The cost of the next 12 days of Christmas 2014

Those wonderful people at PNC bank have yet again published their Price Index for the Twelve Days of Christmas and the news is good for those on a budget as the increase in cost of the traditional 12 gifts is the smallest since the crash in the Price Index of 2002.

The overall index is up 1.0% on last years prices with the biggest increase being the the geese a-laying. Six of them will now cost $360 up 71.4% on the $210 relative bargin of last year.

Remaining unchanged on last year are the turtle doves at $125, calling birds at $599.96, gold rings $750, swans $7,000, milking maids $58, dancing ladies $7552.84, pipers $2635.20 and drummers $2854.80.

Those leaping Lords however are now charging  $5348.24 a 2% increase on the $5243.37 of 2013. French hens are now $181 up a whopping 10% on their cost of $165 for the three of them last Christmas.

And a partridge in a pear tree will now set you back $207.68 which is 3.8% more than in 2013 when there were a cent less than $200. This was due both to an increase in partridge food costs and shipping for the tree.

Of course the milking maids on their minimum wage will be up in arms about the Lords claiming an improve Christmas Price Index increase in their wages while they are subject to a pay freeze.