Tis the season for gifts… but there are ways to save cash and still enjoy Christmas
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Christmas is meant to be joyful, but the cost of gifts can pile up fast. Plenty of us start the season with good intentions, only to feel the pressure to buy more and stretch our budget further than we planned.
Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert warns against falling into debt for the “perfect” Christmas. His advice: Focus on the finances first. Work out how much you’ve got to spend and ask yourself “what is the best Christmas I can have on that cash?”
Plan ahead:
The best way to do that is by setting a simple budget that covers gifts, food, decorations and any other expenses. A bit of sparkle under the tree isn’t much fun if it leaves us worrying about bills in January.
Once we’ve got a plan in place, we can start looking at clever ways to give meaningful gifts without overspending.
Secret Santa:
When it comes to presents, a Secret Santa among family and friends can be a great way to keep costs down. It also means we can focus on one person and get them something they’ll really like.
Because everyone’s feeling the pinch these days, it’s likely our friends and relatives will appreciate any suggestions to keep costs down.
Book exchange:
We could suggest a book exchange instead of gifts. Everyone picks a book they’ve enjoyed and passes it on to someone else who they think would enjoy it. We can write a personal message inside, explaining why we think they’ll love it.
Or if we know of a book our loved-one will really enjoy, Amazon sell used books for a fraction of the regular price. (It’s ‘pre-loved’ these days, rather than ‘second-hand’!)
Finding deals, comparing prices and shopping second-hand
Christmas shopping doesn’t have to mean paying full price. A quick check on comparison sites or deal pages can show if something is cheaper elsewhere, and many retailers quietly drop prices in the run-up to December.
Pre-loved marketplaces are also packed with toys, clothes and books that are good as new at a fraction of the cost. It’s kinder to our wallets and the planet.
If we’re shopping online, there are plenty of little tricks that can help us save even more. We’ve put some of the best ones in our guide.
Homemade gifts:
Whipping up a batch of home-made treats can be another way to give a lovely gift without spending loads. For example, making our own Christmas jam allows us to have a whole arsenal of gifts to give to our loved ones.
And a gift of our time – something like babysitting for busy parents – is often far more valuable than buying a present.
Christmas spirit:
Martin Lewis says children don’t judge gifts by the price. He remembers filming for GMTV where two children knew their boxes were empty but were still excited to open them and then played with the cardboard for ages.
It shows that the real Christmas magic comes from excitement and imagination. There are lots of free or very cheap ways to keep that magic alive in his team’s blog here.
And remember, the best Christmas we can give ourselves is a debt-free one.
Image: Leeloo Thefirst / Pexels
