It's barely audible over the noise of millions of people muttering, “Isn't it too early for this?” sipping a festive latte, but there it is: the sounds of panic over Christmas spending.
And this year the holiday season is approaching amid floating grocery store prices, trade tensions and economic uncertainty. That's why some people say they plan a more modest Christmaswhether it's spending less, making fewer or more targeted gifts, relying more on charitable services, or cutting back on all of these.
On social networks, for example, influencers And frugal bloggers are urging people to “take influence away” from their holidays by ditching the same family jams, reusing Christmas decorations, sticking to affordable advent calendars and buying second-hand gifts.
- What are you doing to reduce costs this holiday season? We want to hear your opinion. Send an email to [email protected].
“I can't afford the kind of Christmas you see on the internet,” one 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 getting ready to hit the ground running. Becky Field, 34, who lives in Ottawa, told CBC News she had to get creative with gifts after the cost of buying a second car so her husband could get to work set them back.
“With food at an all-time high, gifts did not make it into our budget,” Field said.
She has always valued not over-gifting, but recently she has decided to only give items purchased or purchased from her local “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 pick out one gently used item to give to each other.
She reuses paper grocery bags as gift wrapping and saves points on “exorbitant” grocery bills to pay for gifts for others when use isn't an option.
“We don't want to buy an item, even a used one, that will be used for a short moment of time and then thrown away or passed on to others, resulting in that dopamine hit we all get as a gift,” Field said.
“We don’t think this is a good way to use an ever-shrinking portion of our budget.”
Canadians spend less on surplus
Several recent polls And forecasts tell a similar story. Although they cannot necessarily be predicted to be truly representative of the entire Canadian population, repeating patterns across different surveys from different sources suggest a newtrend: among price risemany Canadians plan to spend less.
For example, a new report from Money Mart says the majority of the 1,511 Canadians they surveyed through Angus Reid said inflation will affect their holiday spending this year, and more than a third plan to spend less, especially on gifts.
Another Research by insolvency firm Harris & Partners published last Tuesday shows the majority of respondents are preparing for a more frugal Christmas, with the majority saying they plan to cut back on Christmas spending this year and more than half saying they are worried about how to afford it.
“More people simply have access to less financial flexibility,” CEO Josh Harris said in the report. press release.
On Tuesday, the Christmas Greeting Council opened its phone lines for Winnipeggers to reserve a Christmas hamper and received hundreds of calls within the first few hours. The organization's chief executive says rising costs of living, including food prices, mean the organization will help more people than in previous years.
In October, PwC Canada's consulting group holiday prospects noted that the majority of Canadian consumers they surveyed plan to cut spending to make every dollar count.”make difficult choices about where to spend your money.”
Generation Z and millennials in particular plan to spend less on gifts this year, says a PwC report.
Increased demand for charitable services
As Canadians feel the pinch, many charities are already reporting an increase in demand this year.
For example, the Food Bank in Barrie, Ontario, just… launched a holiday campaign to try to meet the need as demand outstrips donations. There are several local charities in Edmonton told local media the level of need has increased and thousands of people have applied for holiday food basket and food card programs.
Salvation Army in Weyburn, Sask., operates a “toy store” initiative that allows parents to select donated gifts for their children. THe Single Parents Association of Newfoundland and Labrador In October it was reported that 1,200 children had already signed up to receive Christmas gifts, compared with 800-900 children in previous years.
More people than ever have signed up for the group's Christmas Magic campaign. As CBC's Jenna Head reports, the situation is forcing the association to make changes to ensure everyone gets something this holiday season.
And in Winnipeg, rising food prices increased demand for holiday baskets Compared to previous years, the Christmas greeting board received hundreds of calls within hours of opening last week.
“Unfortunately, the reality is that this need, increasing year after year, has become just an expectation rather than something that is no longer a surprise,” Shauna Bell, executive director of the Christmas Cheer Council, told CBC Winnipeg.
“It shouldn't cost anything”
As consumers are expected to spend less or with more purpose, some businesses are adapting. Costco, for example, said it was cutting seasonal offerings to focus on essentials. media reports.
A number of retailers We are launching early sales on Black Friday. AND IKEA Canada Holiday Campaign encourages buyers to give people “what they really need.”
Reuters notes that toy manufacturers are in a hurry into the “blind box” trend as an affordable gift option. Blind boxes are sealed boxes with a collectible “mystery” item inside, usually from a themed series. Some are worth everything a few dollarsmaking them attractive stocking fillers.
It comes as US market research provider Circana expects toy sales could fall by as much as 2.5 percent during the peak shopping months of November and December.
But for some shoppers like Field, an Ottawa mom of three, it's not necessarily about the gifts, but about the message.
“The economic situation we're in has forced me to get creative with gifts, but in turn has reminded me what these seasons are really about,” she said.
“Reminding someone that they are noticed and appreciated doesn’t have to cost anything.”
