Consumer spending may be showing signs of cooling, but research from Visa shows we are still a nation of shoppers and impulse buyers at heart. Over a quarter of us, 26%, often go shopping just to pass the time and 57% often end up making a spontaneous purchase.

Glaswegians are the biggest impulse buyers (63%) and those in the South East the least likely to react on impulse (49%).

Although (some might say unsurprisingly) women have a higher propensity to go shopping than men, 19% of men still enjoy indulging in retail therapy to pass the time, especially younger men aged 16-29 years, compared to 31% of women. Furthermore, over half (53%) of men say they often make a spontaneous purchase, compared to 61% of women.

Visa also discovered that we're not always altogether honest with our partners about our shopping habits.

Over a third of women (34%) claim they have lied about the true cost of a purchase and 31% have concealed a new purchase from their partner. Almost a quarter of men (23%) also admit to lying about the cost and 22% have concealed a new purchase from their partner. Both men (14%) and women (17%) say they have disposed of carrier bags to conceal a purchase from their partner.

Thankfully, it does not appear that this is symptomatic of a deep-rooted overspending problem and Visa data reveals that roughly half of Britain's consumers are organised and disciplined, setting themselves a budget when they go shopping and sticking to it.

"When the sales are on it's always tempting to snap up a few bargains,” says Marc O'Brien, Vice President of Visa UK, “but it's also very important for everyone to be honest with themselves about what they are spending and to spend within their means."

Visa recommends working out an annual budget to help keep spending in check, as follows:

• Calculate your annual income, including salary and any other investments, after tax.
• Set this figure against your outgoings including rent or mortgage repayments, credit card or other loans, pension contributions, insurance payments (eg life assurance, home contents insurance, car insurance or private medical insurance), memberships such as a fitness club, utility bills, travel expenses, holidays, restaurant and food bills.
• Once you have calculated your annual budget, you can work out your monthly allowance.
• It's also wise to make a note of when quarterly bills are due, such as telephone, electricity and gas bills, so you can set aside extra funds from other months to cover these costs, or consider paying your utility bills monthly.