photo: a4gpa

There’s nothing better than being greeted by a puppy on a holiday morning — or looking at your child’s overjoyed reaction as they receive a furry holiday gift.

That is, until you contemplate the first vet bill and start tabulating the cost of feeding, training, bedding and toys. According to estimates from the  American Society of Preventing Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) , the first year of owning a small dog can add up to more than $1,300; and $1,800 for a large dog. While costs can vary based on whether you spay or neuter the pooch, purchase health insurance, and grooming costs, a furry gift can end up quite expensive for the recipient.

Before you give someone a pet, have a thorough discussion of the full costs involved and who’s going to cover them. Include as many additional factors in your chat as possible, such as larger apartment deposits, basic care, pet sitting and health care costs. Here are some suggestions:

Apartment Deposits and Moving

If you are giving a pet to a renter, find out if their building allows pets. Once that question is settled, the expense check begins. American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) spokesperson Michael San Filippo recommends finding answers to the following questions:

1. Does the potential new puppy parent have a roommate that will accept a dog in the house? If the roommate isn’t pet friendly, your gift could cost your friend half the rent.

2. Is your giftee going to be moving in the next year or two? The new place may not accept pets or could come with a higher deposit.

3. How much is the pet deposit? Is it refundable upon moving, and is there pet rent? The pet deposit could be several hundred dollars.  Pet rent is generally a monthly amount for having a pet in an apartment. If charged, it could add $10 on up to monthly bills.

Take Your Friend Shopping and Calculate Basic Expenses by Breed

“Don’t give a surprise pet.” says San Filippo. Your friend may talk about wanting a dog, but that’s different than actually owning one. Arrange a meet and greet, whether it’s with a breeder or a shelter. Then calculate expenses for that specific pet breed. For instance, a German Sheppard will require more food than a Miniature Schnauzer. But a Miniature Schnauzer will require haircuts because its fur grows rather than sheds. You can calculate food costs by going to the pet store and looking at a bag of dog food you’re likely to buy for your pet. It will say what the serving size is for the size of pet you want. For instance, it could say two cups for the miniature Schnauzer and seven for the German Sheppard. Choose a pet store that also offers grooming goods. That way you can price leashes, food, kennels, dog beds, food bowls, and grooming all in the same visit.

Ongoing Health Care

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the average bill per visit in 2007 (the latest available) was $135. THE AMVA recommends two visits per year.  However, this is only for basic care. Talk to a local vet about other costs generally required for the breed you are considering for your giftee. Buying pet insurance for a year as part of your gift can insure lower costs at least during the first year of ownership. When you compare policies, always check on both exempt and covered illnesses and deductible amounts.

Doggie Daycare

While not everyone sends their dog to a doggie daycare center, if your potential puppy parent travels regularly, budgeting for daycare or an occasional pet sitter is a must. According to costhelper.com, doggie care typically ranges between $12 and $38 for a work day visit. If you’re feeling especially generous, you could include a gift certificate for doggie daycare. (And if this adds too much onto the cost of your gift, think about adopting from a shelter or rescue group rather than purchasing a pet from a breeder or rescue group.)

Gift for a Lifetime

“Thanks to improved veterinary care, dogs are living longer than ever. Depending on the breed, dogs can be expected to live eight to 18 years, if not longer,” says San Filippo.”While your potential puppy owner might be in a position now to house and care for a pet, do you know where they’ll be in three years? Is it possible they will be moving somewhere that doesn’t allow dogs, or moving in with roommates or a spouse that is allergic to pets?”

If you give someone a pup, make sure they are ready for up to 20 years of responsibility, expenses, as well as the fun of a never-fail workout partner and all those doggie kisses.

Reyna Gobel is a freelance journalist who specializes in financial fitness. She is also the author of Graduation Debt: How To Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life.

Have a loved one who spends most of their waking hours on their smartphone device? It’s not too late to give them a little something extra this holiday season – in the form of a great app. In fact, you can even wait until the special day that you are exchanging gifts to download the app with them and pay for it. Consider it your get out of jail free card if you’ve waited until the last minute to shop.

