- Bessie Hassan
- Head of PR & Money Expert
- finder.com.au
- +61 402 567 568
- Bessie.Hassan@finder.com.au
Media Release
Christmas cracker: Aussies to spend $25 billion this festive season
- Aussies expected to fork out $1,325 each for Christmas
- $2.5 billion to be spent on booze alone
- Take the reins of your Christmas spending
7 November, 2018, Sydney, Australia – Australians will spend billions on Christmas this year with presents to be the number one expense, according to new research by finder.com.au, the site that compares virtually everything.
The survey of 2,013 respondents found that Aussies plan to spend $1,325 on average this festive season, with women racking up more ($1,406) than men ($1,241).
With over 19 million adults in Australia, this means Christmas spending collectively will reach $25 billion.
Aussies plan to splash out the most on gifts, forking out $464 on presents each. We’ll also be celebrating with a couple of drinks, spending an average of $131 on alcohol or $2.5 billion collectively.
Kate Browne, Personal Finance Expert at finder.com.au said that with only 6 weeks to go till Christmas, the spending season has well and truly begun.
“Christmas is a notoriously expensive time of year but just because it’s the silly season doesn’t mean you should throw all financial sense out the window.”
“Don’t get caught financing the spending flurry with a credit card unless you plan to pay it off in full before charges apply,” she said.
When it comes to Christmas travel, Aussies are allotting $444 for holidays. Over $1 billion will be spent collectively on decorations this Christmas, as Aussies deck the halls.
“It might seem too early to even start thinking about Christmas but if you start your shopping now you can make the most of all the sales in the lead up to Christmas, such as Black Friday and Click Frenzy.”
“Consider switching to a 0% purchase credit card. Any purchases you make during the festive season won’t accrue any interest for as long as 14 months.”
Western Australians are the biggest spenders this Christmas, expecting to spend an average of $1,416.
For more figures, please visit our Christmas Spending hub:
https://www.finder.com.au/christmas-spending-statistics-2018
| Expense | Average spend per person | National total |
|---|---|---|
| Presents | $464 | $8.8 billion |
| Travel | $444 | $8.4 billion |
| Alcohol | $131 | $2.5 billion |
| Christmas meal | $122 | $2.3 billion |
| Decorations | $61 | $1.1 billion |
| Charity donations | $60 | $1.1 billion |
| Hampers | $42 | $797 million |
source: finder.com.au survey of 2,013 Australians conducted in October 2018. 
| State | Christmas spend per person |
|---|---|
| NSW | $1,301 |
| QLD | $1,275 |
| SA | $1,250 |
| VIC | $1,304 |
| WA | $1,416 |
source: finder.com.au survey of 2,013 Australians conducted in October 2018.
Take the reins of your Christmas spending
- Make a list and stick to it Figure out who you have to buy for, stick to a budget and don’t overspend. It’s easy to get swept up in the festivities, but you don’t want to end up regretting it later.
- Consider a 0% purchase credit card % purchase cards can be handy at this time of year. You can do your Christmas shopping with no interest payable for up to 14 months. Just make sure you pay it off before then.
- Shop the sales There’s still Click Frenzy, Black Friday and Cyber Monday before December rolls around. Do your Christmas shopping during these sales to pick up some bargains.
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For further information
- Bessie Hassan
- Head of PR & Money Expert
- finder.com.au
- +61 402 567 568
- Bessie.Hassan@finder.com.au
Disclaimer
The information in this release is accurate as of the date published, but rates, fees and other product features may have changed. Please see updated product information on finder.com.au's review pages for the current correct values.
About Finder
Every month 2.6 million unique visitors turn to Finder to save money and time, and to make important life choices. We compare virtually everything from credit cards, phone plans, health insurance, travel deals and much more.
Our free service is 100% independently-owned by three Australians: Fred Schebesta, Frank Restuccia and Jeremy Cabral. Since launching in 2006, Finder has helped Aussies find what they need from 1,800+ brands across 100+ categories.
We continue to expand and launch around the globe, and now have offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland and the Philippines. For further information visit www.finder.com.au.
12.6 million average unique monthly audience (June- September 2019), Nielsen Digital Panel