We all want to have a good time at Christmas and that usually means spending a whole load of money on food, presents and decorations. And then, when January comes we are facing a long, lean month wondering how we are going to pay off our credit card bills. That kind of worrying can really take the edge off your Christmas good cheer so what can you do to keep costs down and still have a great time?
Here are 5 easy to use and effective strategies. Each one by itself may not save you a lot of money but used together they can easily save you a few hundred dollars.
1. Avoid premium food products with lots of fancy Christmas themed wrapping. You’re paying up to 50% extra just for the nice packaging. Once it’s on the plate, the food looks the same as it’s everyday cousin. The same goes for Christmas wrapping paper. If you have some normal wrapping paper just put a couple of Christmassy stickers on it and you’ve got yourself your very own customized paper.
2. Don’t decorate the whole house. Make one room your “Christmas Central” and really go to town in making it a special place, a kind of Santa’s grotto. Make it really cosy and comfortable so that you all want to be there as often as possible because if you spend more family time there together you’ll also save on your electric bills.
3. Talk to your friends about present giving. The odds are they, too, are trying to cut costs. Either get involved in a Secret Santa group where each person only has to buy one present or agree that your Christmas gift to each other this year is no gift. You are not being a Scrooge or mean. You are giving each other one less thing to stress out about.
4. Okay, this one you might find a little embarrassing but it works. We all know that shops cut their prices after Christmas. Ask the kids if they don’t mind getting a couple of their more expensive presents after Christmas. Often as parents we have issues about not being able to give our children the very best but we tend to forget that children are often very pragmatic about life. If you explain that your budget is very tight and they can either get what they really want after Christmas or something different on Christmas Day they will likey go for the post-Christmas option.
5. Last, but not least, is organizing your shopping into a couple of long, intensive sessions in just one part of town. With petrol prices the way they are these days you could add a hundred dollars to your shopping bill just by driving around on different days to different shops. Focus on a shopping center with a wide variety of shops and make that your Shopping Central. Save yourself time before you go by browsing what they have online and then you can make your shopping super targeted.
Happy Shopping!
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