These are the 30 things that Brits most resent paying for
Relatable.
Relatable.
Be honest - have you ever popped to the toilet as the bill arrived to get out of paying your share? Or maybe you've pretended to put money in the envelope for your colleague's birthday collection?
Peer to peer company Zopa conducted a study to find out what we wish we didn't have to pay for - and the results are pretty interesting.
Researchers took an in-depth look into the products, services and people we feel most insulted paying for, with the TV licence - costing £150 a year - coming top of the list.
In fact, of the 2000 Brit participants, seven in ten said they get wound up by things in their life they paying for, with the average adult shelling out £270 a month on things we feel we have no choice in splashing out on.
Alongside the TV licence, the study showed 14% of us feel infuriated when forking out for tiny portions in trendy restaurants, 22% are irked by the cost of carrier bags in supermarkets, and 23% are unhappy about parking tickets.
Oh, and (unsurprisingly) paying for sanitary products was a problem for a fifth of participants.
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
What else grinds our gears? Having to buy food and drinks on a plane bothered 12% and birthday presents for work colleagues annoyed 10%.
So why the resentment? Apparently, 41% insisted everything is just so expensive these days while 35% claim it feels like they are being ripped off. One in ten of those involved in the study even admitted they've pretended to have left their wallet or purse at home during a meal so they didn't have to pay. The same number of participants hold the pub door open for friends so they're last at the bar - therefore avoiding buying a round. Sneaky.
Clare Gambardella, Chief Customer Officer, at Zopa, said: 'Life is full of moments where you reach for your wallet and either feel happy, or potentially a bit resentful.
'As the FeelGood Money company, we’re all about helping our customers to feel better about their money and while we can’t stop people having to make payments that they would rather not, we can offer fairer, easier financial products to put people in control of their finances.'
But what are the things we really resent paying for?
TOP 30 THINGS WE RESENT PAYING FOR
TV licence - 34%
Delivery charges - 31%
Electricity bills - 27%
Overdraft charges - 26%
Gas bills - 23%
Parking tickets - 23%
Carrier bags - 22%
VAT - 22%
Prescription charges - 20%
Sanitary products - 20%
MOT/Servicing for your car - 18%
Mobile phone bills - 18%
Data roaming charges - 17%
Speeding fines - 15%
Fixing the boiler - 15%
Trendy restaurants (with small portions) - 14%
Broadband - 13%
Home insurance - 13%
Drinks/food on a plane - 12%
Toilet roll - 11%
Birthday presents for people in the office - 10%
Holiday insurance -10%
Replacement school uniforms - 10%
New batteries - 10%
Gym fees - 9%
Your mortgage - 8%
Dry cleaning - 8%
A round of drinks in the pub - 7%
Presents for the in-laws - 7%
Childcare - 6%
Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.