For many people Christmas is often considered a happy time of year with lots of hustle and bustle in the lead-up to Christmas Day. With our calendars often full to the brim with events, dates, and parties, the holiday season can end up being quite expensive! Not to mention there’s also the food, and the gifts… and is it just us, or does the list of people we need to buy for seem to get longer and longer each year? In this blog, we look at some of the ways you can still create that magical Christmas buzz while doing Christmas on a budget.
Although Christmas is often an expensive time of year, you can have a lovely Christmas on a budget. In fact, some of the most special parts of the season are cost-free – for example, spending quality time with loved ones and making memories.
Here are some top tips for keeping costs down over the festive period:
According to the Bank of England, the average household spend in December is £740 more than in other months – around a 29% increase from the typical average monthly outgoings.
Thanks to the rise in online shopping platforms, shopping is now much more accessible and easier than ever – you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your sofa! Whilst it is great that shopping is much more accessible for everyone, online shopping can also make it very easy to overspend.
A great way to make sure you are not overspending is to track your outgoings. Planning ahead and setting a budget can help to keep costs down – creating smaller budgets split into categories can be helpful, and more manageable than just having one overall December budget. Examples of categories could be food, gifts, decorations, and events.
Faced with a very long “nice list” full of family and friends to buy for?
A great way to reduce the cost of gifts is to hold a Secret Santa, this way you only have to buy one gift, but no one misses out. You can also agree on a budget for the gift, so there is no pressure to spend a huge amount, and you don’t have to worry that someone has bought you an expensive, extravagant gift.
You can arrange a Secret Santa with friends, family, and even work colleagues.
Christmas is the perfect time of year to snuggle up in the evenings with a hot chocolate, a blanket, and a Christmas film on the telly, or spend the weekend wedged firmly on the sofa enjoying the Christmas TV specials.
Most of the popular streaming services offer free trials that typically range from 1 week to 30 days, so you can make the most of the cheesy Christmas films over the festive period for no extra cost! If you don’t want to continue your subscription, just remember to cancel it before the free trial ends to avoid paying any unwanted fees.
Alongside free trials for streaming services, lots of companies also offer yearly delivery memberships, where you can pay a small fee, either annually or monthly, for unlimited free delivery. This can be a great option to look into over the festive period if you know you are going to be placing multiple orders throughout the month.
If you’re looking to do Christmas on a budget, there are lots of great options for low cost or even free activities that can still leave you with the Christmassy feeling. Here are some of our favourites:
Crafting is a great low cost activity and can also help save money in other areas, for example, you could create your own Christmas cards using old magazines, or create your own Christmas decorations – making colourful paper chains and bunting, or designing your own paper snowflakes are great low-cost activities.
This year residents across our services have made their own tree decorations, created some Snowmen out of old socks, and designed their own Christmas ornaments and Christmas cards. Creating your own Christmas cards is an easy swap to save money, and can add a unique twist to a standard Christmas card. Another lovely option could to send a small donation to a charity close to your heart instead of purchasing Christmas cards.
This year Save the Children encouraged us to create our own Christmas jumpers instead of buying new. Repurposing old clothes is a great activity that is not only low cost, but also great for the environment! Check out Save the Children’s top tips here.
You could also repurpose old clothes by cutting and sewing to create something new – why not use the sleeves of an old jumper to make a pair of gloves or a set of legwarmers?
Whilst board games are great fun, there’s so much choice nowadays that having a suitable selection can soon add up to a hefty sum!
A great alternative to keep the competitiveness high but the costs low is a pack of cards! A pack of cards is usually a household staple that most of us have tucked in a drawer, however if not, you can pick one up for a couple of pounds.
There are lots of different card games that you can play with one pack of cards, from snap to blackjack, go fish to rummy – the possibilities have no end! Here are 40+ card games perfect for any occasion!
A great free gift idea is to offer a skills exchange. Do you have something that you’re really good at, like painting, or DIY? Or do your nieces and nephews/grandchildren love spending time with you?
Perhaps your friends and family members are amazing writers, skilled website designers, or brilliant at sewing.
Why not gift a friend an afternoon of DIY help in exchange for them mending a hole in one of your jumpers, or offer to baby sit your nieces/nephews/grandchildren for an evening in exchange for help with your gardening?
The perfect Christmas on a budget activity as it is totally free – pop on your hat, scarf and gloves, and venture out into the crisp air to explore your local surroundings.
There’s no better feeling than being out in the cold, and then returning home to wrap up in your duvet and enjoy a hot drink and time with the family.
Here’s a selection of festive activities our residents enjoyed last Christmas. We look forward to seeing what our services have planned for this year!
If you need help over the festive season, you can reach out to Samaritans – call 116 123 for free, the helpline is open 24/7, 365 days a year.
You can also email [email protected], although please note it may take a few days to receive a response.
Discover our 12 top tips on looking after your mental health over the Christmas period.
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash.
