British people love to spend cash again, just to remind themselves to "save money"! What's going on?

The bank staff found that there was a clear upward trend in the amount of cash withdrawals, and thus deduced that British people tend to use cash to pay bills, so that they can control the relevant budget and not let themselves be careless. Just spent all the money. When you pay with your mobile phone or credit card, you feel that money is just a number, and your bank card becomes zero before you know it. When using cash, you feel that money is very precious, and you will no longer buy things unscrupulously.

It is easy to overspend when paying with a credit card, because credit cards have a large limit, and most people don’t pay attention to how much their limit is. They will swipe their card to purchase as long as they encounter something. But cash is only a certain amount. When you pay, you will find that your money is relatively small. It is only very likely that you will put the things back to their original places and will not continue to buy them. British people will take out cash and put it into a jar and tell themselves that it is money for food and money for transportation. This can create a sense of urgency and stop spending lavishly.

The use of cash in the UK has been declining before, and the epidemic has accelerated this trend, but now the use of cash has increased significantly. Relevant departments said that it may be caused by the cost of living crisis. Because they know that they don’t have much money, they want to restrict their consumption. Prices of energy, food and other commodities in the UK have risen sharply, which has worsened people's financial crisis. Relevant staff also said that people are indeed living on a budget, and many people have become more dependent on cash so that they can control their budget and not spend more money.

Some people have a forward-looking view of consumption and like to spend future money, so they are not suitable for using mobile phones or credit cards to pay. However, most people are relatively diligent and frugal and do not spend too much money. Using mobile phones to pay will not let their wages be spent quickly.

Number of credit card holders in the United States and the United Kingdom

White House data shows that there are 173 million credit card users in the United States, and the United States holds approximately 1.5 billion credit cards, with per capita card holders exceeding 8

According to statistics from the British Financial Card Association, in 2008, there were 168.7 million financial cards used by the British, including 76.3 million debit cards, 66.1 million credit cards, and 1,940 ATM cards. Thousands of sheets. The average British cardholder has 3.6 bank cards, of which credit and debit card holders each have 2.3. In 2008, 30.2 million people in the UK used credit and debit cards, accounting for 62% of the total adult population. Among them, 20.5 million cardholders used their cards to make purchases at least once a month.

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British Customs

British Life Customs

Nowadays, British people pay more attention to the quality of life and pursue spiritual enjoyment. Dress formally for important occasions and pursue simple and comfortable clothing at ordinary times. The diet is simple and pays attention to nutrition. The British climate is mild and humid, and British people love sunshine. I usually like to do housework by myself, love sports, and like to travel and vacation. In addition, British people are very fond of cultural activities, such as reading books and periodicals, writing articles, listening to concerts, watching theater, etc. They also like to keep pets.

Aspects of British life

1. Numbers in life

In the UK, adults engage in full-time work or full-time education for an average of 22 hours a week, and spend the same amount of time time spent on housework. The gender of people engaged in housework is still highest among women. But more and more women are participating in the workforce. According to the latest statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, 45% of women participate in the workforce. Women account for half of the non-manual work sector. In the service industry, women account for more than half, which can be said to be "half the sky"!

British household consumption increased by 75% between 1990 and 1997 (including inflation). In the second quarter of 1998, it increased by 2.8% compared with 1997. Its consumption pattern has also undergone great changes. In 1997, residents' consumption of durable goods for entertainment and education increased by 10%. Its expenditures include the purchase of radios, televisions, telephones, computers and other durable goods. This part of consumption is also used to rent video recorders and music tapes, purchase cultural and sports supplies, and invest in education.

In 1997, general commodities increased by 4.4%, but individual commodities such as food, alcohol, and fuel all declined to varying degrees. The largest decline was found in cigarettes.

It can be seen that the current lifestyle of the British pays more attention to the quality of life, pursues spiritual enjoyment, and gradually gets rid of bad living habits, such as smoking and alcoholism.

2. Pursue a simple and comfortable life

The suit can still be called the British national dress. However, although office workers wear suits and ties, and even on important occasions, men wear tuxedos. Women wear low-cut evening dresses, but many people like to wear casual clothes every day, which are simple, comfortable and fit.