Whether they primarily use an iPhone, iPad, or an Android device, some of the best apps are extremely affordable.

There are, of course, plenty of great apps that are free. But giving someone a free app for a holiday? Come on. Not even Scrooge McDuck would do that.

(Just in case, though, check out our picks of the best free financial calculator apps, best iPad personal finance apps and the best Android personal finance apps.)

Here, we’ve highlighted some of the best paid apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android in 2010. Since games make up such a huge share of smartphone app purchases and simultaneously make a great gift, we’ll cover a great game app for each platform in addition to a non-game app.

Best iPhone Gift Apps

Game App. – Plants vs. Zombies ($2.99)

Angry Birds was the obvious choice here as the #1 paid app on iPhone, but with good odds that your gift receiver already has it, we had to switch it up a bit. Plants vs. Zombies, from developer PopCap Games, was recently chosen by Apple to be the best iPhone gaming app of 2010. Users seem to agree. The app has over 28,000 reviews, with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars from a very critical user base.

PopCap describes the game as “A mob of fun-loving zombies is about to invade your home. Use your arsenal of 49 zombie-zapping plants — peashooters, wall-nuts, cherry bombs and more — to mulchify 26 types of zombies before they break down your door.”

50 levels of plant/zombie mayhem will ensure that your $2.99 keeps them busy for a while.

Non-Game App. – Hipstamatic ($1.99)

Hipstamatic allows you to become an instant ‘Hipsta’ photographer with an iPhone. The Hipstamatic app was voted by Apple as the best non-gaming app of 2010 for the iPhone. In the iTunes store, it has over 5,000 reviews and is rated at 4 out of 5 stars.

Essentially, the basic app gives you a series of lens, films, and flashes to choose from so that you can take some pretty unique and fun camera shots and upload them directly to Facebook or Flickr or email them to friends. All the while, you cut out the middleman (Photoshop) by seeing how the photos look immediately with the settings that you selected.

The basic app comes with 3 different lens, 3 film, and 2 flash settings. Additional gear packs (lens, films, and flashes) can be purchased for as low as $0.99.

Best iPad Gift Apps

Game App: Real Racing HD ($9.99)

Real Racing HD was one of the top 10 selling iPad apps of 2010. It has over 2,000 reviews in the iTunes store, with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars from users. The iPad is an outstanding platform for interactive gaming, and Real Racing HD is perhaps the most visually stunning game app on the platform. In the latest version, you can even get involved in multi-player gaming.

You use the iPad itself as the steering and breaking device, much like a Wii joystick. It’s the perfect combination of function, graphics, and platform. For $9.99, it’s hard to go wrong. Added bonus: you can play your own music while the game plays, just as if you were driving your own car.

Non-Game App: Pages ($9.99)

Pages is a word processing app developed by Apple. It was the top selling iPad app of 2010. It has over 4,000 reviews and a 4 out of 5 rating in the iTunes store. Not bad for a word processor!

Pages allows you to view and edit Pages ’09 files, Microsoft Word files, and plain text files from Mail, the web, your MobileMe iDisk, a WebDAV service, or your Mac or PC using iTunes File Sharing. Not the most exciting gift in the world, but if it’s the top seller, it’s hard to argue with the functionality.

Best Android Gift Apps

Game App: Robo-Defense ($2.99) – search for ‘Robo Defense’ in the Android Market

The #1 paid game app in the Android marketplace at the moment, Robo Defense has over 250,000 downloads, 33,000 ratings, and a 5 out of 5 star rating. Not bad! Build towers, protect them with guns, 120 addicting levels. What more can you ask for?

