Ebenezer Scrooge (pre-redemption visit by the spirits of Christmas) would have been proud of the inhabitants of the Balearic Islands as they are spending the least amount of money since 2004 on celebrating Christmas this year.
A consumers' federation, the Federación de Usuarios-Consumidores Independientes (FUCI), has predicted that the average spend of every man, woman and child in the Balearics will be €545, that's €40 less than last year and a whopping decrease on 2007, when we all spent €881!
Obviously there's a recession affecting spending, but interestingly, we're spending more on some things and less on others when compared to last year. So, with last year's figures in parentheses, this is what we're splashing the cash on; toys and presents - €180 (€200), lottery - €70 (€90), food and drink - €205 (€190) and entertainment - €90 (€105).
Compare this to the whole of Spain, where we'll spend on average €514, with Madrid - €600 - in pole position and Extremadura - €450 – at the bottom of the list of regions.
I personally will be spending much more than this, but only if one of my 70 Euros' worth of lottery tickets comes up lucky, when I'll buy the biggest turkey in Ibiza!
