人in Milton Keynes vow to become thriftier with their spending post lockdown, survey shows

The way lockdown has changed spending habits has been revealed in a new survey.

And it's revealed 80% of Brits admit to wasting up to £3,600 a year on things they didn’t need pre-lockdown.

Now many people have vowed to continue being thrifty, according to the survey carried out bySmarty Mobile.Gym memberships and clothes are out and packed lunches and home improvements are in - but the nation will continue spending in the pub.

Some 82% of people surveyed said they were committed to making cuts and savings on unnecessary expenses post-lockdown.

"Old habits die hard, but lockdown has forced us to take a close look at life’s unnecessary extras," said a SMARTY spokesman.

Two in five (40%) have said they had a gym membership they don’t plan on re-instating and 40% of Brits will commit to eating at home more than going out. Over a quarter (26%) are going to bring packed lunch into work moving forward and 14% are saving on mobile phone extras they don’t need.

Not only has lockdown made the UK more conscious of the way they spend their hard-earned cash, but of how they spend their time. 43% said they will spend more time with people that are important to them and 41% said they will be spend more time doing things that matter, rather than things they feel they “have to do”.

The nation is embracing measures being lifted, with 34% of Brits ecstatic to return to a normal routine, with 32% citing being able to socialise with people outside of their household being what they are most excited about.

Since lockdown has lifted, Brits are also enjoying having a reason to no longer wear tracksuits (26%) and are ‘ready to get dressed up to the nines’ (22%) for their Friday/Saturday night plans.

When looking for a phone plan post-lockdown, thrifty Brits cited their most important factors as: having a great value plan (32%), plenty of data (27%), unlimited calls and texts (26%), complete transparency with costs and no hidden charges (23%) and not being tied down to lengthy contracts (23%).

Elsewhere, people have planned to save money on unnecessary expenses by keeping up park meets with 40% saying they will continue to go for a walk and have park catch ups rather than spending on going out. Over a quarter (27%) will only attend nights out they really care about and 32% will cut back spending on drinking alcohol.

The spokesman said: "With four out of five (80%) people admitting to wasting up to £3,600 a year on things they didn’t need pre-lockdown, it is time we re-evaluated where our hard-earned cash is going. With the average price per person spend of £855 per holiday, thrifty Brits could be saving on these unnecessary expenses and hitting the beach more than ever once travel restrictions lift instead. "

The research also revealed that the nation also learnt some valuable lessons from lockdown including 40% saying they have a renewed love for the NHS and 35% said they will prioritise their mental and physical health more than before.

Sayed Hajamaideen, Head of Marketing at SMARTY Mobile said: “We are interested to see that Brits are getting thriftier with their spending post-lockdown, especially when it comes to unnecessary spending on things that they don’t need to waste money on."