Case study: 'People of my age don't think about saving'

Craig Sibbald, 24, has been living with his parents in Edinburgh since he graduated with a law degree from Edinburgh University a year ago.

"When I started studying in 2005, it seemed like law was a steady job, but there's just nothing around at the moment.

"I don't think many people of my age think about saving. We don't look five to ten years down the line; we just live in the moment, really. I have considered saving up for a car, but that probably won't happen until I get a better paid job."

Andy Hall, 24, lives with his girlfriend's father in Glasgow.

"I work as a builder and have been working for a few years, but there's no hope of getting a house of our own when you're on little more than minimum wage," he said. "Rent is so expensive - we wouldn't even be able to afford that and it would be impossible to pay a mortgage to buy our own place.

"I spend most of my money on my bike - I got new tyres for it recently and they were 200. If I had bills to pay and a mortgage, I'd have no money for any of that. I'd have no money to spend on anything else, nothing left to enjoy myself."