How can you cut costs this Christmas without looking like a scrooge?
The financial crisis has generated an economic slowdown that we are all, in one way or another, starting to feel in our pocket.
With Christmas approaching scaringly fast, what are your tips and tricks to please the whole family while not going over budget?
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I personally did most of my Christmas shopping online this year and to be honest it’s a relief to know I won’t have to browse busy shops on Oxford Street this year again!
You can find really good bargains online especially if you access some private sales websites that will let you enjoy extra discounts on already cheaper items.
And the best part is that you don’t need to carry it all the way home, they’ll deliver for free (or a small fee)!!
Shops like TKMaxx or Argos are also good spots to head to as they do everything and anything, from the really expensive piece of clothing to the stupid gadgets you get for your office colleagues…
My favourite site at the moment is IWOOT http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/ - you’ll find all you need and a lot if inspirations for really reasonable prices.
Good luck to all with the Christmas shopping.
We have an agreement not to buy presents for eachother this year, just the kids. We all know how hard up we are and aren’t worried about looking like scrooges. It’s a relief all round to be honest. We’ll all meet up for a day around Christmas and get a bit merry and just enjoy eachother’s company
make a list of people you need to buy for and pencil in the amount you want to spend on them, play with the numbers and figure out what works and then stick with those numbers when you buy
Knowing that everybody is having to pull in their belts, I approached all my family and friends with a suggestion that we all spend much less on christmas this year.
There was immediate consensus and relief from all parties. It simply means that they won’t feel have to go over budget and neither will my family.
Believe me - we are all feeling the recession and christmas isn’t going to be last years christmas, but it’s one in many. We can spoil each other in other ways. If they are approachable I suggest that you do just that.
Recycle old presents!
Seriously though, many of the presents for friends and family were bought in the sales after Christmas last year. Saying that, there are loads of bargains again, it is just a matter of being patient, and planning ahead in many cases.
I start my Christmas shopping in the January Sales so this year everything will be fine - it’s next year we’ll have to be more careful, starting with folding -up and re-using unripped wrapping paper
i agree with juliette,online is best no queing in shops things delivered to your door for a small fee.every ones got to tighten upp this year but people know that ,its not theammount youve paid for a gift its the thought of it whats inportant!!!
Well ..
Let’s all start to return to some of the OLD Traditions — where members of a family would do things for EACH OTHER — whether it is give ‘gift certificates’ to help with the chores, making someTHING (Fine Art piece, a bookcase, stool, or garden box) .. a family history (scrapbook) .. just do SOMETHING …
For the way to celebrate the season is to remember those you love and care for .. and what better way than to MAKE something yourself!
(Oh, and if you are not that ‘creative’ and your family is not that handy — how about just putting all the adult names in a hat, and you choose 1 to get a small gift for in exchange. Then .. for those with kids, just ONE family small gift — a good board game, some necessities, whatever you think those in that family would like).
get lots of buy one get one free stuff
you websites like http://www.vivaladiva.com that you done have to pay for a month after you have perchance
use a lower end supermarket for some food
buy aclhol in bulk
buy cheaper brands
only buy things that you know you will eat not all the extra crap that is still there in 3months time
Well, if you’re in the UK, shopping at Woolies this year should save some money and most supermarkets have great 3 for 2 offers going on at the moment.
We’re planning a kind of ‘treasure hunt’ for the kids this year. They will still have some presents under the tree but little stocking fillers will be hid around the house (Santa dropped them). Lots of little gifts that only cost a couple of pounds but kids love them.
dont buy anyone presents!
Wrap your presents with newspaper. Anyone with an ounce of sense can see what a waste wrapping paper is anyway, you may as well just burn money.
However, be careful which paper you use - you don’t want your kids growing up to think Father Christmas has a political affiliation. Maybe choose the FT or The Independent, or perhaps old copies of Private Eye - I’m sure old papa xmas has a satirical side to his beard.
Wonders shall never cease Everyone is as broke as a joke this time of the year and not just because of the credit crunch. Do you really want you mate to but you a present even though it will be on credit and will leave him-her struggling to pay bills? i wouldn’t why not do a secret santa with a limit of a £5 or something small then have a dinner for your friends (everyone bring a bowl) and swap gifts?
That’s what my parents are doing and website shopping no cheaper than this, If you really want to give a relevant gift this xmas pay your friends rent!
My husband and I made an agreement not to buy each other presents, which works well for us, neither of us feels the need for gifts from each other. We set a limit on what we will spend per person, this year no more that £50, sorry if that sounds mean but I lost my job and had to take a massive pay cut in my new role so I simply do not have the money to spend. We also buy shopping stickers throught out the year and save them on the savers card, this means that by December we have £100 to spend on food, if we are making Christmas dinner that pays for it, if someone else is cooking the dinner then we give them the voucher towards food, so that’s the way we do it!
