Despite the financial effects of the financial crisis, research has found many of us are going all out for Christmas this year. Figures suggest that we will each spend an average of £427 on food and drink for the big day alone.

It seems that something like seven in ten of us say we’ll visit local shops and businesses in December (70%) in what will be a 6.2 billion pound holiday shopping season.

Nearly half of those shopping with small businesses say they want to support local jobs (47%). Three in ten (31%) say it’s because these businesses have worked really hard, especially during the pandemic, and they want to see them succeed.

Small businesses have really had it bad this year, and continue to do so. Just over three quarters (78%) of us here say we admire how they have negotiated and worked their way through Covid-19 and want to continue supporting local businesses for the long term.

Over four in five consider local shop workers to be frontline; an essential part of the community (83%) and seven in ten say they appreciate local businesses more now than ever before (71%).

Which leads the statistics to show that, despite all the pressure this year has brought, we are going to have a good old-fashioned blow out, no matter what.

Someone who knows all about budgeting and can advise on how to spend sensibly this festive period is Money Blogger and author of My Frugal Year Blog, Clare Seal, and CEO of Tymit, Martin Magnone. We spoke to them to get the lowdown on budgeting wisely.

For more information you can head along to the TYMIT page and see what they do and get more details on the first ‘instalment only’ credit card. TYMIT

Choosing the right present for someone is not easy, especially if it’s a gift for a loved one. But when we receive a gift that isn’t quite to our liking, do we lie about ‘loving it’?

According to Christmas statistics, women are more compassionate and, therefore, more likely (51.4%) to have lied than men (35.5%). With a high probability that they’re lying to save your feelings, you’ll never really know if you’ve got the right gift for your better half.

So let’s try and help you get it right………

For nearly half of the women surveyed, diamonds are still a girl’s best friend. A slightly lower percentage (46%) would be thrilled to get a weekend break or a holiday. Third on the list are gift vouchers, with 42.2% of women saying they’d be happy to receive some gift card to use at their favourite shop. All those romantic souls who want to strike an emotional note with a handcrafted gift might be in luck: 35.8% of women would love a handmade present.

But what about the guys?

Christmas shopping seems to be a lot simpler. Nearly a third of men want gift vouchers, but only around 20.3% of them actually get them. Another 32% want clothing for Christmas, but nearly half (45.6%) receive it, suggesting that around 13.5% aren’t too thrilled with their hand-knitted socks from Granny. Of course, even socks are better than nothing. Nearly a quarter (23.5%) of men probably feel unloved after getting no presents whatsoever for Christmas.