Poll: Hiding gifts cuts down on fights

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Among the popular strategies for holiday shopping is the act of hiding purchases to avoid arguments about money, a national consumer survey said.

In a survey of 3,000 U.S. consumers, one-third of the respondents indicated they hid purchases from others in their household and 40 percent of those indicated they did so to avoid an argument about how much was spent.

The Western Union Business Payments Money Mindset Index quarterly survey also found that 65 percent of the respondents indicated they intended to follow through on a New Year's resolution to pay bills on time next year. Forty-nine percent indicated they planned to pay their bills automatically or online.

About half the consumers indicated they would cut down on spending for this holiday season.

"As consumers make plans to celebrate the holidays with friends and family, even small budget cutbacks can be a big step toward alleviating stress," said David Shapiro, senior vice president of Western Union Global Business Payments.

"Consumers can increase their financial confidence and improve their bill payment strategies well into the New Year if they start planning their budgets now," he said.

The survey conducted in August carries a margin of error of plus and minus 1.7 percentage points, Western Union said.