Discount-hunting shoppers saving £1,000 every year as nearly half of people rely on finding bargains

By Daily Mail Reporter

Britons have always loved finding a bargain. But tough economic times seem to have turned a hobby into an obsession.
So many of us are taking advantage of discount vouchers, special offers and freebies that the average adult is saving £1,196 a year.
The total saved by such deals comes to an astonishing £51billion a year, according to a survey.
It found that nine out of ten adults are active in the ‘freeconomy’, using money-off vouchers or looking for deals, with almost half (42 per cent) saying they rely on bargains because money is now so tight.
Virtually everyone who responded to the survey said they were not embarrassed to use discounts. Deals on eating out are the top target for saving money, followed by holidays and flights.
However, bargain hunting is causing friction in some families. Nine per cent of adults  say they get annoyed when their partner pays full price, and 7 per cent say they think their other half pays too much for things.

Twelve per cent admit haggling to make sure the price is right while 20 per cent say they rarely buy anything at full price and 15 per cent refuse to pay over the odds.
The scale of bargain hunting has changed perceptions, with only 1 per cent of adults saying they are too embarrassed to use discounts.

Even fewer (0.5 per cent) would look down on those who look for bargains.
Indeed, it seems that getting a good deal is now a social activity, with 44 per cent of  us sharing discounts with our friends and 7 per cent even competing to see who can  save the most.
More than half (53 per cent) save on restaurants, takeaways and fast food. A further 38 per cent look to save on holidays, and a quarter on flights. As a result of money-off codes, 27 per cent admit they can now do things that they otherwise never would.

The benefits go further with 27 per cent saying they use money-off vouchers to help  buy better presents for family and friends. And while it may once have been taboo to take advantage of a special offer on a date, now 9 per cent are happy to do so.
The convenience of voucher websites appears to be fuelling the ‘freeconomy’ as 36million Britons head online to get money off.
Many are ‘bartering on the job’ with one in five adults confessing to hunting money-off deals while at work.
Lindsay Forster of Halifax Home Insurance, which carried out the survey of 2,000 adults, said: ‘The recent downturn has made us more careful about what we spend and more savvy in searching for savings. Getting a good deal matters.

‘People now quite rightly expect a good deal and feel comfortable shopping and  even bartering to make sure they get the best price whether for a meal, a flight or even insurance.’
The growing popularity of money-off vouchers comes at a time when every essential household bill – including food, petrol, energy and rail fares – is going up, leaving millions of families struggling to cope.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics earlier this month showed that the annual rate of inflation hit 4.4 per  cent in July, up from 4.2 per cent in June.
It is predicted to reach 5 per cent within months.
Food bills were 5.8 per cent higher than a year ago, while the car is becoming an unaffordable luxury at typically more than £75 to fill the tank.