Christmas can be an expensive time of year for most of us and it’s so easy to overspend on things you don’t really need and end up paying the price in January (and beyond)!
I’ve put together a little list of things that help me to save me money at this time of year in the hope that some of them will also help you to save a little bit too. A lot of them are genuinely common sense and you’re probably already doing most of them but it’s always worth a quick reminder, isn’t it? 😉
If you’re not going to be visiting someone until after Christmas then you could always buy their presents in the Boxing Day sales and save yourself a fortune. Boots especially has always been my favourite sale on Boxing day as the bargains there have always been fab if you can get in early enough.
Check your loyalty cards and use whatever points you have to buy presents and any extra food and drink that you will be buying. Tesco are running their ClubCard Boost again this year where you can double your points in certain areas of the shop and even though I didn’t think I had many points to spend, a quick check of my account online showed me that I had enough points to boost and buy an Xbox game that was on my son’s list for just £3 after I cashed in my vouchers.
Always shop around before you buy something and check online voucher websites before you buy anything at all online. When you have the best prices you can get, make sure you then use cash back sites for any purchases, I tried this last year and earned almost £20 back on an £80 shop.
Make sure you work out in advance what your Christmas budget is and stick to it. It’s a long time till the next pay day in January if you overspend and run out of money! If you go over in one area of your budget then you need to cut back elsewhere (common sense I know).
Once you’ve finished your shopping make sure that you resist temptation to buy any extra little things – no matter how much you think someone will like something because all the extra few pounds here and there will quickly add up.
Agree a spending limit with family and friends who you usually buy for and consider just buying for the kids in the family. Don’t feel bad about asking the question as they’ll probably be just as grateful as you that they don’t need to spend as much.
Even better than agreeing a spend limit would be to have a Secret Santa with your friends and family so you only need to buy one present. You’ll save a fortune, especially if you have a large family and because you’re only buying one present, you can even spend a little more on it.
Shops like Boots and WHSmiths often do a buy 2 get 1 free offer on gifts so consider buying your presents from there to save some money. They have so much in the 2 for 1 that you’re bound to find something for everyone on your list. Just make sure that the prices can’t be beaten elsewhere before you buy.
If there’s something you have your eye on for Christmas that you think might be in the sales then wait! You won’t wear that coat or use that new handbag on Christmas Day so wait an extra day and get it cheaper.
Don’t be afraid to buy presents from e Bay or from charity shops. We’ve bought some great bargains from our local charity shops recently – lots of which I would be more than happy to give as gifts.
Don’t pay for postage unless you need to! Where you can, try and and deliver cards to people who live near enough to you rather than posting them – save on a stamp and have a mince pie and a chat at the same time.
Have a charity box at work and give a few pounds to that instead of buying cards for everyone – saves money, time and it’s for a good cause. We have one and it’s so much better than writing out a stack of cards that most of us probably forget to take home anyway. 😉
Make some homemade gift tags using last years old Christmas cards or for the kids we just stick to one colour wrapping paper rather than labelling. This year Master Frugal is red so any of his presents will be wrapped in paper that is mainly red.
Don’t be tempted to buy food you won’t eat yourselves. This one sounds obvious but isn’t necessarily the case – none of us like Christmas cake but until a few years ago we used to buy one anyway for visitors to nibble on.
Don’t be tempted to buy a huge turkey just because it’s Christmas and you think you should – either buy a smaller turkey crown or even just a chicken like we do. We have a gammon joint and chicken instead of a big turkey. If you do have a turkey and the inevitable leftovers then you can find lots of ways to use them up here.
If you’re having people round, don’t be scared to ask them to bring a plate of food and something to drink. It’s not cheeky and they probably won’t mind at all – in fact, they’re probably thinking about asking you what they should bring anyway.
Don’t buy more than you can eat – the shops are only shut for one day, two maximum and genuinely, you don’t need to stuff yourself silly just because it’s Christmas. Buy one or two treat things each week in your shop in the run up to Christmas and then don’t go crazy when you shop just before Christmas.
An even better way to resist Christmas food and drink temptation would be to shop online – if you can get a good delivery slot then it’s a much easier and stress free way to do the Christmas shop.
Just in case, keep all of your reciepts in an envelope where you can get to them quickly in case you need to take anything back.
Stock up on batteries now as there’s lots of offers around for buy one get one free at the moment. I’m pretty sure that the deals won’t be on nearer to Christmas when they know that people need to be buying them.
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Image credit: Shutterstock, mator
@emvanstone says
Great tips, I really need to start using money saving sites more.
spicers1976 says
I'm with you on the food, so many people spend and buy too much just for the sake of it
globalmouse says
I love all of these – brilliant tips. We always try and save up oour reward points for the Christmas shop.
agatapokutycka says
We buy a lot of things year in advance… wrapping pepper, cards, Xmas pudding – all hunted on sale after Christmas, ready for the next year 🙂
pigeonpairandme says
Good tip about batteries – I'd never considered that one! And you need so many for all the Christmas toys. Thanks for this list – v helpful.
Louisa says
Great tips. We always have a strict budget and stick to it. I don't feel like I can enjoy Xmas if I have overspent
Rachel says
So many good tips! it is a shame to feel that waiting for the sales is better than buying presents beforehand, but sadly it is.
kara says
Some great saving tips here – I never go OTT at xmas, its not worth it
mummybarrow says
I think this is why I havent started shopping yet. I just dont want to spend any money!!!
That tip about not buying more presents and topping up is a really good one. It is so easy to "ooh just added this one" and before you know it you have spend another stack of money you didnt need too.
Top tips Mrs.
becky says
top tips from my fave frugalista
Mammasaurus says
Fab tips – the whole budgeting thing is key for us. We set an amount to spend and when it's gone it's gone. I have a family member who takes out a loan each Xmas to buy lots of presents and its takes the rest of the year to pay it off – seems like madness ot me!
Katy Hill says
That sales tip is SO true! Things often go down 50% in the January sales, so it's just not worth it. x
healthyappletite says
great tips!
Kerry @ Lived With Love | Mummy, Fashion & Lifestyle Blog
x
Jenni says
This is a really useful and comprehensive list! You are so right about the shops only really being shut for a few days, I feel like they are going to be shut for weeks and we need to stock piles months worth of food.
Polly says
great tips! I always save my clubcard points for christmas and boost them 🙂
Liz Burton says
Some great reminders here, thanks Cass x
Penny says
OH MY! I haven't cashed in my Nectar points for years. Thanks Cass! xxx
Donna says
I am polishing my halo as I use so many of these tips already. I have become so frugal in my old age! Or maybe I should just say I am more savvy!!
@DaysOutBlog says
Brilliant! We do home made gift tags, and only buying for children in other families rather than buying things for adults that they probably don't even need.
Sonya Cisco says
Great tips, I love 3 for 2 offers, and actually have had some great bargains from Boots by using my loyalty points to buy in their 3 for 2 offer – tho now Syd is out of nappies I wont have quite so many of them next year!
maggy, redtedart says
Fantastic tips!! I love making homemade gifts to save money!