 Christmas
Tips on a budget
With all the commercial hype surrounding the holiday season, it's
easy to get carried away with your wallet, which is why we asked babyworld
members how they stop going bankrupt before the New Year!
"Make your own cards"
"I've actually been out today and picked up quite a few good stocking
fillers and bits for Xmas! Scary… Anyway, I think it's a good idea to
do the cards yourself, the kids will enjoy it. Doing your grocery shop
online is a good idea but my partner won't do that as he loves looking
and choosing the food for over Xmas. I think now may be a good time to
start looking for presents if you have the money as there are a lot of
sales on and it makes sense - everything will have silly prices on them
soon!" Gabyjane
"We save with Park Hampers"
"We save with Park Hampers for high street vouchers so that, when it
comes to Xmas, we don't have to worry about a huge chunk of money going
all at once! These vouchers can be used in most high-street stores, eg
Argos, Boots, Halfords, Littlewoods, Adams, JJB Sports, HS Samuels, Body
Shop, BHS, River Island … You can even use them in Iceland and Threshers
for Xmas food and drink! We find this a brilliant way to budget for Xmas."
Claire
"I do lots of my shopping online"
"I make all my own Xmas cards. I cut up ones I have received in previous
years and use the pictures from them as a base for making some more. I
buy my special Xmas cards in the January sales (you know, to mum, dad,
sister etc) and also my wrapping paper as they are a lot cheaper. I do
a lot of my pressie shopping online because I find that way I don't add
'this and that' because I've seen it in the shop. I decide what I'm buying
a person, then buy it and it's done with.
I limit who I'm buying for. My sister-in-law doesn't work, constantly
whinges she has no money but buys practically everyone a pressie. Aunties,
uncles, the lot. Everyone ends up with £1 shop tat, which, more often
than not, goes in the bin. I also keep a list of who I've bought what
and how much it cost so I don't go over my budget or forget who I've bought
for. One year, I got my sister two lots of pressies because I forgot I'd
already bought hers. I had to give her them both because they weren't
things that would keep until the following year." Zoe
"I put money into a Christmas club"
"I always put money into a Christmas club, so I have about £500 by the
beginning of December (no, I don't spend it all on Xmas - just tops the
bank account up!). I also save my Clubcard vouchers from Tesco to spend
on food and stocking fillers. I have gas and electricity from Powergen,
so get Clubcard vouchers for that too- certainly adds up." Hannah
"We use last year's cards for gift tags"
"We cut out pictures from last year's Xmas cards to use as gift tags.
My kids have done this for years. The boys (teens) don't join in now but
my 10-year-old loves it. The minute the cards come down, she's making
tags for next year! They look really nice if you leave a small border
(around 1/2cm) around whatever picture you're cutting out. This doesn't
save a fortune but it recycles our Xmas cards so I guess that's another
plus."
"Try buying 3 for the price of 2"
"I will be buying all my presents at Boots, in their '3 for 2' offer."
Lisas1976
"I collect bits and bobs all year round"
"We save all year round at the supermarket so when it comes to Christmas
the food bill is paid. I also collect little bits and bobs all year round
for stocking fillers. Our killer is the fact that we have 3 birthdays
in the last week of November!" Alison
"We have saved nearly 11,000 Nectar points"
"So far this year, we have managed to collect nearly 11,000 Nectar points,
which is over £55 - so that is the food paid for. We are going to someone
else's house, so will probably buy little pressies as well." JulesWalter
"Don't buy for every Tom, Dick or Harriet!"
"I keep the budget down by not buying presents for every Tom Dick and
Harriet. Do you really have to buy great aunt Gertie yet another boxed
set of hankies?! We buy the children one large present, up to £100, and
then a couple of small items and their new PJs and Xmas day clothes -
although sometimes the money for them comes from somebody else. I think
people get carried away with giving their children gifts; if they have
too much they won't appreciate any of it. I don't think you need to go
mad buying boxes of biscuits and extra chocolates and booze either. We
just do our normal shop the week running up to Christmas with something
special for Xmas dinner and a couple of extra treats. As for home-made
gifts, last year the children made tree hangings with photos of themselves
and calendars for relatives that were far more appreciated than a box
of smellies!" Sandra
"We draw names"
"I have four very close cousins that are more like siblings and we used
to buy for each other but there was always one of us that was poor one
year. To combat that, we draw names so we only buy one present for one
of us and each year it's different. It worked so well that my whole family
does it now. The only one who will be spoiled this Christmas will be Emily.
