POUND NOTES
Christmas is tough on our wallets but we need to be wary and smart with our personal details when shopping for bargains online. A third of Brits admit they’ve risked their personal information when shopping online during the festive season. One in four say they have fallen victim to a scam, losing on average £152, according to a study by cyber safety experts Norton.
Asda has launched a £1 meal deal for over-60s as living costs spiral. The supermarket’s Winter Warmers offer includes soup, a roll and unlimited brews. The deal is available from Asda’s 205 cafes all day, every day throughout November and December. Asda’s co-owner Mohsin Issa said: “We know that this winter is set to be incredibly hard for thousands of pensioners as they worry about how to keep themselves warm in the face of rising living costs.”
Mortgage rates have surged to around 6% in recent weeks, meaning buyer demand has fallen by a third since the minibudget. Despite signs that rates will fall back, they are not expected to return to the rock bottom levels of recent years. Rates of 4% to 5% are likely to be the new norm, according to Zoopla. The biggest drop in new buyer interest has been in the South East and the West Midlands.
The cost-of-living crisis is putting women at a much greater financial risk than men, research shows. They are significantly closer to hitting the breadline after losing a job – just 14 days versus 28 days for men. The gender pay gap, which widened between 2020 and 2021, is to blame for women’s financial vulnerability, the Legal & General report states. Working women have a lower median annual personal income of £23,245, with men on £31,070 – and women are still far more likely to work parttime than men (31% versus 11%).