British people also have simple eating habits and pay attention to nutrition. Breakfast is usually oatmeal with milk or a glass of juice, toast with butter, bacon or fried sausages, and eggs. At noon, the children had lunch at school, and the adults bought a sandwich and a cup of coffee near their work place to kill things. Only on weekends will the British have a rich meal. Usually the main course is meat, such as grilled chicken, roast beef, grilled fish, etc. There are many varieties of vegetables, such as cabbage, fresh peas, potatoes, carrots, etc. Vegetables are generally no longer processed, put on a plate, and eaten with ready-made seasonings bought from the supermarket. After the main course, there is always an easy-to-digest sweet dish, such as boiled fruit, fruit pudding, cheese, ice cream, etc.

3. Parks and Green Spaces

The British climate is mild and humid. It is suitable for the growth of various flowers, plants and trees all year round. When the government formulates urban planning, almost every residential area has a large green space or park specially planned for people to rest or take a walk, and to provide space for children to play.

Due to the rainy and foggy winter, the sun in summer becomes particularly valuable for the British. On sunny weekends and holidays, parks and beaches are filled with people enjoying the sun. Some British people consider it fashionable to tan their skin to a shiny brown color.

4. DIY

British people like to repair their houses, make furniture, decorate rooms and garden by themselves on weekends and holidays. Even making your own ceramic crafts, you can do almost anything. This is not just for economic reasons, but as a means of cultivating personal skills, cultivating personal sentiments, and as part of a leisurely lifestyle. By DIY, you can make your home more comfortable and more personalized.

5. Love sports

According to the latest statistics from the British Office of National Statistics, between 1996 and 1997, 72% of male citizens and 57% of female citizens accounted for 4% of the total population. During the week, participate in at least one sport. Teenagers participate in sports activities outside school at higher rates.

Among the many sports, cycling, playing football, playing snooker, playing tennis, swimming and roller skates are the hobbies of many men and women. And walking two miles or more every day has always been a popular exercise.

6. Colorful holidays

For most British people, traveling every year for vacation, no matter how long it takes, at home or abroad, is essential in life. According to a survey by the British Tourism Agency, in 1996, a total of 59 million British residents took a vacation of four nights or more, exceeding the total population of the United Kingdom. In 1997, the number of British residents who took a vacation of more than one night away from home reached 7,080 Ten thousand.

In addition to tourism, the British have even more diverse entertainment and recreational programs on weekends, Bank Day, Easter and other various holidays: elegant cinemas, concert halls, opera houses and summer open-air The concert has prepared a variety of programs for people of different walks of life, ages and tastes. A large number of museums and historical sites provide people with the best places to relax.

7. Hungry readers

In the UK’s 242,500 square kilometers of land, there are about 5,000 libraries and reading rooms (including more than 300 professional libraries and academic libraries). ). No matter day or night, the library is always packed. People who borrow books, check information, browse newspapers, and write articles include students, the elderly, company employees, and even workers. Many libraries and reading rooms provide IT.

8. The world of "cards"

Cards are indispensable in modern British life: ￡ credit cards, debit cards, store shopping cards, car fuel cards, security door magnetic cards, Phone cards, etc., all kinds of things.

According to incomplete statistics, in 1997, the UK issued about 38 million credit cards and about 37 million charge cards with ATM machines (a total of 23,200 by the end of 1997). Such staggering figures indicate that checks and cash are increasingly being replaced by "cards". In July 1998, the major banks in the UK announced that they would start using new cards with more information, more complete functions and more security in 1999, and gradually replace the current credit and debit cards.

In addition, major super shopping malls, large department stores, and specialty stores also issue "prize shopping cards", that is, when customers accumulate a certain amount of consumption, they can get different forms of merchants' rewards. Rewards: such as free vacation tickets, free shopping coupons, regular mailings of product advertisements and price reduction news. This kind of prize promotion attracts residents: usually, residents hold "prize shopping cards" to buy daily necessities and fashionable clothing. Over time, this kind of shopping card really brings some benefits to consumers.

9. A paradise for pets

British people like to keep one or even multiple pets at home. According to the latest official statistics, half of the households in the UK have 7.2 million cats, 6.6 million dogs, 1.4 million rabbits, 600,000 guinea pigs and 30 million ornamental fish.

10. Developed Network

In 2000, according to the 2000 International Benchmarking Study (2000) conducted by the British Department of Trade and Industry, by the fourth quarter of 2000, the United Kingdom The number of online small and medium-sized enterprises has reached 1.7 million, an increase of 54% from 1.1 million in 1999, achieving the government's goal of "1.5 million online small and medium-sized enterprises in 2002" two years ahead of schedule.

Today, there are more than 300 Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the UK, the largest of which is Freeserver. Freeserver was founded by Dixons in 1998 and has 1.3 million network users. Currently, there are 13 million Internet users in the UK, accounting for 22% of the total population. This proportion is much higher than that of other major European countries. In 1999, among major European countries, the annual growth rate of the Internet was 280% in the United Kingdom, 220% in Denmark, 215% in France, 210% in the Netherlands, 200% in Germany and Norway, 185% in Spain, and 170% in Sweden. , Finland 160%, Italy 145%. British people often say that the British economy has become a network-oriented network economy. In fact, the Internet has already penetrated into every aspect of British economic life. Compared with major European and American countries, the online rate of middle schools in the UK is 90%, and the online rate of primary schools is 68%. By the end of 1999, the online rate of British adults was 45%, of which 20% used the Internet at work and 14% at home. In 1999, British consumers spent US$700 million on online shopping, and in 2000, it reached US$800 million.

At present, the online rate of small and medium-sized enterprises in European countries reaches 53%, while the online rate of small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK is as high as 68%. Today, UK companies have world-class connectivity: 81% more UK businesses are online this year than in 1999, an annual growth rate of 63%.

Among EU countries, IT products and services account for an average of 2.26% of each country’s GDP; while UK IT products and services account for 3.24% of GDP.

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Lifestyle Customs

Travel and Entertainment

Lifestyle Customs

Social Welfare

Working in the UK

Overview of Britain

British National System

British Transportation

Nowadays, British people pay more attention to the quality of life and pursue spiritual enjoyment. Dress formally for important occasions and pursue simple and comfortable clothing at ordinary times. The diet is simple and pays attention to nutrition. The British climate is mild and humid, and British people love sunshine. I usually like to do housework by myself, love sports, and like to travel and vacation. In addition, British people are very fond of cultural activities, such as reading books and periodicals, writing articles, listening to concerts, watching theater, etc. They also like to keep pets.

1. Changes in life

In the UK, adults spend an average of 22 hours a week in full-time work or full-time education, and spend the same amount of time doing housework. The gender of those engaged in housework is still women, but more and more women are participating in the workforce. According to the latest statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, 45% of women participate in the workforce. In the non-manual work sector, women make up half, while in the service sector, women make up more than half.

In recent years, the consumption pattern of British households has undergone great changes. Residents’ spending on entertainment and education continues to increase. Its expenditures include the purchase of radios, televisions, telephones, computers and other durable goods. At the same time, this part of consumption is also used to rent video recorders and music tapes, purchase cultural and sports supplies, and invest in education. In other words, the current lifestyle of the British pays more attention to the quality of life, pursues spiritual enjoyment, and gradually gets rid of bad living habits, such as smoking, alcoholism, etc.

2. Pursue a simple and comfortable life

The suit can be called the British national dress. However, although office workers wear suits and ties, and even on important occasions, men wear tuxedos. , ladies wear low-cut evening dresses, but many people like to wear casual clothes every day, which are simple, comfortable and fit.

British people also have simple eating habits and pay attention to nutrition. Breakfast is usually oatmeal with milk or a glass of juice, toast with butter, bacon or fried sausages, and eggs. At noon, the children had lunch at school, and the adults bought a sandwich and a cup of coffee near their work place to kill things. Only on weekends will the British have a rich meal. Usually the main course is meat, such as grilled chicken, roast beef, grilled fish, etc. There are many varieties of vegetables, like cabbage, fresh peas, potatoes, carrots, etc. Vegetables are generally no longer processed, put on a plate, and eaten with ready-made seasonings bought from the supermarket. After the main course, there is always an easy-to-digest sweet dish, such as boiled fruit, fruit pudding, cheese, ice cream, etc.

