There has been a significant shift in Britons’ saving behaviour as taking that first step onto the property ladder becomes priority, according to Birmingham Midshires.

Over the past six months young savers are starting to become more realistic about their future as the percentage of savers saving for ‘nothing in particular’ has fallen by 2%, showing they are now become more goal orientated.

Climbing onto the property ladder is now the main focus, with a quarter of savers aged 25 to 34 now saving for a property, compared with a fifth in July 2008.

Further research also shows that one in 10 British savers aged 35 to 44 are now saving for a deposit on a house, compared with 8% seven months ago. Although London is traditionally the home for those saving for a deposit, property markets in East Anglia and Wales stand to benefit from the new age saver. The percentage of people in Wales now saving for this particular goal has increased from six to 16% since July 2008.

Yet this is not the only big-ticket purchase that is inspiring young Britons to save. Financial circumstance are now influencing the likelihood of weddings as the percentage of people aged 25 to 34 saving for that special day has increased by 4% to 10%.

Tim Hague, director of savings at Birmingham Midshire, said: “This research shows a change in the mindset of Britons over the last seven months. One positive thing to come out of the current financial uncertainty may be a renewed understanding of the importance of saving money in advance of making big purchases. The need for people to prepare for their financial future is increasingly important.”

The survey reveals over 10 million adults intend to use their credit card in the first part of the year for daily purchases such as grocery shopping, reflecting the extent to which the credit crunch has impacted on people’s finances over the last year.

The research shows that 2.6 million people intend to spend even more on their credit cards than last year, with an average spend in January of £318. The trend of relying on credit to fund day-to-day spending is not unique to one particular social group and is affecting credit card holders across the UK.

Worryingly, the trend looks set to continue, with 4.1 million card holders planning to spend less on each purchase but use their cards more frequently for general living costs throughout the whole of 2009.

Post Office head of lending Az Alibhai said: “In the current climate, many people have little choice but to rely on their credit cards to fund more expensive purchases. However, what is worrying, is the trend for people to continue to rely on their cards for basic day-to-day purchases, which could be expensive if you only pay off the minimum amount on your credit card each month and have a high rate of interest.”

But it has also prompted one in five couples to talk more openly about their finances. This willingness to talk openly about money will almost certainly help the one in 10 couples who have seen the main breadwinner in their relationship change in the last twelve months.

Almost two-thirds of these couples have seen the main breadwinner change because one of them has either lost their job or had a pay cut, while over 39% have switched places following a new job, promotion or pay rise.

Carl Scheible, managing director of PayPal UK, said: “As the recession becomes reality, British couples are facing new challenges within their relationships. It’s good to see that difficult times are prompting us to talk about money, as it’s far easier to cope with financial worries when we’re open with each other about them.”

It could be argued there has never been a more important time to put money aside to help people prepare for an uncertain future which is why these results are a particular concern.

The research also revealed 46% of consumers save regularly, 31% save occasionally and 23% save nothing at all. Only a quarter of consumers think they save what they need to, with 60% admitting a shortfall.

Andy McQueen, savings director at Nationwide, said: “We are concerned about the number of consumers who are not saving at the moment, as a proportion think that now is a bad time to save. We understand that as household finances are stretched, saving can be a challenge but it’s never been more important to build up savings to act as a buffer in uncertain times.

“We think consumers may find it easier to save if they first considered the type of saver they think they are so they can create a savings plan that works for them and choose an account that’s right for their needs. Interest rates are lower than we have seen in the last few years, but it’s still just as important for people to regularly put money aside for a rainy day.”

The Building Societies Association has urged the Bank of England not to reduce its rate any further as recent swinging cuts are hurting savers.

Adrian Coles, director general of the BSA, said the cuts in interest rates, which have fallen rapidly from 5% at the beginning of October, had had a severe impact on savers.

He said: “The reductions, from 5.75pc prior to the run on Northern Rock in 2007 to 1.5pc, have seen incomes from savings drop by almost 75pc, although the full impact of the base rate cuts has not actually been passed on to many savers.”

The BSA, whose members account for more than a fifth of all mortgage lending and more than a fifth of all savings accounts, also pointed out that a rate cut would mean trouble for pensioners dependent on their interest income from their savings rather than their pension.

Mr Coles said: “Prices would have to fall by an unimaginable 75% for pensioners just to maintain their basic living standards.”

Falling interest rates have benefited borrowers with variable-rate mortgages, but the BSA said research had shown that mortgage availability was now a greater concern to borrowers than costs.