Non-Game App: PowerAmp Music Player ($4.99) – search for ‘PowerAmp’ in the Android Market

PowerAmp is presently the #1 most downloaded paid app on Android outside of the gaming niche and is getting rave reviews as the best Android music player app on the market. It has a 5 star rating with over 4,500 reviews. The app features an equalizer with pre-set options, album art grabber (so you don’t have to go out and find it on your own like you do with WinAmp), supports Last.FM, and offers a slick, user-friendly interface. It is a must-have for Androiders who use their phone to listen to music.

Note: To purchase the full version of PowerAmp, you must first install the trial version and then get the paid upgrade.

What are your pics for the best paid iPhone, iPad, and Android apps of the year to give as gifts?

GE Miller is the author of 20somethingfinance.com, recently selected by Kiplinger as the best personal finance blog for twenty-somethings. In a related post, he recently highlighted 7 money saving gift ideas.

photo: di_the_huntress

If you’re among the countless consumers who do their shopping the week before Christmas, you probably know that panicked feeling of trekking to a crowded mall, hoping they still have a few Justin Bieber CDs or whatever the “it” gift is on your list.

One easy way to avoid that stress is to shop online, and thanks to Free Shipping Day, scheduled for Friday, December 17, you can purchase all those gifts at no added cost and with guaranteed delivery to the continental U.S. by December 24. More than 1,000 online retailers are participating, and over 60% of them are offering free shipping on all orders (no minimum purchase required).

But that’s not all you can do to reduce holiday shopping stress and overspending. Here are five additional tips on smart last-minute shopping.

1. Make a list and stick to it

Just because you’re shopping last-minute doesn’t mean you should blow your budget or buy extra gifts that weren’t on your list. The temptation to over-spend is especially strong in stores, where it’s easy to become distracted by pretty, shiny things you and your gift recipients won’t actually use. Lauren Lyons Cole, an independent Certified Financial Planner®, urges shoppers to “go into the store with your budget and a list so you’re not tempted to buy all these little dumb things that stores put in aisles.”

2. Make post-shopping plans

On top of luring shoppers with impulse buys, retailers use festive sounds and scents to get consumers revved up and eager to spend more. “A lot of times we don’t even realize how that simulation is affecting us,” warns Kimberly Palmer, author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back. That’s why she suggests you make plans afterwards to limit the time you’re shopping. “Research shows once you start spending, you’re more likely to keep spending,” she adds.

3. Comparison shop

Whether you’re ordering online or shopping at the mall, comparison shop. Websites like DealNews.com and NextTag.com let you see which sites offer the best prices, while mobile apps like ShopSavvy and Google Shopper let you scan a barcode to see what other stores in your area have the item you want and at what price (currently, Google Shopper is only available for the Android but Google Goggles has some similar features). (See our lists of this holiday season’s best iPhone and Android shopping apps here and here.)

4. Find coupons

If you’re shopping online, always search for the retailer name and ‘coupon code’ or ‘discount code’ before you check out, says Palmer. “You can almost always find a discount.” Web portals like Ebates.com let you earn cash back, so that’s another way to maximize online purchases. Those headed to local stores or the mall can use FourSquare.com to look for discounts. Just make sure the discount is on something you actually want and avoid getting seduced by the idea of a bargain.

5. Get a gift receipt

Forgetting to ask for a gift receipt is one of the biggest mistakes a last-minute shopper can make, says frugal gift expert Leah Ingram. “Gift receipts acknowledge that sometimes the gift misses the mark. This makes it easier if the recipient needs to exchange it.” Often, a gift receipt will give your recipient more time to return the item and avoids the tackiness of seeing the price on a regular receipt.

And here’s a bonus incentive for getting a receipt: “I keep the gift in the bag with the receipt and wait until the day before to wrap it,” says Cole. “If I find something better or cheaper, returns are easy and I’m not really committing, because I have the gift in the bag with the receipt. During the holiday season, everyone is more likely to buy stuff that they didn’t mean to buy.”

