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What are you spending more (or less) on this Christmas?

MSE_James
MSE_James Posts: 1,503 Community Admin
1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Cashback Cashier Newshound!
I'm sure we've all seen things on the shelves and thought 'how much?!' 

Sometimes a price rise is so big that it makes you reconsider whether you really want or need the item at all.

Which seasonal items will you be cutting back on this year?  Or which treats are non-negotiable and you'd be prepared to pay extra for?

What are you doing differently for Christmas 2024 - compared to last year - when it comes to shopping and spending?

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Comments

  • Exodi
    Exodi Posts: 3,422 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    MSE_James said:
    What are you doing differently for Christmas 2024 - compared to last year - when it comes to shopping and spending?
    Spending more. Unfortunately I try to get family the same level of present every year, which means I've spent maybe 10-20% more overall on gifts.
    Know what you don't
  • Im prepared to take the price rise for the sake of the food but I am trying to avoid the stuff that seems to go up in price and down in quality such as the big tins of chocs- I doubt Ill save any money, just be slightly more satisfied that Im getting good value.

    We only really get gifts for immediate family members so we'll probably be buying what we always buy them- books, toys, etc. It does seem as though these items have gone up a bit. I should think if we run out of budget, it'll be the two of us that goes without this year present wise. 
  • Saver73
    Saver73 Posts: 126 Forumite
    100 Posts Second Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    Same as last year - extra milk and a tub of chocolates - though they will likely cost more this year!

  • pseudodox
    pseudodox Posts: 435 Forumite
    100 Posts Second Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    Same as last year - nothing.  I refer to "the event known as Christmas which started in September" as "humbug!".  Hmm?  Actually I might give extra to charity this year if ERNIE sends me a bonus tomorrow.
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 35,353 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Savvy Shopper!
    We now only buy food that we know we'll eat. Not just at Christmas but all year.
    No mince pies.
    No Christmas pudding/cake.
    No fancy chocolates.
    No 'special' spirits.

    I will take advantage of the cheap veg and buy extra to blanch or mash and freeze. Sprouts actually work very nicely in slow cooker casseroles.

    I recycle my Christmas bags and buy wrapping paper & special cards in the sales after Christmas.
  • Jami74
    Jami74 Posts: 1,215 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Haven't bought any mince pies or tubs of chocolates. In fact haven't bought any 'Christmas foods' yet. I've learnt from previous years that I'm the only one who really eats them and I will eat them until they're all gone and I'm 5kg heavier. I don't actually need to spend most of December feeling slightly sick from too much sugar.

    Have been toning down kids Christmas presents as they've got older and started earning themselves, I don't feel obliged to spend £100s on them just for the sake of it. No more expensive plastic or electronics. 
    Debt Free: 01/01/2020
  • I am surprise at just how much the price of treats have skyrocketed, but tbf in previous years decades I have been scoffing these liberally. No more, and if the government makes good on the promise that "libertarian" former PMs lacked the guts to do and taxes junk food, it's a habit I shall find easy to maintain.

    I daresay I will buy plenty of I ever see things priced at rock bottom but judging by last year, pickings will be slim. And so will I be in 2025 :D
    No man is worth crawling on this earth.

    So much to read, so little time.
  • tealady
    tealady Posts: 3,828 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Mortgage-free Glee!
    Dont buy presents for anyone.
    Sent some cards, made a donation to charity in the names of those who didnt get a card from me.
    So my Christmas will be pretty much like last years, am with Pseudodox, feel the event is over hyped.
    Find out who you are and do that on purpose (thanks to Owain Wyn Jones quoting Dolly Parton)
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 35,353 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Savvy Shopper!
    edited 12 December 2024 at 11:59AM
    tealady said:
    Dont buy presents for anyone.
    Sent some cards, made a donation to charity in the names of those who didnt get a card from me.
    So my Christmas will be pretty much like last years, am with Pseudodox, feel the event is over hyped.
    I think daytime dross TV has something to do with that.
    From mid-November, they start talking about 'the big day', featuring slots about what you should wear to cook the perfect turkey, how to dress your table, host your party etc.
    How many times do we need to be told how to cook the perfect roasties?

    The TV adverts for the big supermarkets are the same.
    I know next time I go to Aldi, there'll be trolleys piled high with stuff that will be thrown away 2 days after Christmas.

    I think Christmas is definitely over hyped.

  • Nelliegrace
    Nelliegrace Posts: 897 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 20 December 2024 at 2:01AM
    We are avoiding Ultra Processed Foods. It has made Christmas food shopping cheaper and easier. We miss out whole aisles of nasty, synthetic stuff. 
    We made the Christmas cake. It is not difficult. 

    I want our Christmas to be like the simpler ones we enjoyed in the 50s, home made rather than bought, enough food but no excess or waste. We are going to have a roast chicken for Christmas dinner. We put a few old favourite decorations up on Christmas Eve, no tree, just a vase of red dogwood twigs and evergreens. The Christmas cards hang like bunting on strings round the room, and we take them down on Twelfth Night. 

    We are going to take part in Carols by Candlelight at the town church, to remind us of why we celebrate Christmas. 

    No all day television, just the King’s Christmas Broadcast, though I shall listen to some Christmas music and a vintage Agatha Christie drama on the wireless.

    https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/bbcradio7

    I hope the weather will allow us a walk to see the Christmas lights in the streets. 




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