Four in five Britons enjoy boasting about snapping up a bargain, according to a new poll.

The survey of 2,000 adults found 78 per cent said they liked nothing better than bragging about their latest savvy purchase.

However, a third (36 per cent) admitted to exaggerating the savings made in order to impress others, with almost half (46 per cent) pretending the pre-discount price was higher than it really was.

A quarter (28 per cent) even inflated the amount of money a shop knocked off the original price.

Approximately 61 per cent said they liked to tell people about their bargains to enable others to bag the same deal, but one in ten (nine per cent) admitted to boasting simply to make others jealous.

With inflation and VAT increases, 82 per cent said they regarded themselves as thrifty shoppers, with almost half (47 per cent) revealing they had switched shops in the past two months to save money.

Three in five (59 per cent) admitted to having a special gift cupboard where they kept some of their bargain purchases to give as presents, while two in five said they (43 per cent) regularly stocked up on items available at promotional prices.

The poll also found that more than half (54 per cent) of respondents would not even consider eating in a restaurant if they could not use a voucher, such as a ‘2 for 1’ offer. Half (50 per cent) claimed to have haggled over the price of a big ticket electronic item, with 38 per cent saying their efforts had been successful.

Victoria Wright, spokeswoman for discount homeware retailer HomeSense, said: “When you bag yourself a good deal – especially if it’s something you’ve had your eye on for a while – it’s only natural that you want to shout about it afterwards and share your triumph with others.

“But people need to remember that something is only a bargain if they really want it or need it in the first place.

“If you wouldn’t buy it at its original price, then technically you aren’t really saving yourself any money.”