A study suggests drinking coffee before going shopping could lead to you spending more money, while new research shows droves of people in their 50s are having to "un-retire" as prices continue to spiral.

Almost 17% of UK adults have been unable to pay an energy bill in 2022 - with fears this could rise as high as almost half before the year ends. 

A survey of 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by ZIPZERO, revealed how much damage inflation and the ongoing cost of living crisis are causing. 

It found that young people are among the hardest hit, with 36% of 18-34-year-olds finding themselves unable to pay an energy bill this year.

UK adults say the current economic climate is the harshest they have experienced, with a significant number either unable or worried about paying bills.

Inflation has hit 9.1% in the UK, with annual spending on food expected to rise by £380 this year - and energy bills are on track to pass £3,000 for the first time ever.

The study found 47% of people said they are not confident in their ability to pay their energy bills without falling into debt or late payments before the year is out. 

Mohsin Rashid, co-founder of ZIPZERO, said: "These findings show how aggressively the cost-of-living crisis is hitting the British public, particularly younger adults. 

"I am deeply concerned by the staggering amount of people (47%) who do not believe they will be able to pay their energy bills throughout the year. That is a huge figure, and it reflects some of the estimates from energy bosses who predict as many as four-in-ten Britons will fall into fuel poverty in the autumn."

Supermarket Aldi is awarding its store staff a second pay rise this year to battle staff shortages and accelerating prices.

Aldi UK, which trades from 970 stores across the country, said that from September about 26,000 store assistants would receive a minimum of £10.50 an hour nationally and £11.95 in London - rises of 4% and 3.5% respectively. 

It is an increase from £9.55 and £10.10 previously. 

Aldi is Britain's fifth-largest supermarket group after market leader Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons. All have raised pay this year.

More than a quarter of homeowners (27%) have abandoned garden makeovers as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

Nearly one in five (18%) incomplete jobs around the home are not finished due to a lack of funds, Shawbrook Bank's poll of 2,000 homeowners across the UK found.

A separate survey released by American Express last week found more than two-thirds (68%) of 2,000 homeowners have spent or plan to spend money on home and garden improvements, with 56% expecting to spend more on improvements this year than they did before the coronavirus pandemic.

Patios top the list of garden improvements that people plan to spend on this year, at an average cost of £385.

Here are some tips for those on a tight budget who need to get garden projects back on track:

1. Paint fences rather than buying something new

Before you start painting, make sure you have prepared your surfaces properly. Keep paint topped up every few years to keep the fence in good condition.

If you have a patio, decking or tiles already installed, hiring a pressure washer could bring them back to life without needing to replace them.

3. Consider buying garden furniture second-hand

You could try your own upcycling project or source something second-hand from websites - such as Gumtree or Facebook marketplace - where there may be deals to be had.

Be clear on how you are going to finance a garden project and have a firm idea of your priorities, as some ideas may be costly.

This will help you to source budget-friendly options and avoid forgotten details along the way.

When budgeting, consider whether you may need to call in specialists for some aspects of larger-scale renovations.

Try to have a full plan in place before starting, so you know how much you have to spend.

The Bank of England is weighing up whether or not to raise interest rates by the most since 1995 next week in order to stop the surge in inflation.

The BoE has raised rates five times since December with three of the Monetary Policy Committee's nine members voting for a half percentage-point increase at its last two meetings.

The BoE said in June it was ready to act forcefully if needed and Governor Andrew Bailey has said a half percentage-point increase in interest rates is now on the table, as well as the typical quarter-point move.

Industrial output has grown at the lowest pace in more than a year during the three months to July.

The Bank of England has warned that the economy is likely to slow to a crawl this year and next as consumers face the highest inflation in 40 years and many businesses face a squeeze on their profit margins. 

You've been submitting your money saving or cost of living dilemmas for personal finance expert Gemma Godfrey. The question form is now closed while she deals with some of the hundreds of queries you've sent, like this...

Polly K: How will the £400 energy payment work if you are on a prepay meter?

Gemma says: Households on a prepay meter, which are topped up to pay for energy, should have the £400 energy payment applied to their meter as a credit or get a voucher. 

