Christmas on a budget

V2-Schneider

Betty, that sounds like a really wise approach to Christmas spending. In fact, I might very well suggest this with my own family as it still implies giving and thinking about the recipient without the financial cost associated with it. Thanks for the inspiration!

determined_new_ms

someone on another thread I post on does a secret santa for the whole fam - I think it's kids excluded. But everyone buys for 1 person and spends a max of £50. I really like the idea and am going to suggest to my fam for next year

DebtFreeDuo

Betty I love the sound of your Christmas!

I'm going for a very frugal Christmas this year (a lot less than £500), for DS I have spent a total of £30 and I don't intend on buying anything else, he doesn't need anything and I am not buying him things just for the sake of Christmas. I have made a deal with a couple of people that we won't buy for one another. My budget for everyone else is no more than £10 per person. Total cost of Christmas for me this year will be no more than £200 but will most likely come in closer to £150, this covers about 17 people. Previous to this I always had a budget of £100 for DS.

clairebeth

We do a present from us and then something from santa and some chocolate coins. My daughter is getting a lego cafe (bought half price on Argos ebay outlet, new in box, they warn that there could be damage to box, but there wasn't any). And santa will be giving a set of rainbow fairy books that are immaculate although second hand. If she needs underwear at this time of year, then I pop that in her stocking too, makes it more fun. My baby boy will probably get a little wooden car or similar, I'll see what pops up second hand, and maybe something soft and cuddly. I think second hand is so good, not just for financial reasons, but environmental reasons as well. We don't do gifts for our own parents/siblings/nieces/nephews as there are too many of them and we all want for nothing anyway. All my parents want (and what everyone wants) is for us to be happy and to spend time together if we can (although they live on the other side of the world), I'm sure your family feel the same.

LMG1305

I will admit I do spend a lot on Christmas, so not the best for giving you a lot of advice in that respect, but one thing I will suggest as it's something I do that definitely helps is doing surveys to be rewarded with vouchers. The main site I use is Swagbucks but there are many others as well, with varying degrees of success.

Just as an example for Swagbucks, I recently had enough points to redeem £10 worth of Amazon vouchers which I had earned only over a few weeks, then within a week because of some surveys & other promotions on the site, I was able to redeem another £5 Amazon voucher. I also used to use Maximiles, which I actually forgot about, then the other day I remembered about it & was surprised to see when I logged into my account that I had enough points for a £25 Debenhams voucher. Lucky I remembered!!

I sometimes lose focus & might not do anything for a few months, hence why this year I haven't got as many vouchers, but last year because I was doing surveys quite regularly throughout the year I had over £100 in Amazon vouchers & £45 in Marks and Spencer vouchers.

MrsPorridge

Get the kids to make something for the grandparents - marzipan dates, gingerbread biscuits etc., Far cheaper and I'm sure will be much more appreciated. Plus it's fun!

foxgloves

When we were little (1970s!), my Mum used to do such a nice thing......she is quite crafty & she'd make what we called a 'Snow house' out of a box. She'd cover it with paper, draw & colour on the bricks, windows, door, etc. She would stick cotton wool on the roof for snow & recycle one of those little Christmas tree cake decorations outside by the door. She'd make a tiny wreath for the door, all from bits & bobs she already had in. Wish I had a picture of one, as they were lovely. Anyway, the Snow House (there were several over the years as we played with them, they got tatty & then Mum wanted to make a new one) had a flap cut in the back of it. It always came out at tea time on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Mum wrapped tiny gifts & tied each to a long piece of coloured string. She'd pack them all into the Snow House & it would sit in the middle of the table & we all chose which coloured string we wanted, then took turns to pull out our little present. They were never expensive things, the magic was that we had that lovely Christmassy house on the table & the contents always felt like such a surprise. We used to spend ages trying to decide which string to pull.
In terms of cost, I should think starting something like this on Christmas Eve would cost a lot less than these Christmas Eve hampers I keep on hearing about where everyone has a full set of new sleepwear & an extra day's worth of presents. If we had kids, I think I would do a Snow House or let everyone choose one little present from under the tree to open with a hot chocolate & story on Christmas Eve, but they could whistle if they thought they were getting a hamper!
Ooooh, those memories have made me feel quite festive! Hope I don't peak too soon!
F

Pablosammy

Now our family are all grown up, it's become very frugal! Some family members aren't flush with money, and it shows the benefit of them being open about it to the rest of the family - nobody judged, and in fact it was a relief to the rest of us as well!

Now we do secret santa with a strict £30 limit. That way, each person only has to buy one gift. We probably all spend more on food and drink over Christmas than on gifts if I'm honest!

For us, it's now more about getting together and catching up than the presents... it's something I think more people should take notice of. Christmas shouldn't be about consumerism and excessive spending.

System

My comments aren't going to be popular but reading some of these entries made me realise Scrooge is alive and well!!
Seriously though, some of you here come across as frugal to the point of being obsessive/addicted. Just as in the same way as those on the savings and pension boards seem obsessed with always having to have more.
Yes be balanced in approach but we are a long time dead.
I also worry that some on here with the desire to be seen as the most frugal and morally correct parents are actually causing some future issues for their children.
Just a personal observation. Each to his/her own.

jubilee14

Hi Excelpaul while your first part of your comments is really a matter of opinion and yes some people will be more frugal than others. What future issues do you forsee in teaching children that material things are not the most important thing in life? would have thought that giving them things you cant afford would set them up to expect a standard of life that is perhaps not within their budget and so they follow their parents mis management of money. Am sure i dont want my kids to fall foul the way i did. But yes thats just my view too