Shopping in lockdown: Two in five people worried they’ve been spending too much!

• 37% say they’re shopping during lockdown to fill the time spent at home
• 41% of Brits say lockdown shopping has helped them feel more comfortable while being stuck at home
• Garden items, outdoor furniture and DIY spending has INCREASED during lockdown
• 36% haven’t updated their Home Insurance despite new lockdown purchases
• Tech devices have been our most important possessions during pandemic

New research[i] from Admiral home insurance has revealed that lockdown is no barrier to retail therapy, with one in five Brits confessing to splurging on new things to make lockdown at home more bearable.

Housebound Brits splashed out an average of £792 each on everything from craft equipment to garden furniture, technology to toys, which although technically non- essential, were deemed critical by some for the comfort of themselves and their families. Although clothes were the single most popular purchase, some splashed out on significantly more unusual items, including farmyard manure and a butter churner.

Despite many consumers having their income affected as a result of Covid-19, on average spending was only 9% lower in the two months after lockdown started, compared with the two months prior (average spend of £875 per person in the two months before lockdown).

One in five (20%) people admitted to spending more on themselves and their homes during lockdown than normal, justifying their shopping as helping make their home more comfortable during lockdown (41%), providing something to fill their time at home (37%) and ‘stopping them being bored’ (25%).