There are three things to watch out for. 

Firstly, the type of prepay meter may affect the way the payment is received. 

Secondly, it hasn't yet been clarified whether the payment will be received all at once or in instalments over a six-month period. 

Finally, people who are tenants and pay a landlord to top up their meter are at risk of missing out on the payment if their landlord doesn't pass it on. 

If that's the case, then it could be a good idea to ask a landlord what their intentions are. 

Either way, it's a good idea to keep an eye out on further guidance from the government. 

They've advised that they are reviewing how the payment will be managed and guidance should come out over the summer.

Gemma is a business advisor, finance expert and TV host, an ambassador for the charity Surviving Economic Abuse, and a former boardroom adviser to Arnold Schwarzenegger on The Apprentice.  

Purchase scams, impersonation scams and investment scams are the three most common types of fraud in the UK, according to HSBC.

Fraudsters trick shoppers into paying in advance for goods or services that are never received - this is the most common scam by volume, HSBC says.

The bank says it is noticing an increase in purchase scams involving falsely advertised vehicles online.

Some involve fake shipping websites that promise to look after funds for vehicles purchased abroad, and some advertise vehicles at well below market value to lure customers in. Customers are then being convinced to purchase either by putting down deposits or outright payments.

Criminals impersonate an organisation such as a bank, retailer or a utility provider to get money from unsuspecting customers.

HSBC says it is seeing a rise in scams originating from calls from fraudsters posing as Amazon.

It is also seeing scammers impersonating the bank's own fraud team and calling customers to say their account is at risk.

Usually, this is after the fraudster has sent a scam text impersonating another organisation - for example, Royal Mail - and requested a small payment which requires the customer to input their account details.

The fraudster tells the customer they need to move funds to a "safe account", which is usually an external bank account controlled by the fraudster or, increasingly, a cryptocurrency trading platform.

A legitimate bank will never ask you to move money to a safe account - or ask you to delete your mobile banking app.

These often involve the purchase of fake bonds or cryptocurrency. HSBC says they incur bigger losses for its customers than any other type of scam.

The average loss per case is £14,173.

A typical investment scam could start out with a message or call out of the blue about an investment opportunity that is "too good to miss", and contact can be made with the victim over months, sometimes years, to extract as much money as possible.

The bank says it is increasingly seeing scams that involve trading in genuine companies but through a fake intermediary. The victim can be shown an app or website listing their investments and returns, only to lose contact with the intermediary further down the line.

The adult disability payment has expanded into seven more areas in Scotland ahead of a national rollout at the end of next month.

The benefit provides financial support to people aged between 16 and state pension age, who are disabled, have a long-term health condition or have a terminal illness.

People in Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Fife, Moray, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, and South Ayrshire are now able to apply for the benefit, which replaces the UK government's Personal Independence Payment.

The expansion means the Adult Disability Payment is now available in 13 council areas ahead of opening nationwide on 29 August.

Consumer spending and the number of transactions people made fell in June, according to new data from Nationwide Building Society.

Nationwide's monthly Spending Report shows overall spending fell 4% month-on-month in June to just over £8bn, driven by a 6% drop in non-essential spending and 3% drop in essential spending compared to May. 

This indicates households are cutting back as the cost of living crisis takes hold.

Spending on fuel and electric vehicle charging was the only spending category to rise - due to continually rising costs at the pump during the month.

Nearly every non-essential spending category saw a month-on-month fall in spending during June – from eating out and subscriptions to gardening and gambling. 

Spending on non-essential items fell back below the £3bn mark with around £165bn less spent during June and around five million fewer transactions as people balance enjoying the summer and their finances

The chief financial officer of Naked Wines quit just a month after the company saw its shares tumble by almost 40% as consumers tighten their belts during tough times.

The wine retailer said Shawn Tabak left the company "by mutual agreement", stepping down on Friday last week.

It follows a sales alert from the group, which predicted sales could fall by up to 4% in the year to the end of March 2023.

The company said last month it expects to only break even on an underlying earnings basis, which sent shares plummeting.

Shares in Naked Wines fell by another 4% on Monday following the announcement of Mr Tabak’s departure.

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