Ho! Ho! No! Christmas is cancelled for 21% of people because they cannot afford to celebrate due to the cost of living crisis and fears over the Budget, according to a new survey.
Almost a third of people (32%) said they plan to buy no or fewer presents at all to economise, 24% are ditching the Christmas tree and 19% will go without a turkey.
More than half of shoppers (52%) are ‘worried’ about being able to afford to buy gifts for the festive period and 51% plan to spend less this year than they did last year.
And 42% of respondents say they feel pressure to spend more than they can afford by Christmas TV ads such as John Lewis’s.
The findings come from a new poll of 1,000 shoppers from BuytoGive, the UK’s only online marketplace dedicated to fundraising.
BuytoGive found that 53% of households were looking at lots of ways to limit spending this Christmas.
The most popular way was to set a cash limit on presents for loved ones – chosen by 47% of respondents.
More than a quarter of those questioned (26%) would ask house guests to make a contribution to Christmas costs of food and drink.
Other popular cash savers include doing home-made gifts (chosen by 32% of respondents), not using wrapping paper or seeking cheaper alternatives such as old newspapers (21%), and buying second hand gifts from charity shops (40%).
More than two-thirds of us (68%) will buy Secret Santa presents but 42% would like a charitable option for a Secret Santa present rather than the traditional jokey gift.
A quarter of respondents (24%) will make a charitable gift as a present this year.
More than four out of ten respondents (41%) said they would like a new model of Christmas charitable gifting where you could buy presents and donate at the same time.
BuytoGive founder Kevin Turner said: “Many shoppers face a nightmare before Christmas but they are finding clever ways to save money and make sure that the Grinch doesn’t spoil all the fun.
“The cost of living crisis continues to bite and fears of looming tax rises in Rachel Reeves’ Budget have caused households to look again at Christmas spending.
“Some people are cancelling Christmas altogether while others are scaling back to save cash.
“Sadly charitable donations will be hit this year as we all look to economise, but BuytoGive provides a great alternative where you can support your favourite charities at Christmas but get something back at the same time.
“You can do all your Christmas shopping at competitive prices while making a contribution to a good cause with each purchase.”
BuytoGive allows shoppers to shop the brands they love while supporting the causes they believe in.
It has created some gift-list inspiration and Secret Santa ideas where every purchase will include a donation to a good cause. Keep an eye on their social media account to find out more.
Big name charities which have joined BuytoGive include the Macari Foundation homelessness centre in Stoke, the YMCA, mental health charity MIND and AEDdonate, which puts 3,000 defibrillators into the public domain annually.
Turner set up the website to allow shoppers to buy millions of products while benefiting good causes at the same time.
It is growing every day as a community of charities, schools, clubs, schools and everyday change-makers see how they can earn more than by using more established partners such as JustGiving which take a bigger proportion of proceeds.
