12 things that £1,400 UK Dividend could buy
Analysis shows that every Scot will be £1,400 better off every year staying part of the UK, but how far does £1,400 go?
New financial analysis from HM Treasury shows that every one of us in Scotland will be £1,400 better off every year staying part of the UK than we would be if we voted for independence.
But how far does £1,400 go? Here are 12 examples:
1. An overseas holiday for two with cash leftover for sun cream.
Average cost: £680 per person for a 10-day jaunt.
Source: Telegraph, August 2012.
2. Pay for Christmas presents twice over, with some money left over to spend on Hogmanay celebrations.
Average spend on Christmas in Scotland: £610.
Source: Huffington Post, December 2013.
3. Hop on the bus between Glasgow and Edinburgh (and back) 127 times. That’s the equivalent of a daily commute for more than 5 and half months.
Average cost: £11 for a return ticket.
Source: City Link, price correct on May 16, 2014.
4. Scoff 280 hotdogs at the Edinburgh Festival.
Average cost: £5.
Source: Edinburgh Festival FAQs, correct on May 16, 2014.
5. Cover your family’s yearly shoe habit for about the next 6 years.
Average annual household spend on footwear in Scotland: £234.
Source: ONS - Table A35, December 2013.
6. Fill up your fuel tank for the whole year with money leftover for an MOT and a few trips to the car wash.
Average household spend on petrol/diesel for personal transport in Scotland: £1123.20, average MOT costs: £29.65 to £124.50.
Source: ONS - Table A35, December 2013 and GOV.UK, April 2014.
7. Watch Aberdeen play all season with two mates – with a few pies and Bovrils thrown in for good measure.
Average cost: £425 for one 2014/15 main stand season ticket.
Source: afc.co.uk, price correct on May 16, 2014.
8. Experience 636 joyful caffeine highs.
Average cost: £2.20 for a medium cappuccino.
Source: Daily Mail, September 2013.
9. Share a meal of fish and chips with your family every day for around 10 weeks, with a couple of portions of mushy peas thrown in.
Average cost of fish and chips in UK: £4.74 per portion, based on family of 4 sharing meal.
Source: BBC News, June 2012.
10. Go for one haircut a month for over 3 and half years…you can go for significantly more if you’re a man!
Average spend for women per haircut: £29.99.
Source: Daily Mail, November 2013.
11. Pay off your energy bills in full over the year.
Average household cost in Scotland: £1,211.60 per year.
Source: ONS - Table A35, December 2013.
12. And finally, you’ll still have enough left over for endless hugs with everyone to celebrate being in a United Kingdom.
And if you’re still in need of a reason to smile, go to Inverness – it’s the second happiest place in the UK.
Source: Rightmove, May 2014.
Tell us what you would do with £1,400 on Twitter using #UKDividend.