In order to manage expenses related to Christmas menus and gifts, 38 percent of the Hungarian population over 18 years of age with a bank account set aside money in advance, of which 56 percent start saving already in the fall – according to a recent, representative survey by OTP Bank, which was informed in a statement to MTI.
They added that 17 percent of respondents start saving for Christmas from the summer months, and 9 percent from spring. And seven percent of them have already been collecting for the holiday all year since the end of the previous Christmas period.
The announcement quoted Rita Fabriczki, the head of OTP Bank’s area responsible for savings products and services, who said that four out of ten bankers do not have a large amount of money set aside.
The survey also examined how the population tries to save on holiday expenses. As an example, they mentioned that 42 percent of the respondents specifically buy discount gifts, that is, they look for discounts in stores. 34 percent of respondents purchase packages using price comparison sites. In addition to all this, 27 percent of Hungarians try to limit their expenses by giving everyone in the family only one gift per person; 19 percent of the respondents prepare the Christmas surprise with their own hands, while 3 percent said that they draw lots within the family to decide who should buy a gift for whom.
According to the survey, 17 percent of the respondents indicated that they do not usually save on surprises.
The survey was commissioned by OTP Bank, with the cooperation of the Pulse Research System, between November 2 and 8. 1,000 people over the age of 18 with a bank account were included in the research.
(MTI)
