Men spend more than women during the holidays: survey

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Bah! Humbug! That pretty much sums up the findings of a new survey regarding our views on the holiday season. The website retailmenot.ca found 85 per cent of us find Christmas way too materialistic and that more than half of Canadians find this time of the year a financial burden.

When it comes to spending, we’re averaging about $946 on holiday spending which is an all-time low compared to previous years and it might surprise you who spends more. The report shows men spend about $56 more than women at Christmas. The website’s Katie Hammill says that is, in part, because women are hunting for deals at least three months in advance.

“Men are doing their shopping sort of last minute — two to three weeks in advance, sometimes the day before Christmas. They’re not finding the best deals and getting things at full price.”

Hammill also points out men tend to spend $52 more on their significant others, so some might say the spending is justified.

One way some Canadians are looking to cut back this year is through socializing — or a lack of it. Sixty-nine per cent of people plan to eliminate dining out, 55 per cent will stop getting take-out, and another are simply looking at avoiding you. “Thirty-three per cent are just giving up socializing across the board in order to save some money,’ explains Hammill.

That collective mood also carries over to New Year’s Eve where 72 per cent of Canadians think the last night of the year is overrated. “It’s far too expensive,’ says Hammill. “People are saying they want to do something low-key, like a house party, have some friends over and save some cash.”