Canada’s a holiday procrastination nation

As of Dec. 16, 69% Canadians haven’t finished their holiday shopping— and 22% haven’t even started, shows a CIBC poll.

Read: 7 deadly sins of time management

Canadians who have started shopping report spening an average of $986 as of Dec. 16, 2013; that’s higher than the $852 holiday spending budget Canadians set for themselves in a similar CIBC poll done last month. It’s also higher than the $692 Canadians said they spent last year heading into the final weekend for holiday shopping in 2012.

Read: 7 virtues of time management

The poll also shows:

• 20% of Canadians believe they’ll be over-budget this year, although 58% believe they can still meet their budget.
• Residents of Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are among the most likely to say they had not started shopping yet (at 26%), while only 13% of Albertans say they had yet to start their holiday shopping.
• Quebec residents who have started shopping have spent $503, on average, so far this year, the lowest in the country. Among Albertans who say they’ve started shopping, they’ve spent $1,586 on average.

The poll also shows 56% of Canadians carry their smartphone with them while shopping, including 72% in the 25-44 age group.

Read: Leveraging your time, partners

Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.