Consumers are splashing the cash, but feel less confident about what Brexit vote means for the country as a whole
Consumers have been playing a little bit more fast and loose with the purse strings in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote, but are more cautious about what the future holds for the UK.
According to the July Lloyds Bank Spending Power Report, which has been released today, two-thirds (67 per cent) of people described their personal finance situation as "excellent", "very good" or "somewhat good" in the weeks following the referendum result, which is the highest level of positivity reported by the survey.
Meanwhile, spending on essentials such as food, drink, rent and utility bills inched up by 0.1 per cent compared with the year before, which is the first time an increase has been recorded since November 2014.
However, the situation was reversed when respondents were asked about the country as a whole. More than three in five (62 per cent) described the country's financial situation as "not good" or "not good at all", while 50 per cent felt "not very good" or "not good at all" about the jobs market.
Read more: Caution prevails as shoppers think twice about big ticket items
"What's interesting is that people are more negative about the general economic outlook since the UK voted to leave the EU but feel more positive about their own personal circumstances," said Robin Bulloch, managing director at Lloyds Bank.
"It's too early to tell if there will be any impacts of leaving the EU, but for now at least consumers seem intent on putting any fears of a wider economic slowdown to one side and carry on spending.
"How long such confidence lasts remains to be seen. Consumers' spending power could be squeezed if the price of imported goods rises in the wake of a weaker pound following the EU referendum."