Three french hens will cost a few hundred US dollars--and that's one of the less expensive items.

Answer: $45,523.27 (up 10.5% from last year)

Questions:

• What items do you/your family purchase around the holidays that you’ve noticed have increased in price?
• What are some strategies people can use to save money on gifts and other seasonal purchases?
• Do you prefer experiences or tangible gifts? Explain why.

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (PNC Christmas Price Index): 

"The PNC Christmas Price Index^® is an annual tradition which shows the current cost for one set of each of the gifts given in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

It is similar to the U.S. Consumer Price Index, which measures the changing prices of goods and services like housing, food, clothing, transportation and more that reflect the spending habits of the average American.

The goods and services in the PNC Christmas Price Index® are far more whimsical, of course. And most years, the price changes closely mirror those in the U.S. Consumer Price Index.

It’s a fun way to measure consumer spending and trends in the economy. So, even if Pipers Piping or Geese-a-Laying didn’t make your gift list this year, you can still learn a lot by checking out why their prices have increased or decreased over the years."

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Looking for other ways to teach about inflation? Get your students out of their seat with MOVE: Inflation Over Time!

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NGPF's Budgeting unit will help prepare your students for anything their financial life throws at them!

About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan grew up with and maintains a love for learning. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Business Administration and worked in sports marketing for a number of years. After living in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and Minnesota, the call of education eventually brought Ryan back to his home state of Wisconsin where he was a Business and Marketing teacher for three years. In his free time he likes to spend time with his wife and daughter, play basketball, read, and go fishing. Now with NGPF, Ryan is excited to help teachers lead the most important course their students will ever take.