For the third year in a row the Red Cross conducted a national holiday giving survey. They polled more than a thousand people about their plans for spending and charitable giving over the holiday season. This year the survey found that 45 percent of people plan to cut back on spending on travel and holiday decorations. Two in five plan to reduce spending on parties and more than a third are cutting back on their gift budgets. The fewest number of people report that they’re cutting back on charitable giving. One in four say they’re reducing their donations.
Men and women tend to respond to holiday budgets and spending differently. Forty-three percent say they feel bad about spending less on friends and family. Wom