Where the wealthy find rich pickings

They may have money to burn but the well-off are still determined to get their hands on a bargain.

Affluent Britons are turning their backs on the 'bling-bling' lifestyles of celebrities such as the Beckhams or Liz Hurley, as they look after the pennies.

One in four goes to car boot sales and nearly as many have snapped up a bargain from a bric-a-brac store.

Even though they can afford the best, a third of them have scoured the small ads to save money, a study found.

One in eight buys second-hand furniture and one in 11 buys second-hand clothes.

The findings come from a survey of more than 1,000 affluent people - those with a home worth more than £250,000 or having £35,000 or more in savings and earning at least £50,000 a year. TV shows such as BBC1's Bargain Hunt, hosted by David Dickinson, are inspiring them to buy 'as cheap as chips'.

Mark Cheshire, a spokesman for Lloyds TSB bank, which carried out the study, said: 'Taking the time to buy and sell second-hand still provides much-needed retail therapy for the mass affluent.'