Christmas can be a wonderful time of fun and memory making . But let’s be honest, they can be extremely expensive as well. What if I told you it doesn’t have to be that way? It is possible to still have a great Christmas even while pinching your pennies! So what are you waiting for? Keeping reading to find out how to do Christmas on the cheap!
- Don’t be a food snob. Remember that just because it’s more expensive doesn’t mean it’s necessarily tastier. Don’t get sucked into marketing and the pretty packaging. Let’s be frank, your guests aren’t going to be able to tell the difference between a “high end” turkey and a lower brand one. Also make sure to do your due diligence when you shop. Compare and price check before you buy the first thing you see. It may take some more time, but you and your wallet will be happier if you do!
- Don’t get rid of your Christmas decorations. While it may be nice to get shiny new decorations each for the holidays, it’s not that sensible, especially if you are working with a budget. Carefully store your decorations and if you really want to get fancy, you can even keep an inventory list of all the decorations you have. This eliminates your chances of purchasing duplicates and saves you money. This includes wrapping paper! Your family will not remember that you used the same snowman wrapping paper as last year.
- Get your next season Christmas cards and gifts this year! Christmas cards always go on sale in December. Why not stock up for next year? That way you avoid paying an inflated price for those beautiful cards. If you really want to plan ahead, buy enough to last you two to three holiday seasons. Also, stores have massive sales on everything and anything you can imagine after Christmas. Take advantage and start your Christmas shopping early!
- Have a Christmas potluck dinner! If you don’t want to slave away in the kitchen and spend hundreds of quid feeding your entire family, have a potluck event. This means every guest will bring a dish of their choice to the gathering. Not only will it be a feast to be remembered, it will be extremely budget friendly for you.
- Talk to your family and friends about a gift budget. Your family and friends will be understanding if you can’t spend a bomb on each person. Speak to them and ask that you each set a budget (within reason) for each other and your families. This eliminates the need for frivolous gifts that they don’t need. If setting a budget per person is still too expensive, have a secret Santa with your friends and family. This means everyone only has to buy one gift. Besides the holidays aren’t about presents, rather it’s about the experiences you share with the people you care about.
Having a great Christmas doesn’t have to be expensive. All you need to do is to be creative and think slightly out of the box!
