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Rainy day?

Toby Clark, head of finance at Mintel, said: “With unemployment continuing to rise and concerns about the health of the economy, those without a safety net could find they are financially exposed in the coming months. The accepted wisdom is that low interest rates are stopping people from saving, however we have found that it is only really an issue for the top end of the market and the reality is that meeting everyday costs and expenses is by far the largest savings barrier.”

When asked how they would generally describe their current financial situation, almost three in 10 consumers (28%) describe their conditions as tight, only just making ends meet. A further one in ten (8%) say they are really struggling, admitting they are in real danger of falling behind with bills or loan repayments. But those in the worst situation are the 4% of Britons who are in real trouble having missed loan repayments or household bills.

The largest proportion (42%) are those who feel that their financial situation is stable, but there is not a lot of money left by the time the basics are taken care of. Just 18% admit to being in a healthy financial position with money left at the end of the month for a few luxuries or to add to their savings.

The strains that the slowdown has put on the nation are showing. Over the past year, half (50%) of consumers have withdrawn from their savings, with lower income groups among the most likely to have taken funds from their savings. Around the same number (53%) admit that they can’t really save or invest at the moment.