XMas Finance 2011

Let's play Xmas 2011 Finance The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. -25 The RBA have made a 25 basis point cut to the official interest rate leading up to Christmas, easing the pressure of housing costs. Retailers are expecting a positive Christmas season after the average credit card limit slowed by 1.5% in the past month. The long-term disciplined spending of .. consumers means they are more likely to loosen their belt for the festive season. Of Australians surveyed: 47% say they will spend over $500, 19% expect to $465 Australians are expected to spend $465 each on gifts this Christmas, according to the latest Westpac consumer 47% 19% 300-iso0 spend $300 to $500 and 34% plan to spend less than $300. $500+ sentiment 34% survey. ... $300 - On average, a typical Aussie woman will go on 3.7 festíve shopping trips in the lead-up to Christmas. Consumer spending has climbed for the third consecutive month, according to the RBA. The latest figures show that consumers have not put their wallets away yet, and are optimistic despite economic uncertainty in Europe. 2.5% Total personal finance commitments fell 2.5 per cent in September to $6.98 billion, according to Australian Bureau of Christmas shopping is set to go mobile this year, with Google reporting a 220% spike in shopping searches coming from smartphones. One quarter of al Christmas related Google searches this year now Statistics data, so consumers have more money to spend over Christmas. +220% come from mobile devices. According to a recent Daily Telegraph online survey, more than 40% of respondents worried about whether they could afford to put on a Christmas spread for their family. FINISH SOURCES 1-26-2: RRA, Noy 2011 3-4 wiestpac Consumer Sentiment Survey, 2011 5:Coles Coneumer Research, 2011 Dally Telegraph, Nov 2011 9: GooglePSOS Research, 2011 5 Stress less. Think of the consquences. Relax. Christmas is meant to Social gatherings are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to unnecessary, even unnoticed, expenses over Christmas. Before you commit to spending a fortune on dinner and drinks in December, consider your budget in January. If your silly season spending means you can't make your rent or pay a bill or school feels next month, suggest a more low key celebration such as a home BBQ, or skip the party all together. be fun. Don't let it overwhelm you. Start planning as early as you can, use a budget and be frugal in your shopping. Remember that Christmas isn't about out-doing the present you gave someone the year before. Christmas is a chance to spend time with your friends and family and give them something meaningful to end the year - even if it's Just a homemade card. Secret Santa. Don't swipe 2 on credit. SURVIVAL GUIDE TO THE SILLY SEASON lf it's been a tricky year financially, don't be embarrassed to let your family know that you can't spend as much this year on gifts. Secret Santa's work best when you all agree on a limit that is affordable for everyone. It also means you can put more thought into that one gift, rather than buying several generic gifts for all your cousins that wll wind up either in the bin or back under someone else's It's tempting to do the Christmas shopping, throw it all on credit and deal with it later. Not only will you end up spending more when you add interest rates on to the bill, but you are more likely to spend more than you can afford. Write a list of who you're buying gifts for and how much you can afford to spend on them - then pay for your gifts with cash or Use the internet as your catalogue. Rather than walking around shopping centres full of distractions and temptations, get online and look up the items you're planning to buy. Check out where you can get the best deals before you head out. Even better, if you can buy it online, you're saving yourself a trip to the shops; but be wary of extra costs like shipping fees and make sure your order will arrive at least a couple of few before Christmas. tree. debit. CASH DOCTORS CASHDOCTORS.COM.AL START