Online Banking

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It used to be the case that to see how healthy (or otherwise) your bank balance was or even to get money from your account, you’d have to pop into your local branch and speak to someone over the counter.

Tips On Teaching Kids To Save Money

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From the moment they’re born, children learn from their parents – unfortunately, this means that they can pick up the bad habits as well as the good ones, so it’s important that you point them in the right direction as early as possible.

And this includes how they handle money.

Find Out 10 Things People Should Not Do When Using Discount Coupons

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Using different discount coupons is usually very simple. However, there are a few things that people should avoid doing whenever they intend to use such coupons. Although coupons are some great financial instruments, which can help people who own them to save a lot of money whenever they purchase various products, it is essential to know that they come along with specific “rules.”