Typically, lenders favour lower interest rates as they make it cheaper to borrow and stimulate house buying. But Coles said the difficulty of saving a large enough deposit and obtaining a mortgage was now far more of a problem for potential house buyers than the cost of repaying the interest on their loans.

He said: “Mortgage availability, rather than the cost of mortgages, has become a more pressing issue over the past few months. This suggests that what is important to potential borrowers is maintaining the flow of mortgage funds to the market rather than reducing interest rates further.

“We need to ensure that those with at least some capacity to supply funds for mortgage lending – personal savers – are encouraged to do just that.”

Indeed it seems that something of a blitz spirit is emerging as more of us choose to do things with our loved ones in order to share or cut our daily costs. And it seems as though it’s paying off, with Britons reckoning that they can save a colossal £18bn, or £408 per person, by sharing the costs of living with friends and family.

According to Cahoot’s research 39% of Britons say that they’re spending more quality time at home with their nearest and dearest and less time out and about socialising. A further one-in-five say that they’re sharing more family mealtimes in a bid to shared food and cooking costs. Interestingly 18% say that they’re watching less TV in the evening to reduce electricity and TV subscription costs, with 6% choosing instead to revert to more classic forms of entertainment, such as a family board game or knitting.

But electricity is not the only utility that Britons are trying to conserve. One in 10 British households have taken to sharing bath water with family members, in order to reduce their gas and water bills.

Matthew Timms, head of Cahoot, said: “Interestingly it seems that the credit crunch is breeding something of a blitz spirit amongst British households. Staying in really has become the new going out as we seek to cut costs by conducting more shared activities inside the home with family and friends.

“Cahoot online baking allows its customers the convenience of 24-hour internet banking, with secure e-mail contact and texts alerts, you really can meet all your banking needs without having to leave the house.”

The life assistance company has revealed that ‘cardholder not present’ and counterfeit fraud could rise this month, as one in four bars and restaurants compromise their customers’ card security.

Nearly three quarters of patrons reported staff taking credit and debit cards out of sight, almost a half being placed within access of colleagues and over a third even placing cards in view and easy reach of other customers.

With half of the UK planning to pay for Christmas celebrations by card this year and the average card having up to £1,200 in credit or debit available, the cost of festive fraud could leave the victim considerably out of pocket. As a result, 90% of cardholders are calling for it to be made illegal for bar and restaurant staff to take cards out of sight to process payments, or run a tab.

Three-quarters of people have also called for establishments to sign up to a code of conduct that would ensure regulation and protect consumers’ card details.

Danny Harrison, card fraud expert at CPP, said: “It’s at this time of year when we’re out celebrating that it’s natural to let our guard down. Cardholder not present and counterfeit fraud is a growing problem in the UK, costing £250m in January to June - up 19% from the same time last year, so customers really need to be careful with their cards and think twice before handing them over.

“Remember, it only takes seconds for fraudsters to clone or skim a card, or even to write down your card numbers. Often the first that a victim knows about fraud is when they look at their statement - not the kind of hangover that any of us want to start the New Year with.”

CPP urges consumers to check receipts against statements and to not let staff take cards out of sight.

Despite the expectation that savings levels might drop this autumn, the British population managed to maintain the amount of money set aside with saving levels averaging 6.4% of income in both summer and autumn 2008.

The population’s longer term savings behaviour seems to be more of a concern, as the average amount saved as a percentage of income has declined. The amount saved as a percentage of income has fallen every autumn since 2005 (7.16%) to its lowest autumn figure (6.4%) since the quarterly savings survey began - in contrast, income levels have steadily increased.

The survey suggests that this decline may continue; 45% of the population think that they are less likely to set money aside in the coming three months, compared to 33% this time last year. Still, over the next year a quarter of people say they are more likely to save money.

Regular savers remain committed, however, increasing the amount that they put away. This quarter it is more than 17% higher than autumn 2004 (£191.50 from £163.40), almost double the percentage increase in average income, 8.9%. While this is positive, it is a concern that the amount in pounds set aside by regular savers dipped from summer (£193.07) to autumn 2008 (£191.50).

Dax Harkins, senior savings strategist from NS&I, said: “It is encouraging that in these uncertain times the population has managed to keep steady the percentage of income it set aside earlier in the year. However, the downward trend in savings over time is worrying as more than a third of savers currently do not have enough in savings to cover an emergency. It is now more important than ever both to take control of spending and to have an emergency fund set aside.”