6. When all else fails, get creative

Say you’ve almost exhausted your holiday budget, but you still have gifts to buy. Ingram recommends digging through any gift cards you have leftover from birthdays or holidays to see if those retailers might have an appropriate gift. She also keeps a “gift closet” with generic items like notepads or bags of coffee she’s picked up on sale or items she’s received and doesn’t plan to use.

Harried shoppers might also consider the DIY approach. For gifts this holiday season, Lyon plans to make salt body scrub and put it inexpensive bottles from the Container Store. As she points out, “even though DIY gifts might cost less, you’re sacrificing your time, which is also valuable.”

And speaking of time, Palmer predicts that experiences will be a popular gift this year, especially among budget-conscious twenty-somethings. “People enjoy getting gifts of your time, especially parents and other family members, like taking your mom to the museum for an afternoon or playing tennis with your Dad,” she says. It may not come in a big box with a fancy ribbon, but the feeling is priceless.

Susan Johnston is a Boston-based freelance writer who covers business and lifestyle topics.

photo: osde8info

The holidays are a time for family, friends, love and, of course, gifts. At Mint.com, we’re always thinking about personal finance — even when it comes to holiday giving. But giving a personal finance gift doesn’t have to mean sticking a savings bond in a stocking.

This article is filled with fun gifts to remind your family and friends of solid financial habits year round.

Personalized Piggy Banks

Has your friend, family member, significant other, niece or nephew, mentioned a goal for which they’ve had trouble saving? Get them a piggy bank with that goal in mind. You can get one for less than $30 at mybambino.com, decorated with a hand-painted message. For instance, you could have a child’s one dedicated to space camp or an adult one for vacation savings. Even if they don’t put one red cent in the bank, they’ll be reminded of their goal whenever they glance at their personalized ceramic swine. 

Games and Artsy Piggy Banks

If you have an unlimited budget, you can buy a full size pinball or arcade machine to be used as the ultimate piggyback. But for the rest of us, try the 80s throwback Tetris Mini Arcade Coin Bank for under $30. Your lucky giftee can stock away some coinage while trying to reach a new high score.

For those on your list who love irony — and if you don’t mind shelling out $150 – check out the piggy bank, designed for those who thought they’d save money when pigs fly.

For elementary-aged piggy bankers, consider belly banks. There’s nothing cuter (with the exception of puppies and kittens, of course) than dinosaur belly banks. Kids deposit money in the mouth and watch coins drop into the dinosaur’s belly, similar to a reverse of a gumball machine. You can get a coinasaurus for under $40. For more of a teaching angle, try the Money Savvy Pig for less than $20. Kids can deposit coins into four separate areas: save, spend, donate and invest.

Movies

Movies that teach us about personal finance go beyond “Wall Street” and “Trading Places.” “The Pursuit of Happyness” is an amazing film about the power of determination, and my favorite personal finance film of all time is “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” about what can happen when your money starts to control your life – instead of the other way around. For more on money movies for adults see 10 Movies that Can Teach You About Money.

For kiddos, and soemthing nostalgic for Generation X and Y, School House Rock has a DVD set for less than $20 with Money Rock in addition to old favorites like “Conjunction Junction”. Money Rock explains taxes, allowances, and “Tyrannosaurus Debt.”

Stock in Their Favorite Company

For most kids – and some adults – stock certificates in a stocking might as well be a lump of coal. But if it’s from their favorite company, with a small gift certificate attached, stocks become more fun. You can get a kid a share of Mattel with a Disney / PIXAR TOY STORY KER PLUNK!® Game, or a teenager or adult: a share of Starbucks with a $10 gift certificate. Both of these stock and gift pairings currently cost less than $50. If your gift is used as intended, those stock shares will spark an interest in investing that, ideally, will hold for years and help them become rich!

Dr. Seuss

No matter the age of the person for whome you’re shopping, Suessisms for Success is a fun book and an inexpensive holiday present at under $10.

