People in the UK spend £43 billion a year on goods and services which enable them to have more free time.

Whether it is buying a ready meal or take-away to avoid cooking or employing someone to do household chores, people now spend an average of £35.50 for every extra hour of free time they create for themselves.

Research for internet bank cahoot found 69 per cent of people regularly spent money on a range of services to leave them with more leisure time.

People buying ready meals or take-aways was the most popular time- saving device, with 85 per cent of them turning their back on the kitchen in a bid to have more spare time and spending an average of £35 a week.

Taxis were the second most popular way of creating more time with 23 per cent claiming they took cabs to avoid even short walks, setting them back an average of £22.50 a month, rising to £42.51 in London.

Eighteen per cent of people employ workers to take the household chores of cleaning, washing and ironing out of their hands.

Other time-saving devices include getting someone else to go to the bank to pay bills, having newspapers delivered and shopping online.

A quarter of those questioned said they would be prepared to pay someone to find a parking space for them when they go shopping to give them more free time.

Men splashed out more on services than women, paying an average of £132.63 a month to create three and a half hours of extra free time, while women spend £97 to get just under three extra hours.

People living in the North-West spend the most on time-saving goods and services, though the £183.55 they spend each month bought them just under two extra hours.