30% of 2009 was strawberry jam

We look at the facts and figures of 2009. Well, 'average' figures at least.

It's easy to get overwhelmed with statistics. Growth slows to 1%. 30% more of us are opening savings accounts. 10% of men shave under their armpits. 30% of 2009 was strawberry jam.

Statistics are typically averages and, as such, they're not especially useful to individuals. Even so, many readers find that they make an entertaining, light-hearted read, which is just the ticket for this Christmas period! Here we are then, with some of our vital statistics for the past 12 months:

Property market

Let's start with the only statistic the UK cares about! The house price figures.

Assuming the final numbers for December house prices (which won't be published until January) show little movement, house prices in 2009 will have sunk 3.5% from £153,000 at the beginning of the year to the low-point in February of £148,000. Then they rose again by 10% to £163,000 at the end the year. That's a 6% total rise over 2009 when you combine the fall and rise.

All this is according to Nationwide. Other indices will show different figures. Halifax, like Nationwide, uses data from the mortgages it supplies, and the Land Registry is typically months behind and includes just England and Wales. However, we know already that the trend of house prices falling further in 2009 and then picking up again in the second half will be a feature of all the indices.

So, hands up who guessed what would happen to house prices?

If you're staring at your computer with your hand in the air, you probably look a bit silly, but don't worry, we know you're actually very clever! Well done - now tell us what'll happen over the next 12 months... (I'm serious, add your predictions in the comments box below!)

Stock market

You may only care about house prices, but the stock market's pretty darn important to me! The FTSE 100 (a benchmark of the biggest shares, which is a fair reflection of the performance of shares as a whole) started the year at 4,434. It sank 22% to a low on 9 March of 3,461. At the time of writing, not far off the end of the year, the shares have risen a massive 54% to 5,322. Over the whole year (with the fall and rise combined), that's a total gain 20%.

We're still still some way off the high of 6,951 back in 1999 though!

Base rate

Despite many articles I've read to the contrary in 2009, the rates set by our favourite printing machine, the Bank of England, still do affect the interest rates on our mortgages, loans and savings accounts. It's just that the spread between the base rate and the interest rates we get has worsened.

The base rate, which is the headline rate at which banks can borrow from the central bank, fell from 2% on 1 January to a record low of 0.5% on 5 March, where it has stayed ever since as the Bank of England tries to encourage more lending and spending...Because we haven't done enough of that in the past ten years!

Savings

The savings ratio (which is a measure of how much of our take-home incomes we save) reached a low of -0.5% in early 2008. By the beginning of 2009 it had recovered to 3.4% and half way through it was 5.6%. It's a reassuring rise in savings. We're saving more and spending less. This affects growth,without a doubt, but for the long-term it's good that we're switching to saving and not borrowing.

Those are the latest figures, but even after the final Christmas spending tally is added on, it's easy to foresee this figure rising. We'll have to wait a few months for the final figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Compare this savings ratio with back in the late 70s when we were saving 14%! For most of the 90s it ranged from 7% to 12%, so we have a way to go.

You can compare the best savings accounts available at the moment right here at lovemoney.com.

Debt

Though the savings ratio rising, so is our debt. Thankfully it's just up 0.7%, but it's still extraordinary that it's still rising. The latest figure from debt charity Credit Action shows personal debt up to £1.6tn by the end of the year. The average household that has any unsecured debt has £21,000-worth on their credit cards and personal loans. The average owed by every adult in the UK is £30,000, which is 33% more than our average incomes!

Now add to this the £2 trillion or so in public debts and we're looking at around £70,000 per person. As fellow writer Cliff D'Arcy says, 'Ouch'.

Get help from lovemoney.com

We don't think you want to be an average statistic in 2010, so here's what you can do!

First, adopt this goal: Build up your savings

Next, watch this video: Keep it simple

And finally, why not have a wander over to Q&A and ask other lovemoney.com members for hints and tips about what worked best for them?

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