Household Bills
Brits face frugal Christmas as money worries limit spending
Over three quarters of Britons (78%) aren't happy about the state of their finances, implying that for some Christmas may pull on the purse strings even more than usual this year, according to research by Skipton Building Society.
Energy efficiency freeze leaves poorest households without help
Consumer Focus is warning that the announced freeze on applications for the Government's Warm Front scheme, and funding cuts for the scheme, could deprive thousands of vulnerable households of the help they need to make their homes warm and cut their energy bills.
Green energy costs get amber light from consumer watchdog
Consumer Focus welcomes the opportunity to feed into the Government's consultation on electricity market reform and that the Government has identified lower long-term energy bills as a measure of success for electricity reform.
All I want for Christmas is an IOU
Up to a third of Brits (32%) may actually wake up to nothing under the Christmas tree but an IOU this year, according to research from uSwitch.com. Partners are the most likely to be given an IOU, with one in five (20%) being surprised on Christmas day by their empty-handed loved ones.
Re-monopolising power
Britain's electricity market is being hamstrung by too much regulation and uncertainty, according to a new study from Policy Exchange.
Mobile phone app helps ethical shoppers
barcoo is a new mobile phone app designed to empower ethical consumers, as well as encourage a new generation of ethical shoppers. Free to download, barcoo includes all the traditional features of a barcode scanner as well as a new traffic light rating system for environmentally and health conscious shoppers.
Number of homes with broadband in the EU doubles
In the EU27, 70% of households had access to the internet in the first quarter of 2010, compared with 49% in the first quarter of 2006. The share of households with broadband internet connections doubled, to reach 61% in 2010 compared with 30% in 2006.
Avoid the frost-byte of high mobile bills abroad this winter
moneysupermarket.com warns those jetting off on a winter getaway to avoid costly mobile bills, especially those with internet enabled handsets.
Savvy shoppers plan to save money by avoiding VAT increase
We are a nation of savvy shoppers as around one in four (15.5 million people) of us have planned to make big ticket purchases in the last three months of the year to avoid the impending VAT increase, according to research by Sainsbury's Loans.
Borrowers using wrong credit card to fund Christmas
Almost seven million consumers will be funding Christmas on a credit card this year, and of those over five million will be using expensive standard rate cards rather than ones that offer interest free periods on purchases.
Forget the budget, it’s Christmas time
Despite uncertainty surrounding the current economic climate, one in four Brits get caught up in the festivities of the holiday season and spend more than they budgeted during Christmas, according to research carried out by accounting software firm Accountz.
Government not doing enough to improve broadband
The results from 842 respondents to ISPreview.co.uk's latest survey have revealed that a vast majority (92%) of UK internet users are concerned that the government is not doing enough to improve broadband access.
Brits set to spend record £50 billion this Christmas
The UK is set for a bumper Christmas spend this year, despite many high streets being impacted by heavy snow falls at the beginning of the month. Figures from Barclays predict that a record £48.9 billion spend will be spent over the festive period, an 8 per cent increase from Christmas 2009.
Grandparents spend over £6000 on each grandchild
As parents begin to feel the pinch of Government cuts, new research from M&S Money reveals that grandparents in the UK are providing more than £6000 of support to grandchildren.
12 days to Christmas - parents to spend over £2 billion
On Monday 13 December Christmas will be just twelve days away, and children across the country will increasingly be looking forward to a visit from Santa. But the 12 days to Christmas can be a stressful time for parents, as the ‘Cost of a Child’ study from insurance, investment and retirement group LV=, reveals parents will spend a bumper £2.2 billion on festive presents for their children this year.