Brits to Spend £2.5 Billion Replacing Household Items That Could be Saved This Christmas

· Oust launches ‘We Can Save It’ initiative to help Brits save this winter
· 29% of Brits said products being replaced could be saved
· 43% of Brits are in debt
· 33% struggling to afford Christmas and 29% anxious about costs over festive period

December 2020: UK: Today Oust, the descaling solution, launches its ‘We Can Save it’ initiative, to help Brits save money this winter following the pandemic. This follows new research revealing that Brits are expected to spend £2.5 billion scrapping and replacing household goods over the festive period*, as retail sales drive Brits into consumption. 29% of Brits said products being replaced could be saved, and 43% of Brits are currently in debt. Oust has worked with experts from all over the UK to offer free advice to Brits to help them save money and on waste this season.

With British households expected to rack up debts worth a combined £6 billion over the next year because of the coronavirus crisis, a third (33%) of the population admitted that they are struggling to afford Christmas this year and more than a quarter (29%) said that the cost of Christmas is causing them anxiety. 14% said they feel pressure to spend money at this time of year, and more than one in ten (11%) said they are still in debt from Christmas 2019.

Despite this, the survey reveals that Brits are set to be scrapping and replacing a wide range of household items, with clothing topping the list (55%), followed by large and small domestic appliances (51%), toys (38%), and kitchen sets (31%). A quarter 25% admitted that deals and discounts are the main motivation for buying new household items over the festive season, with 25% buying new household goods to replace items they don’t know how to repair.

With COVID-19 fuelling the worst economic plunge for 300 years with huge spikes in unemployment, a third of Brits (33%) said their finances have been negatively impacted during the pandemic and 43% claim this has led them into debt.

To help Brits save for the festive period and beyond, Oust has launched its ‘We Can Save It’ initiative, with advice from top experts on waste, tackling limescale, finances, energy, repairs, electrics, plumbing and home upcycling (and more), which has been carefully created into a free downloadable booklet here.

Claudia Berto, a spokesperson at Oust, comments: “Each year Oust helps Brits save their appliances by tackling limescale which increases during winter months, however, this year we have also partnered with other experts to create the ‘We Can Save It’ advice booklet, following the pandemic. Whether it’s taking better care of household items to increase their lifespan or turning the heating down a notch or two, simple changes at home can go a long way to help reduce costs and waste.”

For more information about Oust’s ‘We Can Save It’ initiative and to download the digital guide from experts with handy tips on how to save money around the home, visit here.

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