3. Parks and Green Spaces

The UK has a mild and humid climate, which is suitable for the growth of various flowers, plants and trees throughout the year. When the government formulates urban planning, almost every residential area has a large green space or park specially planned for people to rest or take a walk, and to provide space for children to play. Because winters are rainy and foggy, summer sun is particularly valuable to the British. On sunny weekends and holidays, parks and beaches are filled with people enjoying sunbathing. It is even fashionable for British people to tan their skin to a shiny brown color.

4. DIY

British people like to repair their houses, make furniture, decorate rooms, garden, and even make ceramic crafts by themselves during weekends and holidays. They can do almost anything. . This is not just for economic reasons, but as a way of cultivating personal skills, cultivating personal sentiments, and a leisurely lifestyle. By DIY, you can make your home more comfortable and more personalized.

5. Love sports

According to the latest statistics from the British Office of National Statistics, 72% of male citizens and 57% of female citizens of the total population have at least participated in sports within 4 weeks. A sport. Teenagers participate in sports activities outside school at higher rates. Among the many sports, cycling, playing football, tennis, swimming and roller skating are the hobbies of many men and women. Walking two miles or more every day has always been a popular exercise. .

6. Colorful holidays

For most British people, traveling every year for vacation, no matter how long it takes, at home or abroad, is essential in life. In addition to traveling, British people have even more colorful entertainment and entertainment programs on weekends, Bank Day, Easter and other various holidays. Cinemas, concert halls, opera houses and summer open-air concerts with elegant environments have prepared a variety of programs for people of different walks of life, ages and tastes. A large number of museums and scenic spots and historic sites provide people with the best places to relax.

7. Hungry Readers

In the UK’s 242,500 square kilometers of land, there are about 5,000 libraries and reading rooms (including more than 300 professional libraries and academic libraries). ). No matter day or night, the library is always packed. People who borrow books, check information, browse newspapers, and write articles include students, the elderly, company employees, and even workers.

8. The world of "cards"

Cards are inseparable from modern British life: credit cards, charge cards, store shopping cards, car fuel cards, security door magnetic cards, phone cards Wait, there are all kinds of them.

9. Developed Internet

Today, there are more than 300 Internet service providers in the UK. There are 13 million Internet users in the UK, accounting for 10% of the population. 22% of the total, which is much higher than other major European countries. In 2003, among major European countries, the annual growth rate of the Internet was 280% in the United Kingdom, 220% in Denmark, 215% in France, 210% in the Netherlands, 200% in Germany and Norway, 185% in Spain, and 170% in Sweden. , Finland 160%, Italy 145%. British people often say that the British economy has become a network-oriented network economy. In fact, the Internet has already penetrated into every aspect of British economic life. Compared with major European and American countries, the online rate of British middle schools is 90% and the online rate of primary schools is 68%. Currently, the online rate of small and medium-sized enterprises in European countries is 53%, while the online rate of small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK is as high as 68%. Today, UK companies have world-class connectivity.

Can I ask about the handling fee for British credit cards?

British credit cards do not require handling fees. British regulations prohibit banks from charging additional handling fees to credit card or debit card consumers. After the implementation of this move, it will save the British people hundreds of millions of pounds in daily expenses every year. The promulgation of this regulation is also in line with EU standards.

For more information about British credit card processing fees, go to: View more content

Do British people teach their children well?

As for moral education, everyone believes that it should start from childhood. How to catch it? Some basic concepts in the UK seem to be quite different from ours, so there may be some reference points.

1. Children are not blank sheets of paper. When I was a child, I memorized Chairman Mao's quotations: "A blank sheet of paper has no burden, so it is easy to write the latest and most beautiful words and draw the latest and most beautiful pictures." Later, everyone has been spreading rumors about this. It means that children are like blank sheets of paper. Whatever adults teach them will determine what they will look like in the future. A British friend said that the West also had a "blank slate" theory in the past, believing that all children were "TABULARASA" (Latin, meaning blank state). But now, scientific research has proven that when children come into this world, they are already partially inherited. The "blank slate theory" is an oversimplified view and is outdated in the West.

2. Honesty is not an isolated moral character. British schools generally do not offer special moral education courses, but they offer elective courses on various major religious beliefs in the world, including Buddhism and Taoism. This course is considered to be very important for the cultivation of children's moral character and conscience. Not only that, most British schools organize class discussions every week, selecting some things that happen in school or society, allowing children to express their opinions, discuss them together, and understand and judge right and wrong by themselves.

