{"id":814373,"date":"2024-12-24T01:19:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T07:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/24\/want-to-buy-a-good-gift-start-by-thinking-about-where-you-live\/"},"modified":"2024-12-24T01:19:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T07:19:55","slug":"want-to-buy-a-good-gift-start-by-thinking-about-where-you-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/24\/want-to-buy-a-good-gift-start-by-thinking-about-where-you-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to buy a good gift? Start by thinking about where you live"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Despite spiralling cost-of-living pressures, Australians are predicted to spend about $60 more on Christmas gifts this year, compared to 2023.<\/p>\n

Data published by the Australian Retailers Association<\/a> last month revealed shoppers are forecast to collectively drop $11.8 billion on presents in 2024, with an average spend of $707 each.<\/p>\n

The biggest gift-buying segment of the market, Australians aged 35-49, are expected to spend about $965 each.<\/p>\n

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Shoppers are expected to spend between $700 and $1000 each on Christmas gifts this year.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Courtney Kruk<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps the most damaging statistic, for someone like me who is constantly striving to be more organised and do better than last year, is that majority of shoppers (53 per cent) have already purchased gifts as of mid-October. Who are these people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I\u2019m not that organised, but I\u2019m not driving full speed towards a panicked midnight shop on Christmas Eve either \u2013 though I\u2019ve been there many times before.<\/p>\n

It also looks like I might avoid sending myself into a less-than-festive amount of debt this year too.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the \u201cwhat to buy\u201d that I\u2019m struggling with.<\/p>\n

Christmas magnifies the juggle between wanting to purchase thoughtful gifts, and the judgemental glare of my moral compass. I detest rampant consumerism. I detest myself more when I (frequently) buy into it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The radical end of anti-consumerism would be to be rifle around a few bargain bins. Or, as I did on the weekend, drop by Cash Convertors for the first time in about 10 years. You can easily get a bit of rust on the back wheels past a four-year-old, but it\u2019s not a popular choice when shopping for a parent or significant other.<\/p>\n

There are other ways.<\/p>\n

This year I\u2019m striving to tame those two wolves by buying \u2013 as much as possible \u2013 from local, independent businesses. Here are a few on my list.<\/p>\n

I discovered Relove Oxley<\/strong> <\/a>last year on a hunt for secondhand furniture and they\u2019ve since become a favourite for pre-loved and vintage goods. If you\u2019ve got a Pok\u00e9mon-obsessed child (or adult) to buy for, they are worth a visit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Empire Revival<\/strong><\/a> in Paddington is great if you\u2019re buying for someone who appreciates a one-of-a-kind gift. The 1000-square-metre retail space has a mix of antique, vintage, contemporary and artisan goods covering everything from clothing and homewares, to jewellery and art.<\/p>\n

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On the other side of town, Camp Hill Antique Centre<\/strong><\/a> has a similar offering with about 70 dealers under the one roof.<\/p>\n

Books are, in my opinion, the best gift to give and receive. If you\u2019re buying for someone with intimidating literary tastes, head to Archive Fine Books<\/a><\/strong> on Charlotte Street. Hamish and Dawn Alcorn are harbouring a hell of a collection in there, with rare, secondhand and vintage books covering every topic imaginable.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re shopping for someone obsessed with the city, the Library Shop<\/strong><\/a> at the State Library of Queensland has a range of Brisbane-focused titles, posters and art pieces, including The Cane Toad Times<\/a><\/em>. QAGOMA\u2019s store <\/strong><\/a>next door for art aficionados too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There\u2019s also Rocking Horse Records<\/strong><\/a> in Queen Street Mall and Sonic Sherpa<\/strong><\/a> in Stones Corner, both offering records plus a huge selection of CDs and DVDs.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re after a standout, handmade piece of clothing or jewellery from an emerging local designer, drop by Kathryn Walsh\u2019s<\/a> Practice Studio<\/a><\/strong> on Montague Road.<\/p>\n

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If your shopping for a record-lover this Christmas, visit Jet Black Cat Music, Rocking Horse Records or Sonic Sherpa. <\/span>Credit: <\/span>Markus Ravik<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why don\u2019t we gift plants more often? If you want to help me popularise this underrated gift, go visit your local nursery this Christmas. For budget-friendly indoor plants, The Grow Centre<\/strong><\/a> in Woolloongabba will always have my business.<\/p>\n

And on the point of exploring unconventional solutions to consumerism, nothing spreads Christmas cheer like the gift of an experience: tickets to a gig, festival<\/a> or theatre show<\/a>; or a local experience like the Story Bridge Climb<\/strong><\/a> or a kayak tour of the Brisbane River<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Who did I miss? Mention your favourite local business in the comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Courtney Kruk
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Despite spiralling cost-of-living pressures, Australians are predicted to spend about $60 more on Christmas gifts this year, compared to 2023. Data published by the Australian Retailers Association last month revealed shoppers are forecast to collectively drop $11.8 billion on presents in 2024, with an average spend of $707 each. The biggest gift-buying segment of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":814374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2391,27953],"tags":[6036,12203],"class_list":{"0":"post-814373","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-start","8":"category-thinking","9":"tag-start","10":"tag-thinking"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=814373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}