Credit Crunch Christmas - how are you cutting down this year?

MrsAudus2b

Last Christmas me and OH went a little crazy...first one in our house together...and all the spending was done on credits cards!

So this year to start with, no spending on credit (they have all been chopped up anyway!:rotfl: )

We did a car boot a month ago and I salvaged some decent stuff to recycle as xmas presents (jewellery etc)

We have a strict price limit this year too - meaning no new decorations etc

For my neices and nephews (ages 8, 6, 2 and 10 months) we are wrapping shoeboxes up in pretty paper and putting in lots of little bits, no more than £5 a box.

And the funny thing is, I feel more excited about this christmas than any other!

xxx

LouBlue

MrsAudus2b wrote: »

We have a strict price limit this year too - meaning no new decorations etc

For my neices and nephews (ages 8, 6, 2 and 10 months) we are wrapping shoeboxes up in pretty paper and putting in lots of little bits, no more than £5 a box.

And the funny thing is, I feel more excited about this christmas than any other!

xxx

That's good!!

hamish222

I have nearly finished shopping, got lots in sales, boots, marks and next and also got lots of freebies with magazine deals. Also me and hubby usually spend at least 500 quid each on each other but we are not going to this year. Will maybe set a budget of between 50 - 100. For first time ever we are going out for xmas. And I have 120 saved up in morrison vouchers so food shopping is covered for days before and after christmas.

rosekitten

Doing surveys & click throughs
I have so far got £90 in Leisure
vouchers they take these at HMV
and one of mine wants an ipod
I have also got £30 in John Lewis
vouchers as well as £10 of Boots.

I will see if I can get another £20
of boots vouchers I may end up buying
a £10 voucher to put towards it
But I wont spend the Boots ones until
the January sale as I will wait until its
75% off everything in the sale and get
our relatives presents with it and put
them away for the following Christmas.
Did this last year and got everything
including presents for my own kids for
this Christmas with just £40 of vouchers.

I also made sure that most of the petrol
this year was bought in Morrisons and
collected the points on their card
we have £25 in Morrisons vouchers to
put towards the food.I always look out
for the tins of sweets,biscuits, nuts etc on
offer leading up to Christmas and get
one of them each week.

I am detrmined this year that I am not
going to go mad with the food shopping
I just dont want to be chucking out food
as its so wasteful.I am aiming to be a lot
more sensible this Christmas.

sylphraven

This year we're round at my moms for xmas dinner so I've let her know that the cost will be split equally between however many households are going - works well for our family as generally each household eats about the same amount when portions are added together. We're also taking into account the extra electric that will be used, loo roll etc Means it's cheaper for all of us without just one household footing the bill.

We arent cutting down on presents this year because I've had vouchers through survey sites, been buying via cashback sites, collected boots points, bought all cards & wrapping paper last January (poundland wrapping paper! Thats far too expensive, lol). I've also been picking things up when I've seen them on offer & keeping my eyes open for vouchers etc. Have also made a few more presents this year.

Next year - thanks to forward planning & this site I hope to be even more organised for christmas & reduce the cost even more

SeaBee

jackomdj wrote: »

I spread the cost by buying throughout the year & almost always get things just in the sale.

Basically I start food shopping once DD has had her birthday on 24th Oct.

Snipped

I've been reading through a lot of these threads and it never fails to surprise me that people do the same things as me - I always thought I was a bit odd being so organised - at least my friends all tell me I am!!

I have managed to collect enough bits and pieces throughout the year to give as gifts, which means I only have DD main present left to buy. We only buy for each others children and token gifts for my fav sister and BIL.

I have borrowed lots of ideas from this site and made lots of bits myself - which has been great fun too.

I am determined not to go over board with the food shopping this year, especially as we are only at home Christmas and Boxing day. But it is sooooooooo hard not to succumb to those big tins of sweeties that are on special offer at the mo!!

maemaesmummy

DH and I are just buying a token gift for each other this year... I have already bought all other gifts in the sales starting last xmas..:eek:

Have several gifts put away for dd 4 & ds 2 that they got from others last xmas (they got sooo much they didnt notice several gifts had disapeared!!)

Just need to get everyting wrapped as we are off to Florida early Dec & dont arrive home until the 24th :eek: also have arranged dinner at mum and dads (again this year) as Im not here to shop.:j :rolleyes:

Mercenary

We only buy for the close family...not the aunts, uncles, cousins etc....and this year we are definitely making it a token present with a limit of £10 or less for each person. Most people already have what they actually want and buying any old thing just 'because-it's-Christmas' doesn't make any sense if it's not something that would actually be wanted and appreciated.
Besides, you just know that anything you buy for a gift will be reduced in price mere hours after it was received. Much better to buy anything even moderately expensive (if it absolutely must be had) in the sales a couple of days after the hysteria of Commercial Christmas is over.

We have often said that the commercial pressure to buy simply for one particular day is ridiculous, and that the old-fashioned way where the family gets together for Christmas dinner and a bit of socialising would be a far better way to go. That's what we will be doing.:D

shelovestobuystuff

Last year I managed a spend neutral xmas making £800 on ebay to pay for xmas.This year I plan to do the same.Its even more important this year as I wont have the credit cards to fall back on if I fail,not that I did that last year but to have the option was nice.
Not going crazy this year,no naff novelty gifts unless they are bought for pennies in a charity shop.Lots of charity shop shopping done already,teddies,jars for sweeties and baking to be put in.Just getting what I want at the best possible price,making the most of discount codes and cashback sites and having fun finding bargains and finding new ways to do things which get the same result cheaper,e.g.I want to tweak my xmas tree colour scheme this year and was looking for new bargains but saw on MSE someone just redecorating their tatty baubles to match the new scheme instead so thats what I will do.

Cookiepops

I always buy all my cards, wrapping paper and some presents straight after Xmas for the next year - usually saves me 50-75%. I have been doing this for years coz when I was a teenager, my mum used to make me save my pocket money - whatever I saved, she would match and this would be used for Xmas presents. But I soon sussed that if I used some of the money I was given for Xmas to buy stuff in the sales, I'd be quids in!!
Unfortunately, it means that I have enough wrapping paper and cards in the loft for the next 5 years!!
The presents I usually buy in the sales are the smellies gift sets eg. Lynx, Adidas, Dove as I find these are also good to give for Mother Day, Fathers day.

We also agreed a few years ago to cut out Aunty, Uncles etc. In fact it was their suggestions because we wouldnt know what each other wanted and was just buying presents for the sake of it. Same too with non close family if they have children, we stop giving to them and buy something for the child instead.

Apart from that, if I know what someone wants, I give myself plenty of time to shop around, usually buy over the internet using quidco.

I have to say that I totally agree with what everyone says about Xmas - it was becoming far too commercialised and even my Mum and Dad who go way over the top at Xmas (spending about £500 on each grandchild and about £100 on myself, husband, sister etc.) they have now agreed to cut back. Especially since my sister and family are moving abroad next year and we have had a couple of bereavements, it really makes you realise whats important and I more excited about having all of Xmas and New Year of and just doing stuff with my family.