Group games are also an important way to teach children to consider and consider others and how to cooperate with their peers. British schools also generally encourage children to raise small animals, organize students to chat with the elderly in nursing homes, raise funds for charity organizations, and participate in other public welfare or environmental protection activities to cultivate children's love and social interaction skills. In the view of British educators, honesty is not an isolated virtue, but is closely linked to self-respect and respect for others, as well as the love of life and nature.

3. Morality does not depend on teaching. According to reports, moral education in British primary and secondary schools is not called moral education, but called "personal social health education", or "socialization process" (SOCIALIZATION PROCESS). The purpose It is not about letting children set up lofty ideals or strive to be heroes who sacrifice themselves for others, but let them understand the basic principles of daily life, how to deal with the relationship between people and between people and the environment, and how to be self-disciplined to integrate into society and become a member of society. . Its core moral concepts are four: respect for life, fairness, honesty, and trustworthiness. The British also have a concept that "morality is infected, not taught." This "infection" and "infection with a cold" are the same usage of the same verb (CATCH). This is reflected in the moral education in British primary and secondary schools, which does not require children to memorize moral principles, but requires children to understand and understand ethics and morals from the depths of their hearts and from their daily lives.

4. Don’t be indifferent about winning or losing, but enjoy the process. So, how to prevent students from cheating? The answer is simple: it is the teacher's responsibility to teach every student the basic idea that if you cheat to win, you have already lost. Teachers are not teaching students to learn from Lao Zhuang's detachment and be indifferent to the results of winning and losing. On the contrary, in British schools, the word "winning or losing" is always talked about because there are many kinds of competitions and they are full of students' school life. But precisely because there are so many competitions, every student has the opportunity to appreciate the message the teacher wants to convey: You will win, but you won’t win every time. Everyone wins sometimes and loses sometimes. What matters is Enjoy the process of participation and the most important thing is to do what you want to do.

What many Chinese immigrants to the UK feel most deeply is that British people often choose to do what they like to do in life, even if it is not trendy or fashionable. I want fame, fortune, and wealth, but the most important thing is that this is what my heart likes and what my nature is.

5. Don’t hinder others. There is another point that must be mentioned in British social and moral education, that is, children should be taught to take care of themselves from an early age, and at the same time, be careful not to hinder others. This is actually the distinction between public morality and private morality, which some people call “moral requirements for strangers.” British primary schools attach great importance to cultivating children's independent abilities. Personal hygiene, tidying up school supplies, etc. are all within the scope of moral education. Confucius said: "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you." The West actually has a very similar but perhaps more positive saying: treat others how you want others to treat you. This way of thinking permeates every aspect of British society. Take traffic rules as an example: Why can’t you turn on the rear fog lights when visibility is good? Why do others need to change their high beam to low beam when overtaking? When driving, if you consider the situation of others and the dangers it may bring to other road users, it also means considering your own driving safety. The British traffic regulations embody this unexplained truth everywhere.

6. Ideals don’t have to be lofty. The British person I met for the first time was a teacher named Robert Lee who taught writing in the Thomson Advanced English Journalism Class of Xinhua News Agency a few years ago. He said that when he was a child, his dream was to be a truck driver. So, he worked for a transportation company as soon as he graduated from high school, and realized his dream at the age of 17! He drove a truck around Europe, changed jobs when he came back, found a newspaper, worked from the bottom, and went to night school to study journalism on his own. He realized many of his life ideals! I was dumbfounded as I listened below. I feel ashamed that it was the first time I thought about it. It turns out that ideals may not be permanent, they may have more than one, and they may not be the ultimate goal of life or mankind. The ideal is so easy to realize! When he met Robert, he was almost in his prime. He never felt that his dream of being a truck driver was small. On the contrary, he had a sense of accomplishment when he realized his dream at the age of 17, and he looked intoxicated when he recalled it.

In contrast, I feel that the ideals I was instilled in me when I was a child, such as being a scientist, are so inconsistent with my intellectual structure that I have lost the motivation to strive to realize my ideals since I was a child. Simply think that ideals are ideas that have little to do with real life. Until now, when I talk about ideals, my first reaction is still those distant ideas.

