Pet insurance policies are evolving and 96 per cent now cover alternative therapies as standard such as acupuncture and hydrotherapy - but this is also driving up prices. Since January 2014 there has been a 28 per cent rise in the number of products on the market and a 32 per cent rise in those offering alternative therapies - but premiums are also up 9% in a year.

An invasion of killer bugs and fungi could wreak deadly and costly damage this autumn. The Mail on Sunday looks at the threat posed by pests - with a skull and crossbones rating - and how best to eliminate them.

Charities need our support - and there are plenty of ways to give help without breaking into a piggy bank or even dipping your hand in a pocket. Here, The Mail on Sunday explores the options. You can give extra money at no additional cost by ticking a Gift Aid box when making a donation to charity.

Years of quiet price hikes mean it is no longer true that the cheapest way to make calls and texts on a mobile is to buy an inexpensive handset and top it up with credit when you need it. In the past, millions of older people and younger teenagers who rarely needed to use a mobile chose pay-as-you-go deals so they were not tied into costly contracts. But our research found this is now one of the most expensive ways to use a phone.

The Bake Off is in full swing and has set the nation's kitchens on fire again (not literally we hope) as eager bakers don their rolling pins and aprons and whip up Victoria sponge. But the cost of baking can easily get expensive and once you've added up the ingredients and time spent baking what started as a homemade project has now ended up costing you more than buying something already made. We've asked some baking experts what their top tips are for keeping down the cost while still creating successful showstoppers for every bake.

Holly O'Donnell (pictured) faces losing her university place after the phone giant made a mistake - and then blighted her credit record. The 26-year-old has been battling with the network for over a year after it mistakenly charged her more than £2,000. She complained to Vodafone but found it 'impossible' to resolve the situation, until eventually her account was cancelled, and additional 'termination fees' made a £3,808 bill.

On Friday the new iPhone 7 will be available to buy in stores, but eager buyers can pre-order the sought-after handsets from most networks already. Buying the handset outright is typically the cheapest option in the long run. With such a hefty price tag it is more important than ever to get the best deal possible so This is Money has done the work for you and searched the web for the best value contracts.

Having a landline phone has become irrelevant for millions of homeowners who pay for something they never use. Only one in five who pay for a landline actually uses it, according to Kate Devine of comparison website MoneySupermarket. Yet the cost of renting these unused phone lines has risen faster than inflation. Monthly line rental from BT is now £18.99 a month, up from £15.99 in August 2014. Douglas Hunter (pictured) has never plugged in a landline phone, though his BT Sports package includes line rental along with broadband and television.

With an avalanche of price rises from the 'big six' energy providers, now is the time to review your energy tariff and consider locking in to a best-buy fixed-rate tariff before energy companies pull them from the market.

Most households are suffering from broadband blindness - not knowing what speed of internet connection they should be getting - or even how much they are paying for it. Research for The Mail on Sunday, carried out by broadband provider Hyperoptic, found that three in five households do not know what speed they are meant to be getting from their provider. Also, a remarkable three quarters of the 3,000 householders questioned do not know how much they are paying for broadband. Half have never swapped provider.

Needlessly overpaying for gas and electricity, mortgage payments, home phone, broadband and car and home insurance costs can take its toll - adding up to tens, if not hundreds, of pounds every month. Overhauling your bills can potentially save you thousands of pounds, we deliver all the tools and tips you need in one place.