Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.
Australia’s Christmas Spending 2018
Whether it’s Secret Santa, regifting or buying in bulk - Aussies are doing Christmas on a budget this year.
How much will Aussies spend on Christmas this year?
$25 billion collectively
$1,325 per person
Which state is spending the most?
State
Christmas spend
WA
$1,416
VIC
$1,304
NSW
$1,301
QLD
$1,275
SA
$1,250
Which generation is spending the most?
Gen X will be forking out the most, with the average spend at $1,396
Baby Boomers are spending the least this Christmas, clocking in at $1,234 per person on average
What are they spending it on?
Most of our hard-earned cash is going towards purchasing presents ($464)
One in two (50%) Aussies will spend big on travel
Across Australia $1 billion will be spent on Christmas decorations
Almost half of Australia (43%) plans to donate to charity this Christmas
Who spends most on what demographic? Bah, humbug! Baby Boomers ($37) will be spending almost half of what Gen X ($76) will be spending on charity donations, with Gen Y a close second at $61.
Not only will Victorians spend the most on travel, forking out $503 over the season, they are also most likely to travel.
On average women plan to spend more on Christmas gifts than men. Splashing out $496 on their friends and family in comparison to $432.
Food and alcohol spend
A Christmas ham will be gracing the table of over half of households this silly season (most popular food)
Turkey is the least popular choice with only one third of households sitting down to a turkey feast
On average Aussies will spend $131 on alcohol per person
On average Aussies will spend $122 on food per person
How many Aussies are planning on cutting down? 14 million Aussies plan on reducing their Christmas spend this year
How are they going to cut down?
51% will set a spend limit when purchasing gifts
Over one in 10 will re-gift
17% will be doing Secret Santa
Over one in eight will avoid buying presents altogether
Tips on how to save
Start a budget
It might seem like the most well-known trick in the book, but there’s a good reason for that. Setting a budget on everything from food to presents and travel is a great way to cut down costs. If you share your proposed budget with your partner or a family member you’re more likely to stick to it and avoid unnecessary spending.
Make the most of the sales
There a number of sales from now till Christmas. Drop a note in your calendar to make sure you don’t miss out on bagging a bargain.
Beware the "one click" trap
Don’t keep your credit card saved if you’re prone to impulse purchases. The more time you have to do a sense check and evaluate whether you really need what’s in your shopping cart the better.
Set a spend limit
Chat to your friends and family and set a spend limit on gifts, this way you won’t end up getting carried away and forking out more than you have. It’ll also help you avoid any gift-giving awkwardness.
Anneka Diaz is the PR specialist at Finder. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) from The University of Technology Sydney. She has written about personal finance for the last three years and has her roots in the tech and telco space. More recently she has written about a broader range of topics including energy, credit cards and travel insurance. When Anneka isn't busy trying to help Aussies save money you'll find her scouring the Internet for cheap flights and daydreaming about her next holiday adventure.Â
The NAB Rewards Platinum offers up to 80,000 bonus NAB Rewards Points, a reduced first-year annual fee and other perks.
Feedback
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
