A Totally FREE Christmas 2025

itsthelittlethings

I’m not doing a free Xmas but my goal is to spend no more on Xmas. Mum is getting the cheese which is annoying as I liked doing it and didn’t even mind spending £40-50.

itsthelittlethings

I’m writing my cards this weekend. Undecided about a round robin letter.

Willowtree222

I have a £50 voucher left for my last of the Christmas present wrap ups and some alcohol and treats. I always buy food for the food bank as well, so £10 will be allocated for that. I usually put a selection box in for a child as well. DD loves finding the cheapest tins so we maximise how many families we can help. 

Should have some cash back through as well for the food shop. 

X

Soontobeoap

I have a Christmas fayre coming up on November 23rd with craft group. Once that is over I will be looking at my Christmas. I have cards and recipe books to put together, cork pin boards that I would like to make etc. I have the materials and just want to get on with it. I did take my daughter the large Hessian sack of logs that I had collected for her fire. (I tied it with a big red bow left over from making up hampers for craft group). She had to have it early because we would not have got it into the car with our clothes and gifts at Christmas. Forgot to take picture but even son in-law was impressed with it and how authentically Christmas it looked. Will update as I go. 🙂

Dizzycap

Well done everyone   - Christmas will be awesome for everyone whether you're death cleaning gifts; which is such a great idea, buying things with cashback / free vouchers, or making gifts from craft stash you already have from other projects / been donated to you, it's going to be a dazzler! 

FREEprints had an offer for first time APP users to have 24 6x4" pictures printed and delivered for free, so I decided to make a couple of 2026 calanders of babyface  One for my mother & the other for myself 

Personally, I've either recycled unwanted gifts from last year, made gifts or used vouhcher cash-ins from Topcashback to get every gift I really needed to get. I made all my Christmas cards in January which are all written up and ready to post with free stamps I was given by RM for being a mailagent for 6 months 

I also have a ton of shopping points ready to be converted into Christmas food shopping vouchers, so it's a full free Christmas again this year, along with food bank donations from left over shopping points, so it's a win-win all round 

Soontobeoap

Talking about shopping points / vouchers, I don't shop in Sainsbury's very often but when I do I try to optimise my growing nectar points by using a double points voucher or other offer. This year I have tried to check whether anything I buy is from a nectar partner. There are so many of them! I am pleased to say that my usual £20.00 of points is already up to £40.00 and at the moment I seem to be watching them grow daily. Not for Christmas ( we are away at our children's houses.). Bit I have saved them for the start of next year's grocery challenge. It all helps. 🙂

Dizzycap

@ Soontobeoap - I tend to do the same, although I mainly do my elderly neighbours shopping at Mr. Sains and they're happy for me to colllect the points. I only ever buy items @ Mr. Sains that I would buy elsewhere when points are offered by Mr. Sains, but I do enjoy completing the extra point challenges & double-ups when doing my neighbours shopping 

The Lidl Prize Spin Wheel should be available soon, although I've already bagged 4 free toiletry items that I'm giving as stocking fillers 

I've just won a £30 Amaz*n voucher & a £50 M&S Shopping voucher with an additional 25% off, so I'm thinking about booking a free M&S Christmas food stock up & free delivery and saving my Mr. Sains points for the New Year - sounds like a plan 

Soontobeoap

Not free but very MSE. I was given a load of corks for crafting last year and have now decluttered them by making this cork board. I spend £4.00 on a second hand frame and £6.00 on glue sticks. I still need to tack all of the corks in place and seal the cork. Perfect gift for my son's home office. 🙂

Dizzycap

Soontobeoap - