Christmas is always an expensive time. No matter how good you are at budgeting something always creeps up. Normally for me it’s wrapping paper and cards, or someone you didn’t except to gives you a gift and of course you want them to feel just as special. This year however everyone is facing the money crunch. Which means we all need to be looking at how we can treat our loved ones without breaking the bank anymore than it already is. With these tips we hope that you can have a budget friendly Christmas just like us.
Budget By Planning Ahead
This is the typical of it sounds easier said than done. As the year goes on Christmas falls of the radar for most of us. Whilst we will preach that the more organised you can be the smoother Christmas will be. All you really need to focus on reducing is the financial stress of Christmas. Planning ahead doesn’t always mean that you buy presents for people throughout the year. Ultimately because this way you could be wasting money, as they might buy it for themselves or change their mind. Meaning you’d of spend money of a pointless gift that you’ll just end up re-gifting it to someone who doesn’t need it. Which is why it does make more sense to be looking nearer the time for gifts.
The first step to your planning is checking who you are buying for, and consider what you’d like to get them. That way you don’t get too carried away focusing on just one person before realises you have more to buy for than you realised. Once you have that list sorted then you can start budgeting logically. Thinking about how much you want to spend and what you think would be a nice gift. Doing some research around how much these presents are is also good idea. That way you don’t set yourself an unrealistic budget. If you don’t have the time to do the research then add an extra £5 or £10 on top of the price you expect to try and weigh out if it’s dearer.
Then make sure you are using days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday to your advantage. Whilst they have passed this year we are here as your early reminder for next year. Get it on your phone now as a reminder. The most important part of this planning is to work out what you can afford for Christmas, and edit your gifts accordingly.
Talk To Friends About Budget
Once you’ve made sure that you aren’t buying presents for every man and their dog then speak with your nearest and dearests about setting a budget. There isn’t anything wrong in saying you still want to show your love through gift giving, but this year would a ‘table present’ suffice. A ‘table present’ is the likes of a candle, key ring, something that personal but around the £10 mark, for instance with the candle is a fragrance they love, or the key ring is their favourite hobby. The reality is you can’t buy everyone a gift. With everyone going through the same financial crunch most will appreciate talking about a fair budget!
Secret Santa
Instead of scrapping presents for people, why not speak to the wider group and see if they’d do secret Santa. Again, you don’t need to set a higher price range just because you are buying for less people, but this way everyone gets something around the £15/£20 mark. It’s a great way for everyone to save some money and get to open something special on Christmas. It’s a tradition that I have always done at work, and now do with friends as our families grow, meaning our present list does too. The truth is though there is something lovely about meeting up for an early Christmas dinner and all swapping secret presents.
Budget By Shopping Second Hand
This is the best time of the year to shop second hand online. People who have had novelty items in their back room for the past year are finally listing them. Preparing for the like of yourselves to purchase them. Not to mention that you can get a real bargain when buying second hand. Preloved has incredible amount of listings ideal for those at Christmas, from winter clothes and home accessories to sports equipment and kids toys. Just remember that you need to do a bit of digging to get what want. But when you find it it’s the best feeling. Because as we always say Second hand is NOT second best. Especially if it can help you have a budget friendly Christmas.
It’s not just exclusively Preloved where you can get some great presents for second hand though, the charity shops are also full of goodies. With a lot of them holding onto stock specifically for the run up to Christmas, you’re in for a treat. Not to mention a lot of them are now partnered with high street brands meaning you could get something that people wouldn’t even know was from a charity shop. Not that it being from a charity shop matters but this is a bit of a hack.
Research Dupes To Help Budget
People typically will ask for perfume/aftershave for Christmas, but if you can’t stretch to their favourite fragrance do some research on some dupes. Dupes very often are ways to get someone a present that they want for a fraction of the price. Simply because it doesn’t have the high end brand logo on it, but smells almost the same if not exactly. This way they can ask someone who has it in their budget for the original option and then get the dupe for their everyday option. They might even realise that the dupe is better and therefore saving themselves and everyone else some money in the future.
Additionally certain luxury candles have many imitations online or brick and mortar. By spending the time to research you could find a gift that will keep their house smelling nice all year round. Making them remember you and your thoughtfulness, every time. The sense of smell is one of the strongest memory triggers a person has.
Don’t Forget The Miscellaneous Items
This is the area that ALWAYS buggers up my budget. The wrapping paper, cello tape, decorations and delivery. Make sure that when you are ordering items if you can get them from the same website that you are doing in it one to save on delivery fees. As the cost of living goes up it seems that the cost of delivery isn’t free anymore. Sadly. Which is why it’s important to plan. If you are finding that you can’t fit in getting enough wrapping paper start saving your newspapers. If it’s done neatly newspaper looks rustic and effective for Christmas.
Christmas Isn’t Just About Giving
Throughout this blog we have talked about gifting friends and family, but Christmas is about much more. You don’t need to get too consumed with the idea of giving during the Christmas period. One of the best gifts to give to someone is time. Go and see your friends and family. This is the first year for a while that you can move freely throughout the UK. Make the most of that and visit your loved ones. Have dinner together and enjoy the festivities. Throw on a rubbish Christmas film, cheers with some baileys and sit round the fire (lets keep those energy bills down)!
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