Saving cash over the holidays is crucial because there’s so much to buy and if we’re not careful it can get out of hand. Here are some essential Christmas money saving tips that will help.
Best Christmas Money Saving Tips For The Holidays…
Money Saving Tips For Presents
AGREE ON A BUDGET FOR PEOPLES PRESENTS
Set a limit for family and friends and let everyone know.
In my family it’s £15 which works really well, and if someone wants something that costs more, then people can club together for it rather than breaking the bank.
An expensive gift really isn’t necessary when people are getting lots of gifts anyway, right?
DO A SECRET SANTA
Put everyone’s name in a hat and everyone draws one name and buys for them only. Set a budget as well. That way everyone gets one really nice present that they are more than happy with, and you get to save a lot of money.
HAVE A RULE THAT ONLY THE CHILDREN GET PRESENTS IN THE FAMILY.
Once everyone is having a family, things can get expensive pretty quickly. Keeping gift buying to the children only will keep that magic of watching them unwrap them – but lessen the spend overall.
MAKE YOUR PRESENTS
A homemade gift like fudge / jam / lemon curd / biscuits etc… always go down well, and you can create some amazing packaging that will make your loved ones feel extra special.
GIVE PEOPLE PROMISES AS GIFTS
i.e. a token for a free nights babysitting, or a promise to do a friends ironing one week etc… – this will be happily accepted and is a great inexpensive gift idea!
REGIFT PRESENTS YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN BUT THAT DON’T WORK FOR YOU
Just remember NOT to give them to whoever gave them to you in the first place…
BUY SOME PRESENTS THAT ARE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO BUY THAT PERSON ANYWAY
For example, a scarf, gloves, socks etc…. There’s nothing wrong with useful stuff!
USE BROWN PAPER (PARCEL PAPER) AS WRAPPING PAPER
You can buy relatively cheaply compared to Christmas wrapping paper and dress up with ribbon, or use a stamp with some paints to create your own unique designs.
USE LAST YEARS CHRISTMAS CARDS
You can make your own gift tags from them. Simply cut out the front picture, add a hole and some ribbon or string, and voila!
Recycling at its best, and it will brighten up each and every Christmas present while you’re at it. Bonus!
USE WRAPPING SERVICES
Some shops will offer a wrapping service free of charge over Christmas – take advantage!
POST AS EARLY AS YOU CAN
This will save money on postage as you can send second class rather than first, for example.
Money Saving Tips For Christmas Cards
SEND ECARDS NOT REAL ONES
Making savings on both stamps and cards.
AND DELIVER AS MANY CARDS AS YOU CAN
Even if that means giving them out a little earlier to some people.
We love to post our hand delivered local cards on Christmas Eve as it feels nice to get out and about and wish people Merry Christmas in person.
SEND AS MANY CARDS AS YOU CAN EARLY
And send them second class to save pounds. You could also add the cards to any parcels you’re sending with presents inside. Save the stamp altogether!
TELL PEOPLE YOU AREN’T SENDING CARDS THIS YEAR, AND INSTEAD MAKE A DONATION TO CHARITY
You can still make a saving and help people at the same time – it is the season of goodwill after all!
Tips To Save Money On Christmas Food
GET GUESTS TO BRING SOME FOOD
Most people will be happy to contribute to a buffet, or bring a specific starter or pudding, or even drinks – and this can drastically cut your holiday spending.
EAT AT HOME MORE
Instead of going out for meals over the festive period – entertain at home more. Christmas menus can be expensive!
DON’T OVER CATER
Christmas is really only a few days, and you can all only eat a certain amount – it’s usually the case that people have leftovers for maybe weeks afterwards, or end up wasting a lot of food – so make a list of what you really need, and how many you are catering for each day and stick to it (your waistline will also breath a sigh of relief!).
USE LEFTOVERS WISELY
Turkey soup is always a winner on Boxing day, turkey sandwiches as well… I see a lot of turkey in your future!
ALWAYS LOOK FOR CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES
Whether it be using Aldi instead of Marks and Spencers, or going for non branded items in the supermarket of your choice – there are always ways to save something.
Money Saving Tips For Christmas Shopping
DON’T GO OVERBOARD
Stick to a budget and don’t be tempted when you hit the shops to splurge (online holiday shopping can help to avoid the temptation still further).
USE LOYALTY POINTS
Try and save them up throughout the year. Boots / Nectar / Tesco etc…all offer great loyalty schemes where savings really do add up, and it’s GREAT to be able to spend while not actually spending, right!?
SHOP AT OUTLET STORES
Or shops like TKMaxx and Homesense to get quality products for less money.
USE THE SALES
If you won’t see some people until after Christmas, use the sales in January to buy their presents instead of buying them for full price before.
SHOP ONLINE
So you can’t be tempted by extra things as much as you would if you were walking past all the shops and their tempting window displays.
SPEND A LITTLE MORE THIS YEAR TO SAVE NEXT YEAR
Things like a fake Christmas tree will cost you this year, but you won’t have to budget for it again next year so you will save in the long run.
USE A CASHBACK CREDIT CARD
If you can to do all your Christmas shopping – BUT always pay it back asap as any cash back you earn will be lost against the hefty interest charged otherwise.
USE A CASH BACK SITE
To get some money back on your shopping (which you could save for next year ;o) ), why not use a cash back site such as Quidco or TopCashBack. You can earn money throughout the year and use it to pay for some of Christmas going forward as well. This is a no-brainer really because if you do a lot of shopping online, it makes sense to get some money back while doing so…
ALWAYS LOOK ONLINE FOR ANY COUPON CODES OR DISCOUNTS
A quick Google search often leads to a little money saved.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BLACK FRIDAY (AND CYBER MONDAY) DEALS
For items you were going to get anyway – monitor shops for any deals they may be advertising and get them while they’re there.
LOOK IN THE POUND SHOPS
Or equivalent for stocking fillers for the kids.
Money Saving Tips For Christmas Decorations
BUY ONE NEW ITEM EACH YEAR
Don’t try and revamp everything based on the trends and new stuff each year, as that will eat into your budget like nothing else! Instead, replace or add one new item each year so you end up with some gorgeous things that mean something specific to you and create memories for you each year.
We like to have one main decoration item in each room, and have collected them over the years – such as a picture, a tree, lighting, wreath etc… – but have also collected specific tree decorations for special years such as my daughters first Christmas.
MAKE THEM!
Last year I loved making my own white salt dough decorations for our tree. This recipe was the one I followed and it worked beautifully:
BUY IN THE SALES
Obviously this one won’t help in the current year, but come January all Christmas décor goes on sale, so this is the perfect time to buy it and save for next year.
How To Save Money On General Christmas Spending
STREAMLINE YOUR SPENDING
In the lead up to Christmas, go without a few daily extras to save a little more (like your morning coffee from the local shop, or your takeaways for a month etc…).
CREATE A CHANGE JAR
In your hallway and add any change collected each day to it – it will build up to quite a sum over the year.
DON’T PAY FOR EXPENSIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Look for Christmas markets, carol services etc… in your local area that are free to attend.
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