People 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 by Smarty 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."