MONEY

Buying 'The 12 days of Christmas' gifts is a 2015 bargain

Kevin McCoy
USA TODAY
File photo taken in 2009 shows two turtle doves in St. George Island, Fla. The cost of two turtle doves rose 11.5% to $290 in 2015, according to the 32nd annual PNC Wealth Management Christmas Price Index.

There's an upside to a steady-but-slow-rising economy: The cost of buying your true love all the gifts from "The 12 Days of Christmas" rose just 0.6% this year.

The combined cost for the dozen gifts featured in the final verse of the famed Christmas carol totals $34,130.99 in 2015, up $198 from last year's pricetag and in-line with the government's Consumer Price Index, according to the 32nd annual PNC Christmas Price Index issued Monday.

The outcome, reflecting a steep drop in energy costs, low inflation and the rate of the nation's economic growth, marks the whimsical index's lowest growth rate in six years, the Pittsburgh-based financial services company said.

In all, nine of the 12 gift items maintained their respective costs this year.

"While the economy continues to chug along on a sustainable path, low commodity prices are keeping consumer costs down," Jim Dunigan, chief investment officer of PNC Asset Management Group said in a statement released with roundup. "With only a few items in our index increasing in cost this year, True Loves should be thrilled that they can have their goose and better afford the gas to roast it too."

Mirroring the government's core CPI, which excludes energy and food prices, PNC excluded the Seven-Swans-a-Swimming — typically the most volatile cost — from the overall index. With the swans out, the core gift index rose 1%, similar to the 1.9% government CPI increase, PNC said. The roundup also showed:

  • The cost of Five Gold Rings stayed at $750, the same as the past two years, despite the drop in gold commodity prices during 2015.
  • The $7,553 pricetag for Nine Ladies Dancing, the $2,635 cost for 11 Pipers Piping and the $2,855 outlay for 12 Drummers Drumming were also exactly on par with the last two years. However, the cost of 10 Lords-A-Leaping jumped 3%, to $5,508.70.
  • The Pear Tree, home to the song's lone Partridge, rose 1.2%, perhaps reflecting the upward trend in housing costs.
  • The cost of the Eight Maids-a-Milking, the index's only unskilled workers, held steady for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting the federal minimum wage, which hasn't changed since 2009.

With an eye to those who buy their true love's gifts online, PNC also calculated the cost of buying the 12 items via the Internet. The convenience of online shopping resulted in a total splurge of $43,626.73 — or $9,495.74 more than buying in person — because Internet prices tend to be higher, PNC said.