I agreed in advance with my family, who live in Australia, that we wouldn’t do gifts this year. Since I live so far away and only see them every few years, I’ve learnt that the best present for Christmas is actually just being with your family and enjoying the day, not some useless tat! Since it normally costs me a fair bit just to send the presents, I decided that I would donate that to a charity instead. So that was the family done for only £50!
My boyfriend and I both wanted a new television, since we only have a very old small television in our apartment. We both chipped in for that, so we got a present for each other and something we actually wanted
That really only leaves my friends children, I normally get them all presents which costs me a small fortune once I wrap and send them. This year, instead of buying presents for them individually, I adopted 3 animals at the local zoo for them all which cost around £60.
As for Christmas Day itself, we’ll be going away
Why do people seem to think that a “proper” Christmas present has to cause them financial pain? We are bombarded by advertisers determined to leave us impoverished at New Year.
Well I’m bailing out. I am not buying extravagant presents and I don’t expect anyone else to spend a fortune on me.
I don’t particularly like Christmas Cards. I have gone to considerable trouble and expense to decorate my house - why for one month a year should I want to litter it with tacky pieces of paper with third rate pictures of Santa Claus, Rudolph or some pseudo-Dickensian images?
I like Christmas dinner, I like having family and friends round. Christmas tree is ok I suppose but it goes up on December 24 and comes down on January 1st (before it starts looking limp and tired)
I am not anti-CHristmas, just anti the bullsh1t that accompanies it.
Christmas is for the kids so just bye for the kids and send the adults a card. :))
I’m spending Christmas with close family, altogether 8 adults. Usually it’s a competition to buy the most impressive present, and some of them seem to go for expense over whether it’s something the person actually wants. This year I have set a top limit of £20 per person and have bought everyone a Christmas stocking, and am slowly filling it with one £10 gift (CD, book etc) and adding inexpensive little items that I know they will use. For example, my mum recently took up gardening, so I’m putting a few packets of seeds and some gloves in hers, my sister just bought a flat with a bath instead of the shower she’s had for ten years, so she’ll really like the bath pearls and bubble baths that cost me about a fiver in the supermarket. The idea is that each gift is chosen thoughtfully, rather than grab something that will do cos I’m in a rush. And hopefully they’ll appreciate the sentimentality of it all. Although Christmas isn’t about how much you spend, I would much rather a few cheaper well-chosen presents then a whole stack of expensive ones I can’t use or already have.
Am also going to put a satsuma in each one for old times’s sake! Next year, I might leave out the £10 gift, but this year, it fits with my budget, so it’s in.
well guys if your looking to buy cd’s,computer games, DVDs or anything like that then go to hmv online as we have bought a load this year with my daughter getting a dvd player and we were getting DVDs for 5 - 9 pound cheaper on there internet site so its worth looking.
if you shop on play.com they have loads from dvds,cds,gadgets,gifts for mums,dads etc its FREE delivery. also you have the option of new or used so sometimes you can get a good condition unwanted gift for half the price.
if you go on amazon.co.uk if you spend £5 its FREE delivery theyve also got loads of stuff.
otherwise use 3 for 2 offers at bhs, m&s, marks and spencer has been really cheap for some lovely foody gifts. do not go to boots for 3 for 2 eveything is very very over priced you wont save! if you want brand name shower gel/perfume or make up go to Asda its much cheaper.
Only you and you know whether or not you are scrooge. Being prudent need not mean that you are scrooge.
Be truthful, tell them times are not as rosy as before.
As to why it has to come to be like this, that is an issue for discussion at another platform.
3 for 2 offers, buy one get one free, searching in the sales. Or maybe do a secret santa for the adults and have a limit of whatever you all think is reasonable, and just buy the kids presents instead
If your buying for the man in your life some shaving products will provide him with a better shave and save money, for instance the latest Gillette cartridge razor cost about £3 for a replacement blade, a double edge razor blade cost about £0.20 and provides a better shave, your just not paying for all that marketing
Also the old traditional shaving creams although they cost more initially but because they are so concentrated last much longer and with their natural scents are so much nicer to use
My favourite site for this kind of stuff is groominghealth.com, theyre absolutely brilliant
Remember what Christmas is really about and put a sensible limit on gifts instead of buying expensive toys like a Wii and so on.
Home made jams, chutneys, biscuits, cakes etc, and so on. Be first to follow old fashioned principles of going to a church service, enjoying a christmas meal together with family/friends/others less fortunate.
Inexpensive gifts nicely wrapped are great fun.
I started saving in january, I put £30 away each month which has been more than enough to buy the presents I need, and I’ve done some ebay shopping and internet you get great deals and save money two, and you get to avoid the cold and the queues
I could suggest looking out for offers such as 3 for 2, buy one get one free, 2 for so much, and spreading the gifts across people.
Set budgets with people so that no-one is spending more than another and it makes it a challenge.
In families maybe buy just for the kids, I don’t think they’ll understand that Santa has no money this year.
When arranging Christmas dinner, make a list a split the items needed so that everyone is contributing, for instance one person brings the crackers, someone else brings the table cloths etc.
And my number one tip- Shop Around. never buy anything straight away, sit and have a look who has it the cheapest you can save loads of money this way
In my immediate family (6 kids + parents)we do Kris Kringle. So all the names go into a hat and are picked out one by one (you cant pick yourself though).
It is great for us because I dont have to go around buying 7 presents plus my boyfriends and his family. We set a limit on it (€50 - €75). It also means that you get 1 good present instead of 7 crappy ones.
Before setting out to buy presents and goods (from shops or on the Internet), set yourself a realistic budget that is suitable for your financial standing. Regardless of how many wonderful offers and low priced goods you see, show some will power and stick to your original budget
If you’re planning to use your credit card, make sure that you use it for short- term borrowings. In other words, make sure that you pay off your credit card bill in full at the end of the month. Otherwise it is a very expensive way to borrow money.
If you cannot manage to pay your credit card bill in full, consider a bank loan. Almost every time, bank loans such as approved over draughts are charged at lower interest rates than credit cards.
Make a list of the persons for whom you’ll be shopping for. This way you’ll not buy too many or too few. As every present is bought, cross it out from the list- you don’t want to double up!
Do not be impatient and buy the first goods that you come across. Particularly in the present economic conditions, offers, sales, bargains…are likely to be more frequent and widespread than ever before. Remember, the longer you take over the task, your chances of spotting better value bargains improves.
If you have younger members in your family, consider getting them to make ‘hand- made’ Christmas cards. Not only are they cheaper than buying cards from the shops, but they are also unique and personalised.
Particularly when kids are involved, it’s best to avoid buying their presents too far in advance. Remember, kids are influenced by what they see on the TV, as well as what their friends at school are getting. So they are more likely to have changes of heart several times before they’ll eventually come to a decision.
Finally, do take it easy as much as possible. Try not to take things too seriously. Otherwise you’ll have less fun than the persons you’re shopping for!
Unless you were around in the 1930s I don’t think anyone has ever experienced the sort of economic downturn we are now experiencing before.
Like they say, Christmas is not about the value of the gift it’s the thought that matters. I don’t think anyone will mind whatever they get for Christmas this year.
Ever thought of investing (a small amount) in buying digital products as Christmas presents before? You could purchase an ebook or some other down-loadable stuff online, burn it on a cd and give away at Christmas! How about that? I came across this idea on a website, http://endlesschristmasgifts.com. You can find other down-loadable materials at http://clickbank.com.
Become a politician.
we have decided that this year, we are only buying 1 present per adult (not expensive, just smellies or chocs) and the childrens get a couple each ( 1 big one, one small one) and a couple of stocking fillers.
If you have a lot of cds or dvds or books you don’t use anymore, pass them on (not back where they came from if they were a gift.) You could put 4 disks together to make a box shape, put a little pack of chocolates inside and wrap in cheap wrapping paper.
If you have a CD burner and a microphone, you could even record your own album. If you can’t sing, read a story out and record it to disk.
It just takes a little imagination, and perhaps some open source software.
Start early, i start around the end of August, any little thing i think will suit a particular friend or family i will get it, i store in a box and then start wrapping at the end of november, it does not hurt your pocket that way, if i have a large gift to buy, i will put a little money away each week from august, so that i can pay for it in december, when they start to reduce the prices on them.
If you have a large family / circle of friends (or not) and need to buy for adults; suggest everyone puts their name in a hat and each one pulls one name, of course you must agree a maximum amount of money that everyone’s going to spend before you do this. Everyone gets a present and hopefully something they’d want; thereby, leaving more cash in your pocket for the bills / Jan sales / to spent on yourself or loved ones / children.
There are several bargains to be had online at the moment. I regularly use bargain crazy (which has 15% off the entire site at the moment!) M&M direct, play.com (which has free delivery on everything) pixmania and ebuyer (for cheap electricals) There is also Myvouchercodes where you can get money off vouchers for free for lots of stores
Become a Jehovah Witness for the one day only. that way you can say you did not get them anything down to religion reasons
Only problem is you wont be able to drink alcohol either 
We don’t ask people what they want for Christmas,we go and buy things that we know they might need.Our budget is tight this year so I’m afraid we have to do it like that.
Give away personal objects from home (clothes, toys, dishes), but something valuable and in good condition.
