One in 10 healthcare workers are facing such financial hardship they plan to work on Christmas Day. A study revealed that nine out of ten (90%) nurses, doctors and carers are more worried about the cost of Christmas this year than last year – with around four in ten (39%) being 'very' worried.
Of the 1,440 UK healthcare workers quizzed by Health Service Discounts, two-thirds (66%) are planning to curb their festive spending this year due to soaring living costs, with 17% resorting to taking out a loan. Despite working hard to save lives all year round, two in five (41%) nurses, doctors and other health service personnel also plan to do overtime to boost their festive budget.
One in ten are also planning to offer to work on Christmas Day specifically to save money. Healthcare workers are also more likely to shop around this year and use discounts to pocket savings (69%), while 17% will resort to taking out a loan to cover their Christmas costs.
There may be little chance of relaxation at the end of these long healthcare shifts as more than two in five (44%) won't put on the heating this winter to save some cash. More than a third (34%) will cancel treats including gym memberships and streaming service subscriptions to save money too.
7% of healthcare workers revealed they'll have to resort to using foodbanks over the festive period. But it's not just those in the healthcare profession who will be tightening the purse strings this Christmas, with three in ten Brits (30%) believe they'll have to cut back on festive spending.
A further survey of 2,000 UK adults revealed almost half of those working in transport are also very worried, while workers in retail (43%), manufacturing (38%) and finance (39%) are also extremely concerned about how they'll foot the festive bill. But for many, budgeting won't be enough to alleviate their money worries.
Almost one in ten (9%) expect to have to put some of their Christmas expenses on a credit card to spread the cost, and a similar number (8%) will take out a loan. Storm Postlethwaite, managing director at Health Service Discounts, said: "Our research has highlighted how much pressure the cost-of-living crisis is putting on people's wellbeing in the run-up to Christmas.
"This is particularly evident among healthcare workers, who work so hard to help the nation get through difficult times. No-one wants to have to cut back at any time of year, let alone Christmas.
"Cutting back is likely to only do so much to alleviate financial strain and the stress that comes along with it. While discounts may not be the be-all-end-all solution, we hope that our free Health Service Discounts membership service will help those in the health sector to save over the festive period and ease some of their worries.
"We truly believe that they deserve this extra helping hand. According to our survey, Brits expect to spend an average of £628 on Christmas in 2022.
"We estimate that our members could save £188.50 in November alone by using our discounts - a potential 30% saving on the cost of Christmas."
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For more information, visit: https://healthservicediscounts.com/blog/how-to-cut-the-cost-of-christmas-in-2022
