The gift that keeps on giving – donate unwanted gifts this season
17% of unwanted gifts are left to gather dust, stored in cupboards so let's donate them to charity instead.
Rather than wait for the New Year spring clean, personal line insurance experts, The Insurance Emporium is backing UK charities, calling on Brits to declutter their cupboards and wardrobes ahead of the 2024 festive season and donate unwanted gifts to charity.
· Research by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) says the average British consumer expects to spend almost £600 (593.90) on core Christmas related products and activities during the 2024 festive season.
· Brits spend £300 on average on presents – the biggest proportion of people’s budgets.
· In 2023, Good Housekeeping’s Cost of Christmas Dinner Price Comparison showed it would cost £33.08 to feed eight people. Despite inflation coming down to 1.7% in September 2024, prices are still increasing meaning the average cost will inevitably be higher in 2024.
· This leaves the remaining budget to cover the likes of Christmas based activities, hotels and travel costs associated with seeing friends and family, and new clothes.
Francis Martin, CEO of The Insurance Emporium, commented: “Christmas is a magical time of year however, we can’t forget that for some, it’s a difficult time, for a variety of reasons. Increasing social pressures driven by influencers on social media can make people feel like they need to overspend at Christmas and could lead to some going into debt.
Thanks to a campaign circulating on social media, people are being encouraged to declutter their homes ahead of Christmas and take in unwanted gifts as well as other good quality items to charity shops. Second-hand giving is perfectly acceptable, especially for children who will appreciate getting into a present quicker without the unnecessary layers of packaging!”
While financial hardship is one reason people might use charity shops for Christmas gifts, those looking to have a circular Christmas might also be driven to shop second hand. A poll by YouGov revealed 9% of people have given and received second hand presents, while 10% gave second hand presents and 5% received second hand gifts at Christmas.
For further information on The Insurance Emporium, see here: https://www.theinsuranceemporium.co.uk