I began working for an international company selling toiletries at parties in the customers own home. The more successful I was, the more products I won.
Not only have I upped my income, I have won loads of things I can give as gifts and I can purchase products of my choice with a discount of 25%.
That’s what I call saving a penny this Xmas!
Email me if you want any more info on the company etc.
well for the close family i have done collage pics or photo albums of my son. and others, argos have always got half price things and hmv sell dvds for cheap. think next year will be worse.
Atheists do not celebrate their Christmas.
Christmas is the day to give thanks to God, but God is not there.
In the house of an atheist, that month of December, does not have a Christmas tree, do not have the Nativity scene, does not fill the house with decorations of lights, not visiting relatives, not exchange gifts, do not make a Christmas dinner on Dec. 25.
The atheist just visit relatives when you lose, there is only when it deserves only makes dinner at midnight when you do not eat lunch, celebrating only when there is reason to celebrate.
The big party in a family of atheists day is Jan. 1 Universal Day of fraternity and World Day of Peace, which is in reserve atheists in the year to find relatives, and exchange of gifts is the big party with family.
The atheists just to say Happy New Year from your friends when they greet in December!
The Christmas existed since long before the birth of Jesus Christ.
In the northern hemisphere on December 25 for both humans and animals that live in forests, is the entrance to the rigor of winter. Who did not make its reserve of food to eat with his family, all heated close to each other, which is not ready, dies, because the winter is a sad thing for animals of the forest.
On that date Dec. 25, since long before Christ was the day to give thanks to God; Thanksgiving. The ancient peoples believed that God is the sun and thus gave thanks to the sun that warms us precisely when that most need the heat of the sun, right at the rigor of winter.
The God of Romans Mitra was celebrated with a feast of plenty of bread and wine every year on Dec. 25 since long before the birth of Jesus Christ.
With the fall of Mithras, God Mitra and, with the beginning of Christianity, and then replace God Jesus Christ began to be celebrated on the same day 25/12, so the Christian Eucharist is also made with bread and wine.
The Christmas date became a commercial and atheists do not celebrate this date.
Well like many other answers - I just spoke to my mum and sisters and stated that with 4 children to buy for I would rather they just sent a card and there best wishes, everyone is tightening the belts and none so than us!
We have got the children one big present each, and then lots of little stocking fillers that did not cost the earth, we also shopped around first as we live in the Republic of Ireland, with the euro spanking the pound it saves us loads shopping in Northern Ireland.
Compare prices first don’t but the first oe you see shop around a bit there’s plenty of sales on!
1. If you have a big family like I do, instead of giving presents to everyone in your family, do a secret santa. This way everyone will get presents but they only need to buy presents for one person. Set a maximum limit.
2. I don’t use my reward points from the supermarket until I do my Xmas dinner shopping where I get huge reductions from the points I’ve been saving all year.
3. Don’t send christmas cards.
buy online now!!!! you can find bargains on ebay….brand new products for so much cheaper than high street prices. Also play.com is a great website with a great selection of books and dvds for very reasonable prices and most important- free delivery! also photobox is a website where you can upload all your photos and create personal gifts for your friends and family, calendars, albums, mugs etc.
I always have a good moan about the cost of wrapping paper. Its my yearly “bah humbug” moment. So last year I decided to do something about it.
I bought a broadsheet newspaper, and a big roll of red ribbon (florist ribbon). Then I wrapped all of my presents in newspaper and done them up like parcels with the ribbon and put big bows on them and lots of ribbon streamers.
They looked amazing! Really good, and a bit chic actually.
So Im doing it again this year.
People also liked it because it showed a bit more care and attention had been taken to wrapping the presents than just whacking a bit of shopbought paper with a bit of cellotape.
Nearly everyone has access to a digital camera these days.could I suggest that you take photo`s of friends/family (Formal or funny).Most people despite protesting otherwise like to see photographs of themselves.
Frames can be purchased very cheaply,and by putting the photo`s into these frames you show that you care enough to do something for them other than just spending on often useless gifts.
hope this is of some use to you
look for bargins
firstly, you dont have to feel pressured into buying presents for anyone.if you cant afford it then dont do it, simple as.
However if you are one of those ppl who feel they must buy something then shop around the £ shops and cheap places like B&M (Bargain Madness) some stuff in them is not so good and looks cheap I know but if you are clever and look carefully you can find things that look classy but dont cost the earth.
Last of all, ppl around you matters more dont you think? just try and enjoy the season, have a nice meal if you can afford to and enjoy company of others….most of all have a laugh!
Merry Christmas!
Secret Santa!
Each (adult) member of the family picks a name out of a hat, and they only need too buy a present for that person - you could put a price limit on it too if you wanted. This would save a lot of money!
Hope that helps
x