5 money saving ideas for Christmas
Christmas can hit us all hard, all those presents to be brought, the food for the table and the decorations from the home. When adding the cost together it can really set us back a few pennies and January can then become a hard month on us all, however it is possible if you just stop and think about what you are doing to save yourself quite a bit at Christmas.
Here are 5 of my money saving ideas:
1. Hand make where you can.
Personally I adore receiving handmade gifts and cards and while they can take a while to put together and get just right, in the long run they can save you quite a bit. Plus, it doesn’t really matter what you are good at, say you love to bake – treat everyone to mince pies, cake or Christmas pudding. More of a crafter then jewellery, pictures, mugs there is all sorts you can decorate to give as a present. That’s without getting into making your own decorations (paper chains are so this year).
2. Reuse / Re-gift.
You don’t need to buy new decorations last year, get your old ones out, dust them off and pop them back up, it has been a year who’s going to remember exactly what you used last year anyway. Re-gifting is a bit of no go with some people, but if done right it can save you money, just make sure you don’t send it back to the original sender.
3. Use voucher websites.
When you do need to splash out make sure you not only shop around, but if you’re buying online check voucher websites such as Vouchacodes.co.uk to help you get the best price possible on those most have gadgets.
4. Get cash back.
This is one I’ve really started to get into over the past few months and it is so simple to do. You just need to sign up to a website such as TopCashBack and then visit the website you wish to purchase from via them, at the moment you can even get a £5 Amazon voucher for signing up (an earning £10 worth of cash back). Helen from Mummy to the Max has some great ideas for using TopCashBack prior to Christmas as well. (It is worth remembering you can often only use either a voucher code or get cash back so make sure you work out which one is best for each purchase).
5. Do you really need it?
This probably the hardest one for me, I am always spotting things and thinking ohh that would be just right for someone and so I buy it, then forget I’ve brought it and then I’ve spent more than I really need to. So get yourself organised, write a list of what you really need and stick to it. You might be surprised by how much you save when not buying those little bits.
How do you save money at Christmas?
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Great tips. I always hand make items where possible which is usually in the form of a hamper.
That’s so like me, I buy new decorations every other year, I get confused on the cash back and voucher websites, I also buy little bits, and end up with double stuff but I have a lot of nieces and nephews so it’s not to bad, my children love arts and crafts so I might try making our own cards, my daughter was in nursery last year they did handprints on front of the cards, then drew Santa on them, and did upside down prints and made them into reindeer xxx
I am terrible with money I need an accountant to keep my finances in check lol! Thank you for the tips I agree that re-gifting is perfect. Sometimes I am given presents that I don’t use and so I give them to someone else.
Some great tips. Definetely need to watch the pennies this year.
These are awesome tips. I’ve been doing numbers 1, 2 and 3. I struggle with number 5, though. I always see something that I really like, but don’t really need.
These are great ways to save money during the holidays. I like to make as many gifts as i can.
Good ideas! I have a few homemade gifts that I plan on making this year!
Those are all great ideas. We tend to buy at least one new decoration every year for your tree. This year though we bought a brand new tree since we’re not doing a live tree this year and that alone should save us money.
I love all of those tips! Great ideas. I don’t want to spend a lot of money.
Loving all of your tips- I always look for voucher codes online and use money back websites where I can xxx
Great tips – I so need to spend less this Christmas. I love Top Cash Back, I have had quite a bit over the years. I love my Tesco Clubcard vouchers too, they have saved me so much money. Kaz x
These are great tips. I think handmade gifts are the best.
They really are, aren’t they something extra special about them. x
Great post, I’ve got some rough ideas of things I want to make for Christmas but often when I have ideas about making things (world book day costumes for example), I end up spending far more money!!
That’s the hard part isn’t it – making sure you don’t go crazy on the supplies haha! x
Great tips. We only buy for the children in the family and not the adults, which meakes it cheeper
I’m really going to try to focus on these things this year. I would love to stick to a budget and still make the holidays fun for everyone.
It’s good to take a moment to think if you really need it when shopping. It’s so easy to get carried away!
I have to admit I often get caught up in the moment then get home and think what have I done! lol x
Fab tips, def using cash back sites this year, with 12 people to buy for, think i’ll need it. 🙂
Ekk good luck on using cash back websites hope you manage to get yourself a nice bit saved. x
These are all great ideas. I like the idea of making gifts so I can personalize them.
I regift sometimes – I think it’s better than something going to waste.
Definitely and if someone is going to love something you don’t they why not! x
some great tips sarah! I try and do all of these when I can
I am all for saving when I can! I love hand made stuff 🙂
There are some great tips here, my husband is the person if you can not get it on amazon then he wont buy anywhere, where as I look for discounts and shop around
These are great tips! I totally agree with regifting. After all, if you can’t use something why not give it to someone else?
Great tips! I will be desperately saving for Christmas as I don’t get paid much at all at my internship so thanks for this!!
I’m resisting the urge to buy new decorations this year, we really have enough and dont need new ones.