Credit crunch spawns new 'rent-a-lifestyle' genre in UK

London, January 10 (ANI): As the credit crunch continues to bite people's pockets, consumers are turning to "rented lifestyles" to fulfil their urge for luxury during the sad times.

Various websites have witnessed soaring visitor numbers since the recession, and continue to offer deals that allow consumers to temporarily have posh items like designer handbags, cars - and even pets at affordable prices.

According to Clinton Patterson, from Erento.co.uk, number of transactions on the site, offering a wide range of items including cars, handbags, holiday cottages and pets, had hone up by approximately 25 percent every month.

"The credit crisis has been instrumental in turning people round to renting much more - you get the experience of a carrying a Prada bag or [driving] a Ferrari but you don't have the outlay," the Telegraph quoted Patterson as saying.

Similarly, Sue Goodchild, owner of Essex-based House of Couture designer wedding dress company, added that even brides, 30 per cent of them, had switched from buying to hiring to cut costs.

She said: "People just don't know what's coming so for many, it doesn't make sense to splash out on buying a dress."

Camilla Morton, the writer of etiquette bible How to Walk in High Heels, further said that there was nothing to be ashamed of when it came to renting.

She added: "Leaner times mean the rise of the individual and time for them to get creative. Just as people watched Fred Astaire films in the war to keep their spirits up, we still need our little luxuries to escape the horror of it all." (ANI)