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Every year when December 1 rolls around, the same few thoughts pop into my brain. First: “Wow, it’s still pretty cold for summer” (I try not to dwell on that one too much) and second: “What the hell am I going to get everyone for Christmas?”
I’m hardly unique in thinking the latter, as almost everyone has people in their lives that are difficult to buy for. And there are only so many times you can purchase scented candles, Gold Class gift cards and nice soap before it starts to get a bit old.

Set your kids up for success with a money-related Christmas present.Credit: Michael Howard
What’s the problem?
According to Finder, the average Australian adult will spend about $1000 on Christmas this year, with the majority of that funnelled towards gift-buying for family and friends. That’s a serious chunk of change, and if you’re spending that much, you’d want to make sure you’re getting it right.
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Unfortunately, we can’t always get it right. Finder also reports that one in five of us say we’ve re-gifted a dud Christmas gift, and almost half of us (42 per cent) say we’ve unwrapped some truly terrible presents on Christmas Day.
What you can do about it
So to help reduce the number of bad gifts passed around these holidays, while simultaneously giving you some fresh ideas for the difficult-to-buy-fors in your life, here’s our official Money-related gift guide. These suggestions are perfect for those people in your life who might need a bit of financial inspiration, or for any kids you might want to set up for success early on.
















