As Christmas grows ever closer, a new study has analysed how Iris Simpkins and Amanda Woods from The Holiday spent their money.
Experts at JeffBet.com examined all the items Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz’s characters splurged on in the 2006 romcom, and calculated the total cost to determine who spent the most.
It turns out Diaz’s workaholic character spent the most, outspending Iris by thousands. A whopping £10,438.78 left her bank during the two-week vacation.
Most of Amanda’s spending happened before she even stepped foot on English soil – she spent £10,101.81 flying from LAX to Heathrow Airport in First Class.
She continues by spending £89.54 on getting herself to and from the airport in a limousine, and another £72.73 to fill up Iris’ Mini Cooper with petrol.
Though Iris’ plane tickets are also the most expensive part of her trip, she spends significantly less than Amanda. In total, it costs her £1,506.78.
Iris’s plane tickets cost her £1,013.39 and she flies in economy class. Her cab to her holiday home cost her £164.03 and her petrol cost £46.07.
However, she also takes the train home from her work Christmas party at the start of the movie which costs her £15.80.
But what Iris doesn’t spend on travel, she spends on the men in her life. She buys her cheating-on-off boyfriend, Jasper [Rufus Sewell], a first edition of the 1989 novel The Message to the Planet by Iris Murdoch which costs her £60.00, and spends £0.30 on sending him a ‘breakup’ text just before takeoff.
Later in the film, she dines with her elderly neighbour Arthur and then her love interest Miles [Jack Black].
The dinner with Arthur at what appears to be a sophisticated restaurant costs her £57.27, and she foots the bill for Miles when he gets a call from his on-off girlfriend Maggie [Shannyn Sossamon]. The sushi bar they dine at comes to £117.59.
Before Amanda dines out with Iris’ brother Graham [Jude Law] as they try to navigate their attraction to each other – which costs her £80.00 – she spends quite a significant amount of money while shopping.
She picks up an assortment of items while regretting her choice to spend Christmas across the pond, including a £3.20 wheel of waxed cheddar cheese, two bottles of wine totalling £21, £5 chocolate, gherkins for £1.80, and bread priced at £1.35.
She also purchases another bottle later in the film, and some other goodies like a box of chocolates to surprise Graham at his home, only to learn he has two young daughters with his now-deceased wife. The chocolates cost her £11.00.
Iris also buys food and alcohol, though it’s for a more social affair.
She hosts a Hanukkah party for Arthur and his friends and cooks a meal. The traditional meal eaten during the holiday is beef brisket, and Iris may have picked one up along with the £16.49 Manischewitz she purchases to feast on with her friends. The beef costs £9.60.
She also rents the 1986 movie The Mission while rendezvousing with Miles at Blockbuster. At 2011 prices, it would cost Iris £6.24.
Amanda would still spend more money, but her bank account would look a few thousand pounds richer. An inflation calculator showed she would splash £5,756.63.
Her most expensive purchase 18 years ago would have been her plane tickets at £5,570.79 while her cheapest purchase would have been snowman cookies at £0.66.
Iris would be about £400 better off in 2006. Her total holiday costs would have come to £1,102.70.
Like Amanda, her travel out to LA would be her most expensive buy at £558.85 and her cheapest purchase would be her text to Jasper which would cost £0.17.
Talking about the findings, a spokesperson for JeffBet.com said, “In The Holiday, both Amanda and Iris spend quite a lot in order to arrive at their respective destinations and far away from the men causing them heartache. Analysing the numbers shows Cameron Diaz’s character has a taste for the finer things in life when we look at how she chooses to fly and her shop purchases.
“In contrast, Kate Winslet’s Iris seems more conservative with how she spends money on herself – flying economy rather than business or first class, for example. But she doesn’t seem to mind spending her cash on others, like buying the first edition book for Jasper or paying for Miles’ sushi as he rushes off to see Maggie.”
