How to save money at Christmas

How can you save money at Christmas without spoiling the festive fun?

We know times are tight for many families but it is possible to have a good time without setting yourself up for a heap of stressful debt in the New Year.

Here are some suggestions.

1. Think about what your family like to eat.

You can be traditional and buy every food items associated with Christmas. You can be more sensible and see less food being thrown in the bin come Christmas Day. Hardly anyone here likes mince pies so why should I buy lots? I hate Christmas pudding so why buy a big one? By the way, there is no connection between the weight of your bird and the love for your family. Ease up on delivering meals every hour during the festivities too. It isn’t necessary and leads to indigestion.

2. Cut down the amount of visits you do.

Yes, you can go and see every person that ever entered your life. Think carefully. You might be getting in their way and they may not even like you that much. Long journeys cost money whether you do them by car or by public transport. You may well stay longer than you intended leading to a stressful journey home and less time to get on with the things you really want to do this Christmas.

3. Cut the booze bill.

Go to any supermarket at this time of year and see trolleys being piled high with crates of beer and bottles galore. Without being a party pooper, it is important to remember that it is possible to have a great time without getting inebriated. I know I don’t want to look at a load of empty bottles sadly in 2013 whilst worrying I can’t pay the gas bill.
By all means have a drink but keep it under control and remember your children are watching you.

4. Decorations and cards.

Have a real think about how many cards and decorations you need. It is so easy to get fired up by all the music and bonhomie at this time of year and go way over the top. If you do want to decorate the house and send cards, why not visit your local charity shop who will probably have plenty available at very affordable prices. You can also feel you are taking part in the season of goodwill by helping a great cause at the same time. If any decoration or card is bought with a thought of keeping up with the Joneses, get a grip and save your pennies.

5. Cut down the number of people you buy gifts for.

This sounds so harsh but think again. Usually when you buy for people, they feel they have to buy you something too. You may be putting someone who is already struggling with finance under intolerable pressure. Not every one who has money problems shout about them either so don’t make any assumptions on this score. It is OK to talk about these things too and say that you welcome someone’s presence rather than their presents.

6. Try to resist peer pressure

You are not a bad parent if you can’t afford the latest “must-have” toy or gadget. With younger children, it is much more about the box it comes in and the fun factor so take advantage of that whilst they are still little. When they get older, you might be presenting a great gift by telling them the realities of life and finances. If they think they can have it all, they may well hurtle into debt when they are grown-ups when they realise that their wages won’t stretch to their wants. They should know the difference between a want and a need. I know this is a difficult one but think back to what you remember from the Christmases of your childhood. Most people remember the love, the laughter and the togetherness all of which neatly come in for free.

7. Make your own

My favourite gift of all time was a doll’s house made by my Dad’s friend. Don’t think that you can’t make something. There are loads of craft and foodie blogs out there to give you inspiration and simple guidance. If you go down the home-made route, you can genuninely write a gift tag saying “Made with love” which must mean more than one which would really say “Put on my credit card”. Be inventive – I recently read about a woman who made a train table by turning her coffee table upside down. You might discover a whole new and potentially money-making talent.

8. Buy second-hand.

If you buy second-hand gifts, your money will go that much further and your gift recipients will have that much more stuff.
An awful lot of second-hand things via Nearly New board and auction sites come with labels or are as new anyway so why pay top prices? Again, watch out in charity shops too so that you can save money and give lovely gifts too whilst helping a good cause.

9. Freebies

If you have not yet heard of Freegle, google it and discover the diversity of things that folks are prepared to give away for free. It’s also a very good way to get rid of your unwanted items too. Look into entering competitions because you really do have to be in it to win it.

10. Radical thought

Make a budget and stick to it!

If you take all these on board and search on hashtag #XmasSavingTips on Twitter and follow other blogger ideas on being frugal, you may well be able to afford one of these treats from Tesco Mobile.

This Christmas Tesco Mobile is offering families some of the best deals on handsets and tariffs. Most notably the Samsung Galaxy Ace – available for £12.50 a month including 500 free minutes, 5000 texts and 500 MB of data.

And the BlackBerry Curve 9320 – available on pay as you go for £125

Tesco is great for Families in the following ways ..

You can control your mobile spending with their capped tariff: This means that family members can’t use any more than their allocated monthly minutes, texts and data and you don’t end up with any nasty surprises on the bill at the end of the month.

With two or more contracts you get extra perks with the Tesco Mobile Family perks offer – this means you can add all your family handsets onto one single bill and each member can choose from a selection of extra perks each month such as free texts, minutes or data.

What’s more, if you’re a Tesco Clubcard customer, you’ll get triple points for every £1 you spend at Tesco Mobile (that’s a lot of Pizza Express vouchers – Clubcard members you know what we mean!)

This post forms part of the BritMums #XmasSavingTips project, sponsored by Tesco Mobile.