Tag Archives: cost of Christmas

Pixengo: New iPhone App helps people with their Christmas trimmings

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Last year people spent nearly 1.4 billion pounds on greetings cards, more than was spent on tea and coffee put together! But with many families looking to slash festive costs this Christmas, tis the season to be thrifty.

Now you don’t have to spend a fortune posting Christmas cards. Pixengo, an innovative new App for the iPhone available to download from iTunes, is FREE and allows you to add thoughts and emotions to still images by fusing them with 30 second sound bites.

Record a festive message, whisper sweet nothings to a partner or even sing a Christmas carol if you are brave. Let your photos do the talking!

Pixengo means you can send personalised Christmas greetings to friends, family and loved ones. Capture a photo using the App or select an existing one from your camera roll – perhaps one of you, your family or even a pet! If you want to enhance the image Pixengo comes complete with special creative tools and filters.

Add a recording and share via your Pixengo stream, email, Facebook or Twitter publicly or just with your nearest and dearest. If you mess up you can rerecord, simple.
Lucky recipients see the photo, click on a play button to listen to the sound clip and have the option to like or comment. You can view ‘Pixengos’ in a web browser on your mobile or a computer; you do not need the App.

Pixengo saves you time and hassle as well as money by allowing you to send Christmas greetings on the go from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, and to multiple recipients if you wish – all at the touch of a button! This means you can spend more precious time with those closest to you.

Personalised Pixengo greetings are perfect for any celebration or special day, not just Christmas. You can send birthdays wishes, congratulate someone on getting married or having a baby, and wish people luck in a new job.

Check out our example Christmas greeting Pixengo by visiting http://new.pixengo.com/p/18CYJ74

KIDS KNOW THE COST OF CHRISTMAS

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Hard-pressed parents assume that their children have no idea how much it will cost them to make a happy Christmas – but research out today reveals that children as young as five know how much Christmas will cost their family this year … including all the trimmings.

The survey by credit card company Capital One, shows that 85 per cent of kids aged between 5 and 11 know that a standard turkey (2.5kg) costs ‘up to £20’, 79 per cent correctly identify that a Christmas pudding costs ‘under £5’ and 64 per cent know that that a Christmas Tree costs ‘up to £30’.

Despite the average cost of family spending expected to fall this Christmas to around £692 from £1,278*, 1.3 million (32 per cent of all UK kids) accurately predict that Christmas costs a family more than £600, the equivalent to the cost of a family holiday.

The research also reveals that it’s not just the trimmings they’re knowledgeable about; children aged 5-11 were shown to be particularly astute and tech savvy when it comes to presents and gadgets – with 42 per cent knowing how much a Nintendo Wii costs (£109 RRP), as well as 38 per cent accurately confirming that an iPhone costs over £200.

Whilst clearly being surprisingly financially aware, thankfully there hasn’t been a complete loss of child innocence with 67 per cent still believing that Father Christmas ‘spends the most money on Christmas’ and 8 per cent believing that Christmas costs as much as ‘a flight into space.’

Judi James, behavioural expert says: “It’s clearly a cliché to assume that kids have no real understanding of the cost of Christmas because some of the valuations in the survey would give adults a reasonable run for their money. This proves that – unlike previous generations – kids do seem to have acquired a very astute financial view of the festive period, being aware not just of the egocentric gain in terms of food and presents but also the amount needed to obtain them. This suggests good parenting in terms of messages of putting a price on pleasure, meaning we might just be breeding a generation of Alan Sugar-style entrepreneurs.”

Credit Made Clearer features a series of short animated films offering consumers practical financial educational advice. Members of the public can access quick myth-busting films about the world of credit and managing money via facebook.com/capitaloneuk

Michael Woodburn, Chief Marketing Officer for Capital One, says: “We all assume that Christmas is an exercise in financial management for adults. However, maybe if we involved kids more, there could be benefits all round. Financial education for our younger generation is extremely important. Our Credit Made Clearer videos encourage responsible spending, offering tips on a range of financial issues from the use of credit to how to shop safely online.”

‘Credit Made Clearer’ festive shopping tips from Capital One:

* Ensure you stick to a budget and know your credit card limit before making Christmas purchases
* When shopping online, look for the padlock symbol in the browser window to ensure your data is kept away from prying eyes
* Register your cards with MasterCard SecureCode or Verified by Visa to add an extra layer of protection when shopping online
* Be aware of withdrawing cash to buy gifts – you may be charged daily interest and a cash withdrawal fee even if you pay your balance in full each month
* Always leave some available credit on your credit card for any interest to be applied