Need more ideas? The Sims 2 Best of Business Collection simulation game for running a business is less than $10 for the PC download. If you prefer a practical gift, make sure it’s targeted. For instance, someone who has a lot of student loan debt could us a copy of my book, CliffsNotes Graduation Debt: How to Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life, while someone who needs help with investment basics could use Eric Tyson’s Personal Finance for Dummies, or Ben Stein’s The Little Book of Bulletproof Investing: Do’s and Don’ts to Protect Your Financial Life (Little Books. Big Profits).

Happy shopping!

Reyna Gobel is a freelance journalist who specializes in financial fitness. She is also the author of Graduation Debt: How To Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life.

That’s not to say that you can’t find plenty of gifts that say “I love you” without requiring you to take out a second mortgage. Here are some online finds for less than $50 that won’t cramp your style.

FOR HER:

QUEEN OF HEARTS. Etsy is the go-to online resource for cute-as-a-button handmade goods. On Etsy, you deal directly with the artists and craftmakers who set their own, surprisingly reasonable prices. This means you not only save money, but you may also even be able to come up with one-of-a-kind or custom options that just aren’t available down at the mall. Seriously, all you have to do is type “heart” in the search field, and you’ll come up with countless romantic gifts, such as this sterling silver heart pendant necklace from nicolesarvaydesigns that will have her—literally—wearing her heart on her sleeve. $26 at www.etsy.com.

PRET A PORTER. If she’s always on her MacBook, let her ditch the humdrum laptop totes you’ll find at most computer stores (yes, Apple Store, we’re talking to you). This ultra-chic floral laptop case from Shanghai Trio is both gorgeous and strong, made with plasticized cotton for durability. $48 at www.candystorecollective.com.

NEW SCENTSATION. Stressful times call for de-stressing in its purest form: a long, warm bath. With this beautiful collection of six bath salts from renowned French parfumerie Fragonard, she can treat herself to the most luxurious of soaks scented with the likes of Verbena, Orange Flower and Cherry Blossom. $26.50 at www.delight.com.

FOR HIM:

TO A TEE. If your guy is a Rock Band or Guitar Hero fanatic (and let’s face it, these days, what guy isn’t?), take his obsession one step further with this cheeky electronic drum kit t-shirt. The best part? All of drums on the shirt are actually playable, with seven different sounds, so he can act out his Tommy Lee fantasies on his own chest. $29.99 at www.thinkgeek.com.

BOTTOMS UP. Nalgeen bottles are so last year. For the athlete or all-around gent-on-the-go, a Klean Kanteen stainless steel reusable water bottle is a healthier, more environmentally conscious alternative to plastics. Plus, it’s durable, sanitary and toxin-free. $18.20 at www.reusablebags.com.

TOUCHDOWN PASS. For those with a passion for the pigskin, these vintage college football calendars aren’t just cool to look at, they’re a collectors item. Each team calendar, ranging from the classic Cal vs. Stanford rivalry to Boston College to Penn State, contains 12 frame-ready, 11″x14″ reproductions of classic game day program covers. $18.95 at www.asgardpress.com.

FOR ANYONE:

RAISE THE BAR. Sure, the old heart-shaped box of Russell Stover candies has some cache. If your guy or gal is an adventurous eater, may we recommend this “library” of mini exotic bars from Vosges instead? This chocolate house has become synonymous with unexpected flavors, such as the Naga: deep milk chocolate with sweet Indian curry and coconut. $25 at www.vosgeschocolates.com.

ROLL PLAY. Hey, everyone’s love life can use a little spicing up not and then. Why not introduce a little adventure into your next, ahem, get-together with these “get lucky dice” from Red Envelope? The idea is that you act out whatever words you happen to roll, making it much more to the point than a game of strip poker. $34.95 at www.redenvelope.com.

SNAP SHOT. Let your favorite aspiring photojournalist punch up their Flickr account with this Kermit-green Lomography Fisheye camera. Its 170-degree view transforms any subject into a distorted circular image, making for instantly artsy pics. Oh, and did we mention that it uses regular old 35mm film that can be processed anywhere? $48 at www.urbanoutfitters.com.