The average Brit will have spent a whopping £32,017.99 on unexpected costs, goods and services in their lifetime, which is an extra burden most of us can’t afford at the moment.
A study of 2,000 adults found they are forced to spend £509.03 each year for things they hadn’t planned for, including car repairs and faults in the home.
Meanwhile, adults pay £9,716.16 for emergency dentist appointments, £9,295.99 for unexpected visits to the vets and £7,887.03 for boiler servicing or repairs over a lifetime.
This has left 51 per cent wishing they had insurance in place to cover these frustrating moments.
A spokesperson for British Gas HomeCare, which commissioned the research, said: “Life is full of surprises, and not all of them good.
“With the rising cost of living, it’s more important than ever to plan your finances ahead.
“Even minor annual emergencies can stack up over a lifetime without the safety net of an insurance policy to soften the blow.”
In the study, car repairs were found to be the most common surprise expense, followed by dental work and vet bills.
Accidentally signing up to a subscription – and then forgetting to cancel it, along with replacing a cracked mobile phone screen were also common mishaps among unprepared Brits.
The effect of these unforeseen charges goes beyond the impact on our wallets, with 45 per cent of respondents feeling anxious at the thought of a major unexpected expense.
Annoyance, frustration and stress are other common feelings experienced by those making an unwelcome outgoing.
In the study, conducted by OnePoll, just 12 per cent of those surveyed had not been hit by an unexpected payment in the last year.
The breakdown of white goods was a major source of unexpected repairs, and 67 per cent believe the difficulty of finding a trusted tradesperson to fix their broken washing machine or boiler is
