Christmas gifts, in this economy? How are some people changing their spending?
One can barely hear the voices of millions of people murmuring, “Isn’t it too early for this?” While sipping a holiday latte, but there it is: the sound of the nervousness of spending Christmas.
And this year’s holiday season is coming growing grocery prices, trade tensions and economic uncertainty, That’s why some people say they’re planning more humble christmasWhether that involves spending less, giving fewer or more intentional gifts, relying more on charitable services, or cutting it all out.
For example, on social media, influencer And frugal bloggers People are being encouraged to “influence” their holidays by ditching the family jammies, reusing Christmas decorations, keeping up with thrifty advent calendars and buying second-hand gifts.
“I can’t stand the kind of Christmas you see online,” a UK money and family influencer said in a TikTok video on Thursday. “It’s not normal to spend hundreds just to make it look perfect for social media.”
And in real life, some Canadians are preparing to tighten their belts. Becky Field, 34, who lives in Ottawa, told CBC News she had to get creative with gift giving after the expense of buying a second car so her husband could get to work and keep her back.
“With groceries being at an all-time high, gifts weren’t really able to fit into our budget,” Fields said.
She has always made a point of not giving too many gifts, but she has recently decided to only give items that are affordable or obtained from her neighborhood “buy nothing” groups. Her children — three boys, ages 7, 5, and 3 — started a tradition last year where they go to a thrift store and each choose a gently used stuffed item to give to the other.
She reuses paper grocery bags to wrap gifts and saves points from her “excessive” grocery bills to pay for gifts for others when using up isn’t an option.
“We don’t want to buy an item, even secondhand, that will be used for a short period of time and then thrown away or passed around – giving up that dopamine hit we all get as a gift,” Fields said.
“To us, this doesn’t seem like a good way to use an ever-decreasing portion of our budget.”
Canadians spend less on extra things
many recent survey And forecast Tell me a similar story. Although they cannot truly be projected as representative of the overall Canadian population, recurring patterns in different surveys from different sources suggest the presence of an emergingging trend: among rising pricesMany Canadians are planning to spend less.
For example, a brand new report from Money Mart says that the majority of 1,511 Canadians surveyed via Angus Reid said inflation will affect their holiday spending this year, and more than a third are planning to spend less — especially on gifts.
one more The survey from bankruptcy firm Harris & Partners was released last Tuesday. finds that most respondents are preparing for a more modest Christmas, with most saying they plan to cut back on Christmas spending this year, and more than half saying they are worried about how to afford it.
“For a large number of people, financial flexibility is less available,” CEO Josh Harris said in a statement. News release,
The Christmas Cheer Board opened its phone lines on Tuesday for Winnipeggers to reserve Christmas hampers, and within the first few hours it received hundreds of calls. The organization’s executive director says the rising cost of living, including food prices, means it will help more people than in previous years.
In October, consulting group PwC Canada holidays approach noted that the majority of Canadian consumers surveyed planned to make cuts to make every dollar count, ““Making tough choices about where to spend your money.”
The PwC report said Gen Z and Millennials in particular plan to spend less on gifts this year.
Greater demand for charitable services
As Canadians continue to feel the pinch, many charities are already reporting greater demand this year.
For example, the food bank in Barrie, Ontario launched a holiday campaign Try to meet the need as demand exceeds donations. In Edmonton, several local charities told the local media The level of need has increased and thousands of people have applied for Festive Food Hamper and Grocery Card Program.
salvation Army In Weyburn, Sask., a “toy store” initiative is being launched that allows parents to select donated gifts for their children. TeaHe Single Parent Association of Newfoundland and Labrador In October it was reported that 1,200 children had already signed up to receive Christmas gifts, up from a maximum of 800 to 900 in previous years.
More people than ever have signed up to the group’s Christmas Magic campaign. As CBC’s Jenna Head reports, the situation is forcing the association to make changes so everyone can get something to do this holiday season.
And in Winnipeg, rising food prices have fueled holiday interruption demand Compared to previous years, its Christmas cheer board received hundreds of calls within hours of opening last week.
“The unfortunate reality is that, the increased need year after year is now just an expectation rather than a surprise,” Shawna Bell, executive director of the Christmas Cheer Board, told CBC Winnipeg.
‘You won’t have to spend anything’
With consumers anticipated to spend more or less with intent, some businesses are adopting it. For example, Costco said it is cutting seasonal offerings to focus on essential items. Media report.
There are many retailers Black Friday sales are starting early. And Ikea Canada’s holiday campaign Urges buyers to give people “something they really need.”
Reuters notes that toy manufacturers are in a hurry “Blind boxes” in trend as an affordable gift option. Blind boxes are sealed boxes that contain a collectible “mystery” item inside, usually part of a themed series. some only cost one a few dollarsWhich makes them attractive stocking stuffers.
It comes as US market research provider Circana estimates toy sales could decline by up to 2.5 per cent during the peak shopping months of November and December.
But for some shoppers, like Field, a mother of three in Ottawa, it’s not necessarily about the gift, but about the message.
“The economic situation we’re in has forced me to be creative in gift giving, but in turn, has reminded me what these seasons are really about,” she said.
“It doesn’t cost anything to remind someone that they are noticed and appreciated.”
