Average Christmas shopper spends £384

The average Christmas shopper spends £384 on Christmas presents, according to research from Halifax Credit Cards. Those aged 35-44 years-old are likely to spend the most with an average present bill of £570.

The Halifax Credit Cards' research revealed, that on average women spend £412 on presents. Men spend £56 less with an average of £355.

Women typically buy 22 presents for Christmas whereas men buy 15. Those aged 35-44 buy the most with an average of 24 presents.

However, men are more likely to spend more on a single present…

When asked what the largest amount we had ever spent on a single item was, on average, we admitted to purchases of £250. However, almost one in twenty (4%) of us have spent over £1,000.
Men are more likely to have spent more on an item with an average spend of £299 on a single present, this compares to £204 for women.

Spends across the country vary as well…

Those in the North spend more on presents than any other region of the UK. On average, adults in the North spend £628 on presents. This compares to £242 for those in Anglia and £300 for the South East.

A similar trend can be seen when looking at the number of presents people buy. In the North, the average number of presents bought for Christmas is 26, this compares to 12 for London and 14 for Anglia.

For some of us Christmas shopping starts as early as January…

Over one in twenty of us (7%) admitted to starting Christmas shopping as early as January. However, the vast majority of us start in September (10%), October (13%), November (24%) and December (39%).

There's also a definite gender divide when it comes to planning Christmas shopping. Almost half of men (47%) don't start until December compared to less than a third (30%) of women.

Younger age group more likely to budget and are more likely to stick to it…

Just over one third (36%) set a budget for Christmas. Those aged 16-24 were least likely to plan their finances (21% set a budget) with those aged 25-34 the most likely (42%), closely followed by those aged 65+ (40%).

Although a minority of us do set a budget, once we've set one most of us stick to it. Almost three quarters (73%) said they stick to their budget once they have set one. For those aged 65+ this rises to 82%. The 16-24 year-old were the least disciplined with 40% saying they did not stick to their budget.

Children set to get the most presents…

When asked who we spent the most on, children topped the poll. Four in ten (40%) said they spent most on children at Christmas followed by other family (27%).

Keeping the cost of Christmas down…

Although many of us budget and plan for Christmas, spending days trying to find the right gift, many of us fail to plan how we pay for purchases andcould be paying too much.

New research by Halifax Credit Cards reveals that the average Christmas shopper could be paying £23.09 in additional interest on presents by having the wrong credit card in their wallet.

The new Halifax Purchase Card features 0% for 15 months on purchases and 0% for six months on balance transfers (3% balance transfer fee applies) leaving Christmas shopping interest free till 2009.
Based on an average Christmas presents spend of £384.40 made on a card with a typical APR of 17.9%, cardholders would pay back an additional £23.09 in interest over 15 months. However, the Halifax Purchase Card offers 0% for 15 months so there would be no additional interest charged during this period.

The savings could be even greater once you factor in other festive favourites such as decorations, Christmas lunch and food and drink for those inevitable parties.

Ken Stannard, head of Halifax Credit Cards, comments: "Our research shows shoppers could be paying too much interest on their Christmas purchases. Offering customers our longest ever deal on purchases, savvy shoppers can spread the cost of their purchases and not pay any interest till 2009 – leaving them free to enjoy the festivities."