Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has warned that people feel ‘obliged’ to buy Christmas gifts for others that they know they won’t use with money that they simply don’t have
Telly cash guru Martin Lewis wants Brits to turn Scrooge and stop dishing out Christmas presents folk ‘won‘t use’ and ‘don’t need’.
The Money Saving Expert says December 25 has become a ‘retail festival’ that causes ‘unhappiness, debt and worry’. Folk ‘feel obliged to buy gifts for others that they know they won’t use with money they don’t have and cause themselves stress they don’t need’, he said.
Lewis, 53, says people have ‘disconnected from why we give gifts’. Folk do ‘tit-for-tat giving’ feeling forced to send presents that match the cost of those they have received.
He said: “It is time for us to get off this gift-giving treadmill. Sometimes the best gift is releasing others from the obligation of having to give to you.
“Let’s work together to ban unnecessary Christmas presents. Make a pre-nup – a pre-Christmas No Unnecessary Present pact. Or at least do a secret Santa and cap it at a fiver or a tenner.
“Or give to charity instead. Less cost, less pressure, less debt and I hope more joy.”
Lewis tweeted: “Christmas gift giving is a zero sum game. “Too much tit-for-tat ends up in tat that wastes money and fills landfills.”
His plea came as a new survey revealed the UK throws away £42m of unwanted gifts each Christmas – plus 230,000 tonnes of uneaten festive food. The study by waste disposal giant HIPPO highlighted the scale of Britain’s Christmas waste problem with millions of unwanted presents and vast quantities of food going straight to landfill.
The findings, drawn from a survey of 2,000 UK adults, revealed household habits contribute to a growing waste crisis. Glasgow topped the list for colleague gifts ending up in the bin with 22%.
Belfast headed the number – 18% – of partner-given gifts discarded. The highest rate of in-law gifts binned – 13% – was in Leeds. While Bristol saw the most neighbour-gift waste with 12%.
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