Snapshots from 16 years of boom
Updated on 24 October 2008
In 1992, Lady Thatcher took her seat in the Lords, Princess Diana broke down in tears as Andrew Morton's book dominated the press, and Bosnia-Herezgovina declared independence.
In the same year, Britain spent £611 million on short breaks abroad, compared with £2.2 billion in 2007.
In the same 15-year period, spending on eating out rose from £14 billion to £31 billion.
Spending on cosmetic surgery has increased from £120 million to £907 million.
And in 1998, there were 28,700 buy-to-let mortgages, compared with over 1 million in 2007.
