Half of Britons ‘cutting back spending on presents this year’
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/half-britons-cutting-back-spending-presents-5HjdPkH_2/
Posted by tylerthe-theatre
Half of Britons ‘cutting back spending on presents this year’
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/half-britons-cutting-back-spending-presents-5HjdPkH_2/
Posted by tylerthe-theatre
29 Comments
My family has got to the stage where a stocking full of funny stuff, chocolates, and miniature bottles of booze each is just fine.
Not really a surprise. This government is ripping the back out of the country
I think its a bit of both, most people have too much stuff, I’ve definitely cut down mainly for that reason
Maybe partially due to aging population—-I’m 40 next year and my parents and older sister and I have decided just to buy for the kids in the family.
We’re all old enough to buy stuff we want ourselves and it becomes a bit transactional where they ask what I want and I ask what they want
I’ve spent a fortune on the kids I’ll admit but im gonna cook a banging meal for the family and haven’t spent much on anyone over the age of 12. It’s about being with your loved ones and was never about presents. I guess getting older(in my case anyways) is being excited to make memories with the people you love rather than opening presents.
I got my brother a Tesco voucher god knows he needs it to put a free months shop on the table
Most stuff isn’t worth the money these days. Price of toys is extortionate compared to when I was a kid.
Cutting back? I just told all family I’m not doing Christmas anymore.
Christmas got successfully capitalised on and bastardised to death.
If you gut a tradition, don’t be surprised people aren’t indulging in it any more
We get presents for the kids then have one big secret Santa amongst all the adults. Saves a fortune and means you can buy one good present vs 10 smaller crap presents.
No kids but I spent £50 this year on Christmas when i used to spend £300-400 on about a third of my current salary. Everything is so expensive that you cannot anymore just buy someone a normal gift. You used to be able to get friends and acquaintances a nice £10 or £20 present. Now it feels like you need to have £60-70 to buy something thats not just going to go in the bin, so i just dont.
Got my pressnt buying down to just 3 people now, Ive got my in laws onto a secret santa with £20 limit that cuts down 6 presents to 1, and my parents wanted a specific electric blanket that was on black friday. Me and my partner decided wed get each other a nice bottle of spirit that each other would try but never buy for ourselves to make a Christmas cocktail. Perfect, stress free
Funny it’s almost as if just saying your going for growth, but doing nothing to give people extra money in their pocket they can spend in the economy to create said growth isn’t working…
100% Christmas is way too commercial, think about it this way how my gifts from last Christmas do you remember getting. Just spending money people forget about tomorrow
I just wait for a sale. I actually start in September. Spent £350 this year down from £400 the year before. I don’t even think I do too bad
I’m in the half that didn’t. Saved throughout the year and the missus not only did lots of pressies but went to town on the wrapping with tens of meters of ribbon used.
My son doesn’t want anything this year. When I was a kid I’d get dvds or computer games. But that can all be provided by subscription these days. Sure there’s other things but a lot of it is overpriced tat.
We have
Funny as this year we have truly hit what we consider a lottery win but are just skint
Almost everything I bought to gift this year has come from charity shops… £25 max per person vs the usual £100 min per person.
We’re all sick of getting things we don’t need or want just for the hell of it.
For the sake of vibes people do buy stuff…not sure how how much ppl cut back household to household…
But there would not be any cut back stories, if the economy had done well.
Idk, we used to be rich, at least it felt so, now it is not. Things have changed.
Sometimes I wonder whether it is just my personal experience . but I look around – I dont think so.
Our stupid economic laws and regulations….are not for the good.
I ‘ve watched once a utube video of some debate between one chinese professor and bbc’s host , the point was “Great Britain is no longer Great”….
Not complaining, we are still far well off than many countries, but the path we are going on isnt the best option.
Anyway, sorry, it is abt Chirstams 🙂 Dont cut on Chrismas! Come on…it is fun, it is our holiday!🌲
I haven’t spent a fortune yet (there is still a little shopping time to panic buy!)
All I really wanted to buy myself for Christmas is a new gaming PC, but prices have gone crazy and it would be over £5,000 for what I want!
Secret Santa 2.0 is how we do it.
Names in a hat. Pull from hat. We buy for that person.
Magic? Person says what they want in a group chat.
Done.
Yeah totally, it’s not just money but also stress.
Christmas can turn into some impossible mission of finding presents for family members that end up just being anything to satisfy the fact you gave a gift, when in reality they do not actually need or want what you gave.
We’ve started doing a secret santa type thing every year with the in-laws.
£50 limit, everyone gets something.
Far easier and cheaper for us.
Well yeah everything is so expensive. I set a budget for the kids. I’ve found clothes are way more expensive this year.
We have two young kids and brought quite a bit though nothing from Amazon which is great,Argos and Smyth’s toys for us.. don’t bother with adults and we just have the usual token gifts for the wife and I I’m rather looking forward to my new comfy slippers
The last few years we’ve switched to secret santa over everyone getting everyone else something. That way everyone gets at least one good item rather than 6 boxes of biscuits.
You don’t owe the economy spending. It’s not like a pet you are required to feed.
If your work doesn’t pay enough for you to afford to spend a lot, do the sensible thing and keep Christmas frugal. There’s no shame in it.
You don’t need £100s worth of presents or a lot of things under a tree to be happy. If people are cutting back on presents helps (which let’s be honest, is wise given the cost of living), and it brings Christmas back to being about valuing people and not prices and goods, then this can only be a good thing.
We’ve all had that discussion with friends and family about “what do you want” and sheepishly responding “I’d just be happy meeting up/going for a drink/having a meal out somewhere”. Normalise it – a nice winter walk in the country or in town taking in the atmosphere and ending in food.
I’m happy just having a token pair of socks under the tree – they’re pretty much a normal thing to want and nothing extravagant. Heck, even a gift card/voucher to a restaurant works nicely – everyone needs to eat so may as well mean a free or cheaper meal out somewhere with some people.
I much prefer the food at Christmas, being with my family and seeing friends around this time of year, saving money for going away or saving it to go towards more important things. It means more than finding a present, and if it avoids the temptation of buying cheap plastic tat which can’t be good for the planet, then why not?
Half of Britains spending more on presents this year 😶