THE ABS tells us that total household spending is up by five per cent across Australia, for the 12 months through to the end of August 2025.

But spending on discretionary items, that is the things we can do without, is down.

Alcohol and tobacco has taken a particular hit, but spending on furniture and household equipment and recreation and culture is also down.

Anecdotally at least, people aren’t spending at the moment, according to Gary McCaughan of Stony Creek.

A regular at local markets, Gary makes decorative items from horseshoes and various other interesting pieces of scrap metal, this time last year doing a good trade in horseshoe Christmas trees.

This time last year, he’d sold 33 such items, but in a sign of the economic times, he reckons, he’s only sold one Christmas tree this year.

Could be that everyone who wants a horseshoe Christmas tree already has one.

Gary McCaughan turned out at a sodden Inverloch Community Farmers Market last Sunday, despite the rain, but he’s got a busy round of engagements worked out for the Melbourne Cup Long Weekend.

“I’ll be at Koonwarra on Saturday (November 1), the return of the Prom Market at Foster on Sunday (November 2) and Tarwin Lower on Monday (November 3),” said Gary.

The markets should provide a more accurate indicator of what retailers (and market stallholders) can expect in the run-up to Christmas.

And after all, what’s Christmas without a (horseshoe style) Christmas tree?