Last year shoppers Down Under set new spending records in the lead up to Christmas. Take a look at where all that money goes.
From mid-November to 31 December 2016, Australians spend a record $46.58 billion on holiday shopping. That’s an average of $1 billion spent each day!
Food and drink account for most of our total Christmas spend. Over $25 billion goes towards nibbles during the silly season, including over $6 billion on restaurants, takeaway and fast food.
Prawns are an Aussie favourite, with around 240 million consumed during the festive season. That’s about 10 per person.
Eighty-seven per cent of Aussie kids aged 6-13 years old will receive some cash for Christmas.
With 70% of Australians saying they receive unwanted holiday presents, money may be the safest gifting option.
Thirty per cent of all charitable donations are received in December.
Residents of the ACT are the most generous givers, donating an average of $440 last year.
In December 2016, Australians used credit cards to purchase around $9.8 billion in Christmas gifts. It’s no surprise that 25% of Aussies made reducing credit card debt one of their top New Year’s resolutions in 2017.
Sources:
Appliance Retailer (8 February 2017)
SBS (13 December 2016)
Sunshine Coast Daily (21 December 2016)
Roy Morgan Research (5 January 2015)
Sydney Morning Herald (26 December 2016)
Network for Good
NAB (February 2017)
Finder.com.au (January 2017)
