Revealed: Average Brit will splash out £438 on Christmas - how much are YOU spending?
CHRISTMAS spending does not appear to have been affected by a difficult year as the average Brit will splash out on £438 - £18 more than last year.
Brits are set to spend an average of £438 on Christmas this year
Nearly half however, are looking for ways to save money on everything from food and drink to gifts and decorations.
In a survey of over 2,000 people, conducted by Europe’s largest giftcard marketplace Zeek, a quarter claimed to be feeling the pinch more than ever, despite rising spends on Christmas across the board.
The biggest outgoing was found to be gifts, with £185 spent on presents.
Seasonal socialising came next, with £99 set to be spent by partying Brits.
This included £39 on beers, wines and spirits as revellers across the UK raise a toast to 2016.
People in the North East are set to spend the most money - a whopping £599 on average.
By comparison, those in the East Midlands will be forking out a much more frugal £334.
One of the ways people said they would save money over Christmas was by shunning a night out to enjoy Christmas TV - 23 per cent said this was their plan.
Food and drink were one of the areas Brits are set to splash out this year
Those surveyed also revealed how they are planning to save money this year, and the top ten methods were:
Using a discount or voucher site
Socialise at home rather than going out
Buy crackers/cards/decorations in the January sales the year before
Bought gifts in the January sales the year before
Re-gifting a gift given to me
Buy ‘joint’ presents for couples
Bulk buy presents to make the most of multi-buy deals
Bulk buying food and freezing
Home make Christmas cards
Bought gifts in duty free / on holiday
Gino D’Acampo shows off his roast dinner Christmas hacks
Many Brits are planning to save money by getting crafty and making gifts
Speaking about the findings, Daniel Zelkind, CEO of Zeek.me said: “Our research has shown that Brits are feeling the pinch this year with inflation and politics a real cause for concern.
“However, whilst we applaud creativity with DIY gifts and decorations, there are much easier ways to make your money go further.
“Zeek has thousands of discounted vouchers selling at between five and 25 per cent below their market value that can be used against some of the biggest purchases, from decorations to food, delivering savings that can help at a time when every penny counts.”
The research on Christmas spending comes as one decorating expert claimed the way most people have been hanging their lights on the Christmas tree is wrong - and this is the correct way.