That's the way it should be!" Betakatie
"I use Ebay a lot"
"I'm one of those irritating people who has already done the majority
of her Christmas shopping. I buy bits and bobs all year, in the sales
and especially in the clearance section on Boots.com and also BargainCrazy.co.uk.
I also use a wholesalers delboyswholesale.co.uk, because I can pick up
silly stocking fillers for the children and toiletries sets, and a lot
of my Christmas cards and wrap from there too. You have to spend over
£50, but I generally do, so it's not a problem. I use Ebay a lot; you
can pick up some lovely new toys and gifts on there. Last year, I bought
a lot of sterling silver jewellery from a wholesalers and sold it on there,
and any money I made from that I just ploughed back into buying more Christmas
presents. I've still got a lot of the jewellery left, so I'll probably
do the same this year." Ali5on
"Look in the supermarkets for their 'early
start' offers"
"I would recommend looking in the supermarkets now for 'early start'
offers - for example, huge boxes of Foxes biscuits on the Xmas shelves
in Morrisons were on 'buy one get one free' last week. Different supermarkets
usually do different offers every week in an attempt to get people buying
Xmas stuff early - in the hope they'll eat it early and come back for
more. I know I said keep it in December, but I give up with you lot!"
Helen
"My partner and I spend a fiver on each other"
"I save over the year for Xmas. I make a list of who to buy for and
stick too it. I don't have a budget per person, although I don't spend
more than £20 on a present for outside my immediate family. My partner
and I spend a fiver on each other. It's surprising what we come up with!
My youngest has the most spent on her and my eldest gives me a list and
I get a couple of bits from it or give her cash which she prefers anyway.
Food-wise, I do buy extra treats but not really fancy things. Maybe a
tin of sweets. I always buy brandy snaps though. They are a sort of family
tradition at Xmas. I also get a few bottles in - wine, beer and maybe
spirits. I get my presents early so that I can enjoy the build-up and
take my daughter to see the lights, Santa etc." Sandy8
"I get most of my presents in the January
sales"
"I don't think it saves money really making your own cards; cards are
pretty cheap, especially if you get them in the January sales, along with
your wrapping paper and everything else. I get the majority of my presents
in the January sales too and save a packet. I tend to buy things throughout
the year, as then it doesn't feel like I've just gone out and spent £100
all at once. I like Boots too for the '3 for 2' offers. In January, I
get one of those Xmas cards at Asda and every week put a couple of pounds
on it so, by December, I have loads of money to spend on yummy foods.
Again, if you put a couple of quid on a week, it feels like nothing compared
to buying it all at once. I hate to be stressed with money at Xmas: there's
nothing worse than going out in December to get everything you need and
then realise you are about £200 shorter. My way you feel like you've spent
relatively little." Rachel
"This year, we have set a firm budget"
"I know for us, the most important factor in budgeting is to steer clear
of the trap of buying for everyone and feeling you have to spend a certain
amount. I always start with a small present, like a box of luxury biscuits,
and then I end up thinking it's not enough and buying more and more extras
for people until I'm completely broke. This year, we have decided to set
a firm budget. We will make a list of people and how much we intend to
spend on each of them, and stick to it. I save credit on my Asda card
too each week, so that I have a couple of hundred pounds to spend there
for Christmas and New Year food shopping." Kelly
"I took photos of family and friends"
"Last year I took loads of photos of friends and family and, at Xmas,
I had some lovely ones of all their families etc framed and gave them
to them at Xmas. As most of them had forgotten about them, or not even
realised I'd taken them, it was a real pleasant surprise - and a personal
present you make yourself is much more touching I think." Susan
"Everyone loves home-made calendars"
"Home-made calendars! You can print up the days for each month on coloured
A4 paper on your printer, then stick a family photo on each month's page.
I'm doing one for my Mum with all her grandchildren on this year, another
for my sisters, with their kids mucking about in my garden. It only costs
a few pence to do, but they love them!" Lisa
Where to next?
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