Money matters in affairs of the heart

It seems that love really does come at a price - and a rather heft one at that.

New figures from mortgage company Abbey have found that men and women spend an inordinate amount of money lavishing attention and affection on the opposite sex, whether it be to woo them or to keep them happy once they are in a relationship. This will come as little surprise to anyone who, like myself, has been in a relationship of late. Now I know you've all heard the stories about 'the olden days', when our fathers could go to the cinema, get some fish and chips, get home on the bus and still have enough money left over to go and watch the football on Saturday.

That was in the days when most footballers were paid less than your average worker, of course, and ticket prices didn't require a small mortgage every weekend.

But come on, lads, does anyone really want a return to those so-called halcyon days of yore? We love splashing the cash really, don't we? Showing off not just to your beloved but also to all your mates is a great feeling - especially when they're not in a relationship and actually have no-one to spend their hard-earned cash on. Sure, we moan about having to lavish so much attention on the other half, but really, we've not got anything to spend it on when we're single so we might as well make the most of it.

But according to Abbey, current spending levels are still not enough to satisfy most partners.

Despite the fact that Brits lavish on average £1,569 per year on their other half, whether it be gifts for Christmas, birthdays or just surprises to keep the romance alive, 18 per cent of respondents to Abbey survey said they felt they deserved more money to be spent on them. And it seems that failing to spend big on your partner could get you into deep water. As many as 792,000 people have actually split up with their partner because of a failure on the other half's part to spend enough money on them.

And when I say don't spend enough money on them, I'm not talking about taking out joint dental insurance or any seriously big commitments. It seems most people just want the odd trinket now and then to make them feel loved. We really are a consumer-driven society today and Abbey's research seems to suggest that nothing says 'I love you' these days like a big, expensive present. Simple affection is no longer enough.

So our fathers may have been able to get away with spending less than a ten bob note (however much that is) on a lady, but modern day standards demand modern day responses - and that means splashing the cash!