Spending Habits
Elderly spend 40% of income on food, energy and council tax
Households headed by someone aged 75 or over spent nearly 40 per cent of their average weekly expenditure of £218 on food, domestic energy bills, housing and council tax in 2007, according to figures published today in ONS’s Pension Trends.
moneysupermarket.com: UK officially in recession
Commenting on the UK officially being in recession, Kevin Mountford, head of banking at moneysupermarket.com, said: "It finally looks like the powers that be can no longer hide behind the fact that ‘technically' we were not in recession - although in reality we have been since last summer.
Fool.co.uk: UK in recession
David Kuo, financial expert at The Motley Fool - Fool.co.uk, says: "It is official, we are in a long deep recession - much deeper than anyone imagined.
Metrosexual Britain
Celebrities such as David Beckham, Christiano Ronaldo and Brad Pitt are helping to make the nation more metrosexual as British men splash the cash on accessories to try and keep up with their idols.
1 in 3 risk debt by not checking energy bills
Despite a 42% or £381 increase in energy prices last year and consumers struggling with an average household energy bill of £1,293 a year, almost a third of energy customers (30%) have no idea whether they are paying the correct amount for their gas and electricity.
Nationwide offers finance tips to workers in the UK
On the day the Office for National Statistics announces UK unemployment has risen to its highest level since September 1997, Nationwide research reveals that a third (34%) of people are now more concerned about job security than they were 12 months ago.
Elderly missing out on full drop in inflation
Latest figures show another welcome decline in headline inflation but Alliance Trust's ongoing monthly study of age related inflation reveals that the over 75 year olds continue to face an inflation rate which is 90% higher than the official rate.
UK inflation rate falls to 3.1%
CPI annual inflation – the Government's target measure – was 3.1 per cent in December, down from 4.1 per cent in November, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Credit crunch breeds blitz spirit
The credit crunch is bringing households closer together, according to research from cahoot. Indeed it seems that something of a Blitz spirit is emerging as more of us choose to do things with our loved ones in order to share or cut our daily costs.
Bumper online Christmas
UK shoppers spent over £4.67 billion online in December – an equivalent of £76.67p for every person in the UK – 14.2% up on December 2007, according to figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.
Couples voice concern over UK economy
UK adults have voiced their fears over the UK economy according to research by credit report provider callcreditcheck.com, with almost one in five couples (17pc) saying that they could not survive financially beyond one month if one of them were to lose their job.
Consumers hunt out the bargains
Shoppers continued their Christmas shopping until the last minute in 2008, with over 11.5m transactions processed for its retailer customers on Christmas Eve, according to data from Barclaycard Payment Acceptance.
Booths help families beat the credit crunch
Booths, the regional food and drink retailer, has introduced a range of products to help families save money on their household shopping bills.
Savvy shoppers deliver Christmas sales boost for Asda
Britain's leading lowest price supermarket rounded off one of its best years with a solid Christmas trading performance that beat its sales expectation despite some industry predictions that 2008 would be the worst Christmas for retailers for more than 20 years.
Paid-for TV subscriptions and mobile bills most likely to go unpaid
Paid-for TV subscription is the payment most people feel it would be acceptable to default on if they were feeling the pinch financially (22 per cent), according to research from Direct Line.