Families are already worried about a “cost-of-Christmas crisis” which is affecting their festive plans months ahead of winter, research suggests. A study by parenting website Mumsnet found that most families are more worried about the cost of the festive season than they normally would be.
A survey of more than 1,000 Mumsnet users found that two out of five are more likely to buy gifts that people need rather than want. A comparison with last year also showed a 31% drop in the number of users who plan to donate to food banks over the Christmas period, with many saying they can no longer afford it.
Respondents said they were particularly worried about the effect of the rising cost of energy:
