Spending Habits
Brits hit the high street for Bank Holiday getaway
Most British travellers wait until 10 days before their summer break to start their holiday shopping, which means that today, Thursday 16th August, will be one of the busiest travel shopping days of the year, according to new research.
UK holidays good for the environment but bad for the pocket
The National Consumer Council (NCC) today calls for collective action on climate change by urging government, business and regulators to address the domestic tourist industry and make UK destinations more attractive and better value for consumers.
Sharp falls in inflation for all age groups
The rate of inflation facing all age groups fell during July as falling food and furniture prices reduced overall inflation, according to the Alliance Trust’s monthly 'Age and Inflation' report.
UK inflation rate falls to 1.9% in July
Consumer price inflation (CPI) was 1.9 per cent in July, down from 2.4 per cent in June, according to latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Holidaymakers go further as China becomes new hotspot
China is one of the new destination hotspots for 2007, with thousands of holidaymakers enjoying package holidays to the coast since they were launched earlier this year.
Football fans go into extra time
The Premiership is back and fans will be going into extra time spending an average 15.8 hours a week following the game, new research from Virgin Money shows. After a summer trying to be interested in cricket, tennis or the Tour de France fans will be going back to work this weekend.
Gamblers are dicing with debt
Millions of gamblers are playing a dangerous game with 21 per cent of the nation’s monthly gambling funded through debt or by eating into savings, according to shock new research from MoneyExpert.com.
Leeds offers best value in university cost-of-living index
As A-Level and Highers students wait to hear if they’ve achieved the grades required for university places, The Royal Bank of Scotland unveils the Student Living Index 2007 – a league table which ranks Britain’s major university towns by cost-of-living.
Affluent classes see earnings grow twice as fast as prices
The "affluent" or so called "middle" classes have prospered over the past decade, according to research from Halifax Financial Services.
Are you Britain’s best deal hunter?
AA Insurance is today launching a competition to find Britain’s Best Deal Hunter: someone who can spot a steal from miles away; always drives a hard bargain and can give any estate agent or salesman a run for their money. Whether it’s doing the weekly supermarket shop or buying a car, this person knows the cheapest way to do it.
What price happiness? £10,000 a year apparently
Happiness costs us over £496 billion per year, according to research from Abbey Current Accounts. The average Brit spends £10,801 per year on leisure pursuits including holidays, gadgets, beauty, hobbies and socialising - which equates to around £29 per day.
Scots pay less for holidays but top for spending money
UK regions have very different spending habits when it comes to holidays, according to research by M&S Travel Money. How much currency travellers take with them, and what they spend it on, varies across the nation depending on where we live.
Holiday hagglers save £3.5 billion abroad annually
Whether we’re buying straw donkeys or sombreros, electrical goods or fridge magnets, we’re a nation of holiday haggling pros according to new research from AA Insurance.
Consumer confidence crashes in London
Consumer credit confidence fell sharply in the second quarter of 2007, according to the Personal Credit Index from CreditExpert.co.uk. The Index, which measures financial confidence as a simple, single figure, slumped by four points (from 100 to 96) – the largest quarterly fall so far recorded.
Brits still paying for last year’s summer holiday
Summer holidays may only last two weeks – but paying for them takes a lot longer, new MoneyExpert.com research reveals. Its research shows around 1.4 million holidaymakers are still paying interest on debts run up on their 2006 summer break.