BAH HUMBUG: X-MAS SHOPPERS PLAN TO PINCH PENNIES THIS YEAR

BAH HUMBUG: X-MAS SHOPPERS PLAN TO PINCH PENNIES THIS YEAR

NEW YORK (Wireless Flash) -- Ebenezer Scrooge would be pleased with the way things are going this holiday season: A new survey by America's Research Group shows folks plan to pinch pennies this year when it comes to gift giving. One in every four will spend less money on Christmas this year than last year, with 58 percent planning to keep the grand total under $750. Not surprisingly, the average price people plan to spend per gift will decline, with most folks spending $26 to $35 per gift versus last year's average of $36 to $50 per gift. And the penny-pinching is getting personal -- only 36 percent of folks plan to buy gifts for themselves this year, a 50 percent decline from last year.