Christmas contrition: 5.5 million Australians have holiday regrets

The budgets of millions of Australians will be put under strain this Christmas, according to new research from Finder.

A Finder survey of 1,009 respondents found 26% of Australians – the equivalent of 5.5 million people – say they regret not setting aside money for their end-of-year spending .

The study shows 14 per cent of Australians have saved money for Christmas, but don’t think it will be enough to buy everything they need.

Sarah Megginson, personal finance expert at Finder, said being prepared is the key to avoiding financial stress this Christmas.

“Many families have very little wiggle room in their budgets this holiday season after a spike in the cost of living.

“When you are in this situation, it is crucial to plan and compare to get the best deals and discounts.”

Megginson said it’s not too late to prepare for this year’s spending.

“Avoid overextending yourself and ending up with a credit card balance that you struggle to pay off once the tree is put away.

“You might suggest cheaper alternatives for family gatherings to reduce costs, such as secret Santa gifts to reduce the number of errands each person has to do, and potluck gatherings where everyone brings a plate.”

The Finder study found that women (31%) were more likely than men (19%) to regret not hiding money for Christmas.

“While it may be too late to build a stockpile for this year, now is the perfect time to start planning for Christmas 2025.

“The earlier you start, the less you have to put aside each paycheck. Even just putting aside $10 a week can make a big difference,” Megginson said.

A third of Australians (34%) say they don’t need to put money aside to fund holiday spending, while 26% have diligently put money aside for Christmas, reducing financial stress.

Have you put money aside/saved money to get you through the Christmas period this year?

No, but I should have done that	26%
Yes, and I think I will have saved enough	26%
Yes, but I don’t think I have saved enough to pay for everything	14%
No, I don’t need it	34%
Source: Finder survey of 1,009 Australians, November 2024

Methodology

• Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a nationally representative, recurring monthly survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
• Figures in this release are based on 1,009 respondents as of November 2024.
• The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics..
• The survey has been conducted monthly since May 2019.