The Christmas season is here again, and with the festive cheer comes an expensive time of year.
However, you can still celebrate in style this year while sticking to your budget.
With a little creativity and a lot of hard work, you can create a magical day for your family without breaking the bank.
We’ve come up with 12 fabulous cost-saving tips to help you have a very merry Christmas this year.
How To Save Money This Christmas:
1) Shop Online – If there’s one thing that will help you save money during the festive season it’s shopping online.
You can take advantage of seasonal sales or promotions from your favorite retailers which means you’ll be able to bag yourself some incredible bargains.
Also, if you pay attention to fashion bloggers on social media, many of them share tips about discount codes and special offers from leading brands which may enable you to access free shipping or money off specific items.
2) Swap Gifts – Instead of buying gifts for everyone in your family this year, why not suggest that you all chip in together and buy one really good present for Grandma or Granddad?
This way you can help people save money while at the same time helping them receive a special gift they weren’t expecting!
3) Make Your Own Cards – Recycling is key when it comes to saving money this Christmas.
Why not create your own cards with the kids by recycling cereal boxes for Christmas trees and paper bags for Santa hats?
You can also pick up lots of glitters, sequins, ribbons, and other craft supplies from one-dollar shops which means that you’ll be able to make some beautiful decorations without spending a fortune!
For younger children, why not let them draw pictures or color in their own cards? This way they will feel involved in the process while you give them a good opportunity to be creative.
5) Shop Seasonal – One way in which you can save yourself some pennies during the festive season is by shopping seasonally.
This means that rather than buying gifts at full price, you should wait until the sales start before visiting your high street stores or department stores.
6) Get Your Priorities Right – When preparing for Christmas, many of us tend to go into panic mode with lots of unnecessary expenses coming out of the woodwork.
The best way in which you can save money this Christmas is by getting your priorities right. For example, if you’re planning on buying gifts for all your family members, make sure they know that you can’t afford to buy them anything else.
This way they won’t feel disappointed when they receive the same pair of socks yet again!
7) Start A New Tradition – Why not save yourself some money by starting a brand new tradition with your loved ones?
For example, you could choose to go out for dinner rather than hosting costly festive parties at home or heading off to exotic holiday destinations throughout the year.
And if you really want to get into the spirit of things why not organize an advent calendar with your children and fill each compartment with treats such as mince pies and chocolate coins?
8. Make a list, and check it twice! Make a list of the presents you will need to buy for each person before heading off to the shops. This way you’ll avoid unnecessary purchases that aren’t on your list!
9. Think about what you already have – do you really need another set of mugs? Or perhaps your old video games can be passed on to a family member or friend?
Don’t waste money on things you already have.
10. Set yourself a spending limit – try not to go over this amount. It’s better for your budget to spend less than you planned than to go over your limit and have nothing left for Christmas dinner!
11. Be realistic, everyone knows that Santa isn’t real, so give children what they need rather than a bunch of presents that will quickly be forgotten about.
12. Cut down on the alcohol, and other drinks over the festive period – it may seem like harmless fun but all those glasses of Baileys add up! if you’re planning on having a few drinks over the festive period, try buying sharing bottles of wine or choosing cheaper brands to save money.
13. Make a homemade gift – it can be something as simple as popping into Hallmark and making a card with the children, or baking some festive treats for your neighbors.
14. Think about getting a temporary job – if you need extra money for Christmas, try contacting a local recruitment agency to find out more about their vacancies.
15. If you have a spare room, why not rent it out on Air BNB? This way you could make around £300-£400 over the festive period without doing anything!
16. Save up your points – most supermarkets offer loyalty points during December, so why not save these up and use them to buy gifts for your loved ones instead of spending money at retailers like Amazon?
17. Swap toys with other parents – most children have lots of toys they no longer play with, so before buying your child new things, why don’t you meet up with another parent from school and swap? You’d be surprised how many things the kids have that they no longer play with!
18. Plan your Christmas dinner – plan what you’re going to cook now so that it doesn’t interfere with your budget. Prepare now – now is the perfect time to start planning Christmas dinner as many supermarkets offer great deals on certain foods after Christmas, so if you don’t need anything this year you can stock up your freezer and save money for next year!
19. Only buy one present at a time – we all know how excited five-year-olds get when they see lots of parcels under the tree, but make sure you only buy one item each time you go shopping.
20. Buy in advance – if you know exactly what your child wants for Christmas and it’s available online, order it now and make a note in your diary when it’ll arrive so you don’t forget!
21. Shop around – compare prices before going out to buy gifts as they can vary significantly from one shop to another.
22. Look out for ‘two-for-one deals – this is brilliant for stocking stuffers and little gifts as you can get twice as many products for the same price! 24. Have a festive ‘do’ – ask around to see if any of your friends want to join in and make it a party with some games and snacks.
23. Set yourself a Christmas savings fund – why not set up an account at your bank and try to put aside some money each month? You could even use this account exclusively for any Christmas shopping you might have to do!
24. Buy secondhand – It’s no secret that buying secondhand is becoming increasingly popular with savvy shoppers who want great products for less! Why not look at eBay , car boot sales, thrift shops and charity shops for some great bargains. You could even make a little money by selling any old Christmas decorations or unwanted presents to the same places!
25. If all else fails, don’t panic – remember that it’s not about how much you spend, but about spending time together as a family. Even a box of chocolates and a board game will help to bring everyone closer this Christmas!
So there you have it, twelve ways to save money this Christmas without having to cut out all the fun and excitement that comes with the season. We hope we’ve been able to help you in some way and if you want to learn more about saving money and making the most of your budget check out the other posts on the blog.
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