The research shows average household spend on drinking out (£42.99) was up 2% year-on-year for the month. Spend on eating out (£78.01) was 5% on January and 7% across the year.
The average household spend for February was £195.73 – a 4% decrease on last year but up 7% on January.
The latest tracker also revealed research showing women are more downbeat about their finances than their male counterparts.
When Brits were asked whether they feel their financial situation is better or worse than five years ago, 6% more women than men responded negatively, with only 29% of women feeling better off than they were in 2010.
Optimistic
The 18-24 year old bracket continued to be the most optimistic for the coming year, with 87% expecting their household’s financial situation to remain unchanged or improve. The least positive age group are the over 55 year olds, with only 23% of the age group feeling better off now than they were in 2010.
Households with children feel slightly more positive about their prospects for the coming year than households without.
On a year-on-year basis, eating out accounted for a greater share of total leisure spend for the seventh consecutive month. Its share of total spend by month currently sits at 40% compared to 22% for drinking out and 38% for other leisure.
Regional variations
Households in London and the South East saw total leisure spend fall by less than those elsewhere in Britain year-on-year. Total leisure spend fell by £4 (2%) and £9 (5%) in the two areas respectively. The disparity in spend between the two areas (23%) was consistent with last month, but greater than between September and December.
Year-on-year, spend on eating out grew more sharply among households in London and the South East than elsewhere in the UK – by 9% (£7) and 6% (£4) respectively. In February, both households with and without children saw their spend on eating out increase by similar amounts against the year before, spend increasing by 7% (£5) and 6% (£4) respectively.
Households in London and the South East were also responsible for driving the modest year-on-year growth in drinking out spend at national level. These households saw spend on drinking out grow 7% (£3) offsetting a negligible decline in spend of less than a pound (1%) among households elsewhere in Britain.
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