Our Great Money Saving Tips To Help You Stretch Your Budget This Christmas
"Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
"Please put a penny in the old man's hat
"If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do
"If you haven't got a ha'penny then God bless you!"
As the cost of Christmas continues to increase with the average household spending around £600 on presents and gifts, £180 on food and drink and £50 on decorations, we’ve thought of some money saving tips to help ease the strain on your wallet. It’s an ideal time to get started on these too so that you’re not leaving things until the last minute.
1. Make your own decorations and give them as gifts. A perfect opportunity to get covered in glitter and save money at the same time. Save the kid’s lolly pop sticks and make stick trees.
Or simply thread red and white beads on to a pipe cleaner, creating a beaded candy cane. Perfect little gifts which will be cherished year after year.
2. Make your own cards instead of purchasing shop bought ones which can be very expensive.
A chance to get creative with the kids and add personal touches. Hand printed reindeers and Christmas trees make excellent card toppers that can be then glued onto a blank card. You could even use old Christmas cards that you’ve been sent the year before to make your Christmas tags for presents this year! Simply cut around the main picture or design from the front of the card (for the extra effect you could use pinking shears to create pointy edges!) then hole punch and thread with ribbon – prefect gift tags!
3. Make and bake your own goodies instead of buying them. Simple household ingredients can make delicious treats to be enjoyed with a coffee in between wrapping all those presents. Goodies such as homemade mince pies can be frozen if you make too many, so there’s no wastage.
5. Set a budget and stick to it! Make a list of how much you can afford to spend on things like presents, food and drink, then stick to it. We all splurge a little during the festive period but we don’t need to and it will mean you’ve got more money to spend in the January sales.
5. Last but not least don’t be afraid to shop around. Don’t be swayed by the packaging just because its bright and appealing, remember what’s inside the packaging that matters. You can feed the family for less and they’ll never know the difference.