January babies really get the short end of the stick. Not only are they born into generally crappy weather (unless they live in the southern hemisphere, in which case it’s mid-summer), but they get way fewer birthday presents than people born in other months. Ugh, BOO!
- Christmas wipes everyone out. Christmas is a major deal for those who celebrate it, and if you have a big family or friend group, chances are you spend a fair bit of money on presents to give out on December 25. Because of that, there isn’t a lot of money left over for those January birthdays.
- There’s a major drop in value. While money isn’t everything and it’s the thought that matters more than the cost of a gift, it’s fair to say that January babies don’t just get fewer presents than those born at other times of the year but the value of those gifts are way less. According to financial comparison site money.co.uk, January babies end up getting £1,120.11 (about $1460) less over their lifetime.
- People spend 34% less on January babies. The average UK adult spends £392 ($512) a year on birthday gifts for the various people in their lives, but those surveyed have admitted that they spend 34% less on the people who had birthdays in January. Uh oh!
- We spend the most on our partners. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the big gifts we buy are most likely to go to our significant others, followed by our kids (if we have them) and then our parents. However, parents aren’t created equal either. Surveys showed we tend to spend more on our moms than our dads.
- Some of us have budgets to live by. We’re not being cheap by spending less on birthdays, especially ones that fall closest to Christmas. After all, most of us aren’t rich and there sometimes isn’t enough money to go around. As Salman Haqqi, a finance expert at money.co.uk explained to Devon Live, “Birthdays aren’t the only gifting occasions people have to budget for. There are also traditional occasions such as weddings, christenings and anniversaries, as well as more modern celebrations that are growing in popularity, such as engagement parties, baby showers, gender reveal parties, job anniversaries and promotions. It all adds up to a lot of expenditure that people really need to create a plan and budget for.”
- At the end of the day, gifts aren’t anything. Once you’re an adult, birthdays become less and less of a big deal and gifts along with it. Frankly, I’d much rather share a delicious meal with the people I love than to be given a thoughtless but pricy gift. Priorities, people.
