Cash-strapped Britain: Millions of shoppers borrow just to stay alive as they use credit for groceries

From The Daily Mail UK: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109983/Cash-strapped-Britain-Millions-shoppers-borrow-just-stay-alive-use-credit-groceries.html

• One in four people used their savings to buy household essentials while one in five needed to borrow money to afford groceries
• Only 43 per cent feel they can afford to live on their salaries and 36 per cent admit to finding things difficult financially
• Money worries led to a third suffering from anxiety and a fifth admitted feeling depressed in the Which? survey

By Suzannah Hills

4th March 2012

More than half of Britons cannot cope on their current salaries with one in five forced to borrow money to buy groceries and other household essentials because of the soaring cost of living, a new survey revealed today.

One in four people revealed they've had to use their savings to buy food or other daily essentials while one in five have gone into debt to do this.

Another 10 per cent said they could envisage needing to borrow buy food in the future.

Only 43 per cent currently feel they can afford to live on their current income while 36 per cent have admitted to finding things difficult - twice the proportion who were struggling in 2006.

It comes off the back of soaring food costs with the price of supermarket staples up across the board.

Carrots and cucumbers, for example, are up 20 per cent more this year while the key elements of a good bolognese, beef mince and tomato sauce, are up a third in a year.

Consumer group Which? surveyed 2,094 UK adults and carried out 20 in-depth interviews to look in to the impact the economic downturn is having on everyday Britons.

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