Spending Habits
High street under threat from online sales
British broadband users now spend more time shopping online than banking, gaming, or downloading music. In total 13.5 million consumers are shopping online spending an average of 4 days a year doing so.
UK consumer confidence resilient in face of credit crunch
The Nationwide Consumer Confidence Index ticked down one point in October to 98 but seems largely untouched by recent events. Consumer confidence is now at the same level as a year ago having recovered from significantly weaker sentiment during the year.
Brits to blow the Christmas budget
With fewer than 50 shopping days left to Christmas, the countdown is officially on. But, Britons are worried that their finances might not stand the strain with more than half (59 per cent) stating that they think they will overspend on the festive season by an average of £174 each, according to new research on behalf of Lloyds TSB.
Britain’s big festive fork-out
Despite recent interest rate rises and the credit crunch, the majority of Brits will not be reducing their Christmas spending in 2007; even though almost a third (29 per cent) admits money is tighter this year, according to a study by CreditExpert.co.uk.
Average Christmas shopper spends £384
The average Christmas shopper spends £384 on Christmas presents, according to research from Halifax Credit Cards. Those aged 35-44 years-old are likely to spend the most with an average present bill of £570.
Looking for winter sun...at what cost?
As the seasons change and the weather gets colder, Brits will be seeking some much needed winter sun. Research from moneysupermarket.com reveals Brits spend nearly £700 on holiday must-haves, on top of the average cost of nearly £1,400 for travel, accommodation, food and alcohol.
Switch and go: insurance switching up dramatically
Car and home insurance customers have dumped over 9.2 million uncompetitive policies in the past six months as the insurance market sees a sharp increase in switching, according to MoneyExpert.com.
The cost of keeping up with the ‘Yummy mummies’
Britain’s new mums are collectively spending a staggering £6 billion a year to keep up with the perfect image of a ‘Yummy mummy’.
Employees spend more than 14 hours a month “social not-working”
We spend more than 14 hours a month, or 40 minutes of our working day, “social not-working”, according to new research from AXA.
Santa to trouser a third of our Christmas pay cheque
We are set to spend over £400 on Christmas presents this year, according to a survey by Fool.co.uk.
Men deeper in debt than women
Men seeking help to manage their finances have 20 per cent more debt than their female counterparts and can afford to repay less to their creditors each month as a percentage of their contractual debt repayments according to Chiltern.
Inflation - youngest and oldest still hit hardest
Although the official rate of inflation remained unchanged at 1.8% in September, our independent study reports a slight increase in the rate of inflation facing every single age group.
Savvy student ‘gappers’ prefer to earn cash
The days of students back-packing around the world during their gap year could soon be over – as more than half (54%) of school leavers considering a gap year would prefer to earn cash to support themselves at university over globe-trotting.
Plastic’s fantastic say Brits
Almost one million (918,000) image conscious British adults are planning to borrow a whopping £1.4 billion to pay for plastic surgery, according to the research from Abbey Loans.
Use your loaf and save at least £16m says Alliance & Leicester
Brits usually love a bargain but it seems almost 16 million (36%) of us are going against the grain by paying over the odds for basic household provisions.