Christmas can be a particularly expensive time for all of us. The cost of presents, food and booze all add up – and before you know it, your wallet/purse is empty.
So how could you save money this Christmas? Here are just a few of the simple (yet effective) ideas you could put in place to save yourself money over the festive period this year.
1. Make your own gifts and decorations
You can, if you feel handy, make your own gifts and decorations. When I say make your own gifts, I don’t mean stick a few pieces of paper together to make a nice poster, I mean make your own jam, for example.
There are so many recipes available for you to try out online. Why not try to make your own Christmas pudding? Or what about your own wine? These will make great gifts for people who are looking to save money too – you never know, you may inspire them to make their own!
As for your own decorations – this is where you can get the paper out! Get creative and take yourself back to your school days. Make a big paper chain and stick it on the wall (or from one corner of the room to the other). Why not make your own tree decorations? You could get your kids to help you – they could make their own decorations and place them round the house.
2. Make your own Christmas cards
This is a thoughtful idea that many people will appreciate more than you think. If you just went out and bought 50 Christmas cards, filled them out and posted them, then that’s nice – but you didn’t really put much thought into it, did you?
However, if you were to take the time to make your own cards (either by hand or on the computer), then people will appreciate it and you will save yourself money!
3. Set yourself a budget
If you really want to save money this Christmas, then set yourself a budget. For example, you could set yourself a budget of £100 to buy everyone’s presents. This may sound impossible but it really isn’t.
There are all sorts of sales on at this time of year – you just need to sit down and search online. Failing that, trawl the high street stores for cheap items.
I found various cheap toys online, and I’m sure you can too. Try sites like eBay and Amazon, they are packed with cheap deals.
Greeting cards can be a great way to cheer someone up or to acknowledge someone’s special event. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on them for them to be meaningful. I have found a lot of great cards at a local dollar store. When I compared them with the more expensive card shops I found they are just as nice and they only cost $1.00. The only down side is that some dollar stores have limited selections and seem to order the same ones year after year. So, it doesn’t hurt to check out different dollar stores once in a while to get more variety. Larger dollar stores often carry a lot more varieties including ones that look homemade and can be used for any occasion.
you can give the gift of your time instead. Spend a few minutes making a homemade gift certificate for your loved one or friend offering a special service that would be meaningful to them.