How much will you be spending on presents for the kids this Christmas? And will you lie about it to your partner?
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The spending average in Yorkshire and the Humber is slightly lower than the UK figure of £195 - but they still splash out more than mums in South West England (£168), South East England (£158), East Midlands (£150) and West Midlands (£178).
The majority of mums, totalling 67%, are buying most of their child’s gifts online with only 22% preferring to head to the shops. Only 44% of mums in the region set a budget prior to shopping, which was one of the lowest scores in the UK.
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Hide AdAmanda McKnight, of MummyPages, said: “In most of the regions, there were more than 50 per cent of mums that were setting a budget. Only Yorkshire, the North West (45%) and the East Midlands (44%) failed to reach that 50 per cent.
“We’d recommend controlling budgets, by setting a budget. That will help to avoid impulsive, emotional purchasing.”
The national figures indicate a correlation between online shopping and lower spending. In the seven highest-spending regions of the UK, where children get over £200 of gifts, five of those areas show a lower-than-average percentage of online shopping.
The research also identified the most popular toy categories by age group. The Digital and Gaming Device category ranked first place in age groups from eight years old and upwards. Toys and games were the most popular for children younger than eight.
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Hide AdMore than a third of mums estimate that their children will spend at least two hours in front of a screen. A quarter of UK of mums surveyed feel guilty about how much time their child spends doing this.
McKnight said: “Christmas is about being together as a family. If people are sat in front of screens then it defeats the object of a holiday together.
“Purchasing a board game would give the chance to sit down, laugh and debate. That will help make it a family affair. That’s what Christmas is all about. It’s about those memories.”