7. Integrity cannot entirely rely on conscious education. Many British people do not believe in the sayings left by our ancestors that "people are born with good nature" and also doubt the moral function of education. Rather, they believe that law can change social values ??and cultural traditions. The most obvious example is that in the 1950s, many British pubs did not allow black people to enter, which was later banned by legislation. Today, not only is it considered unthinkable to prohibit black people from entering public places, but a black woman (Amos) was also appointed by Prime Minister Blair as the leader of the House of Lords and the head of the British aristocracy in early October! There wasn't even a murmur in the newspapers. But this does not mean that there is no racial discrimination in the UK. On the contrary, many white people still discriminate against people of color, but they will not show it openly because they know that this is "politically incorrect".

One British person even said that he seldom considers the issue of integrity. He feels that he does not need to believe that others are honest or dishonest, because the laws and systems are there, and the consequences of dishonesty are there. After mature and clear laws and systems have been implemented for a long time, people will naturally gradually become accustomed to giving up taking advantage, knowing full well that in the long run, taking advantage will lead to big losses.

For example, take the issue of college student loans. There are a variety of student loans that British college students can apply for, and there are even a lot of them. Many students go abroad to work as soon as they graduate. Why are British banks not worried about them not repaying their debts? In fact, the answer couldn't be simpler: Every British person will receive a social security number when they are born. Applying for student loans, work income, tax returns, and pensions all rely on this "credit number." In other words, this number is equivalent to your social credit file password, and it will accompany you throughout your life. Do you want to avoid paying your debt? That means you want to give up a host of vital benefits tied to your credit. For another example, according to statistics, everyone in the UK has more than five credit cards. Generally, no one dares to fail to pay off the credit card after it is overdrawn. Why? Because once the money you owe is not repaid in time - it is not just a matter of not paying back the money - you are equivalent to being on the blacklist shared by various banks. In the future, you will be lower than others when you take out loans to buy houses, start companies, etc., and you will be in vain. overcame countless difficulties. The role of the credit card system in containing society cannot be underestimated.

8. The system cannot fully bear the weight of morality. Even so, if we singled out the cases of fraud in British society, it would take three days and three nights to list them all. For example, statistics say that the UK loses at least 13.8 billion pounds every year due to commercial fraud, and false claims of pensions, relief funds and even child care allowances have been an old problem that has plagued the British social welfare system for many years. According to statistics, the amount of false claims every year is as high as 20 Billions of pounds. As for pretending to be ill and taking sick leave, asking for cash to evade taxes, etc., it is also commonplace. In September this year, two university professors also published an investigation report claiming that about 2/3 of the British middle class admitted to doing so. Dishonest practices such as exaggerating insurance reimbursement amounts and demanding cash payments to evade taxes are not considered crimes. The two professors even concluded that Britain "is becoming an increasingly dishonest society."

As for British politics, there are numerous examples of dishonesty. Lord Archer is a noble in the House of Lords, a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, and a wealthy best-selling author. However, he asked someone to swear a false oath and give perjury, and he had to go to jail after the incident was revealed. The question of whether Blair lied about weapons intelligence in Iraq in the Kelly case has brought Downing Street to a boil. Blair himself said that if he was truly proven to have deliberately exaggerated evidence of the use of force against Iraq, he would have resigned long ago.

However, Kelly initially publicly claimed that he had nothing to do with the Kelly case. Later, he admitted to Judge Hutton that he bore full responsibility, and his words were inconsistent. Conservative leader Smith even publicly accused Blair of being a liar. Home. But Smith had his own integrity troubles. Recently, the British press has been discussing the fact that after he was elected leader of the Conservative Party, he hired his wife as a secretary and received a salary from the House of Representatives. The UK House of Representatives' Code of Conduct Committee is expected to launch an investigation into this matter. This may or may not be a big deal, but Smith's credibility among the public will definitely shrink as a result.

Why is ￡20 a big note to the British?

Let’s talk about the conversion first, 1 RMB = 0.09915 pounds

1 pound = 10.0853 RMB

The reason why 20 pounds is a big note to the British Because ￡20 really does it