Household Spending Habits

The current credit crunch looks set to be here for some time, with high fuel and rising food prices, restricted access to credit and mortgages increasingly difficult to obtain.

Paying the monthly mortgage and rising fuel bills have overtaken saving for the future and work/life balance as the number one priority for "crunch-conscious" Brits, according to research from Abbey Mortgages.

Only a quarter of rural people are now saving for their long term future, according to research by NFU Mutual. Instead, almost a fifth of countryside dwellers are more likely to overspend each month.

The effects of the slowing economy are having a huge impact on charities, according to a survey by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and the Association of Chief Executives of the Voluntary Sector (acevo).

Students wondering whether that part-time job they are considering will cover their living expenses while on campus can now come to HSBC for help with their household budgets.

Expected Government measures to help the poorest people reduce their energy bills may not go far enough as Saga Home Insurance reveals that over a fifth of the population are cutting back on basic expenditure due to the recent increase in fuel prices.

More than one in four fans will cut back on the number of games they go to this season as the UK's economic slowdown spreads to football, according to research from Virgin Money.

As universities prepare to welcome a new batch of students for the start of the 2008/2009 academic year, parents across the UK estimate the total cost of sending their child into further education will be £12,550, according to new research from Birmingham Midshires.

Parents spend a staggering £233 billion on supporting their adult children, and are foregoing their own financial freedom to support their children, according to research from LV=, the insurance, pensions and investments group.

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