London, Aug 26 : Romantic presents like flowers and jewellery are fast becoming history, courtesy cash-strapped couples who prefer gifting useful and practical presents to each other.

That''s the conclusion of a new research.

The study revealed that almost 60 per cent of Britons preferred to buy a useful article as gift for their partners, rather than something that is not a necessity, reports the Scotsman.

The researchers found that most couples gifted jewellery to each other two decades ago. But now, they''ve been turned into gadgets like iPod, or DVDs and books.

Jewellery came in third in the list, but a kitchen gadget such as a breadmaker was named the fourth most popular gift.

One tenth of the couples admitted to have rarely gifted anything to their partners in order to save money, while one fifth said they did not exchange any gifts to save money.

The survey of 2,500 married Britons also showed that couples now spent about 196.47 pounds on each other at birthdays and Christmas, compared to nearly 230 pounds 20 years ago.

Three-quarters of today''s couples have even set limits on the amount of money to be spent on gifts, to ensure that neither overspends. Only 50 percent of those married 20 years ago followed the same.

It has also been found that people are spending less money on engagement rings. Twenty years ago men spent an average of two months'' income on their partner''s engagement ring, but now males spend just one month''s wages.

Jonathan Caplan, from gold-buying website mygoldmine. co. uk, said: "Times are harder, so it''s not surprising to see people are tightening their belts, but it''s sad to think that celebrations are taking the hit.

"Romantic gifts, however small, will be around and enjoyed far longer than the iPod, which will be forgotten for a newer model." (ANI)