Contents
- Budget
- Buy early
- Avoid ‘buy now, pay later’
- Compare prices
- Earn money back on shopping
- Buy what you need
- Don't forget delivery costs
- Choose family time
The holiday season is here! It's the first Christmas after lockdown so naturally, you might be tempted to splurge a little and get your family extravagant presents for the holidays. But then, what about your monthly budget? 😕 We know how holiday spendings can end up setting you back several months in terms of household finances and that’s why we’re here to help, with the best Christmas money saving tips.
With just a little planning and innovation, you can give your family the Christmas they deserve without upsetting your budget. The key is to plan ahead of time and avoid making wasteful purchases whenever possible.
Our comprehensive set of Christmas saving tips will help you cut down on your holiday spendings, all while ensuring you don’t have to compromise on the things you and your family truly deserve.
So without further ado let’s take a look at our list of the best Christmas money saving tips:
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Budget
We understand that Christmas presents are not an area where you’d like to cut corners.
But a budget will help you figure out exactly how much you should save on other things in order to buy your family the presents they want.
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Buy early
Don’t wait until the holidays to buy presents. No matter what the sale pamphlets tell you, presents are likely to become more expensive as Christmas approaches. Buying gifts the month or so before Christmas can cost you much more than it would otherwise. Our advice; move ‘buying presents’ to the top of your to-do list!
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Avoid ‘buy now, pay later’
Avoid buying items using credit cards or buy now, pay later options. Credit cards and BNLP are both useful but tricky financial tools. Making extravagant Christmas purchases using these options isn’t exactly a great idea. Once the lucrative 0% interest period is up, customers are charged aggressive interest rates, which can lead to a lot of unnecessary debt and end up negatively impacting credit scores.
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Compare prices
Mind where you buy your big ticket items from. Big gifts like furniture, electronics, plane tickets etc., is where most people end up upsetting their holiday budgets. When buying expensive gifts, you should visit several shops and compare the prices in order to find the best deal. It is also worth considering the price comparison websites that track product prices over months and even compare them across vendors. Cutting corners here can sometimes even help pay for the smaller gifts entirely!
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Earn Money Back on Your Shopping
Look into cashback sites to earn money back on your online shopping. One great example of this are child savings experts KidStart. They work with thousands of well-known retailers to help you earn money back on your online purchases. Once registered, a percentage of what you spend online will be collected and put into a savings account for your child free of charge! So shop sensibly, by also investing in your child’s future.
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Buy what you need
Plan your food and drinks budget well. It is estimated that over 7 million tonnes of food is wasted during Christmas. So while you might be tempted to stock up on all groceries while prepping for Christmas, it isn’t always the wisest thing to do. Instead we recommend charting out what you’ll need for the meals and adding a little extra buffer to it. And if you have already made the mistake of buying extra, we highly recommend giving some to the less fortunate people.
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Don’t forget delivery costs!
Be wise with your delivery orders. Like other fluff costs, delivery charges might go unnoticed by clueless spenders who end up spending hundreds of pounds just getting their presents delivered on time. Many stores in the UK also just let you come by and pick up the presents yourself, saving you tons of money and perhaps, even a bit of time. If there is no other option but to pay for delivery, make sure you get the most use out of it by grouping all your purchases from that shop together.
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Choose family time
Last, but not the least: Choose quality family time over anything else. A smaller present will do as long as you make your kids the breakfast they love. Whenever possible, stay in and spend quality time with your family bonding over board games and holiday movies. Being fully available throughout the holidays is the best gift you can give them.
Christmas holidays don’t always need to be an extravagant, budget upsetting affair. Cutting down on unnecessary purchases, budgeting before time and setting a stipulated spending limit for everything are all great holiday practices that can help you celebrate Christmas to the fullest without having to worry about your budget. With just a little planning and attention, you can turn your usual holiday spending frenzy into a fun, budget-friendly exercise.
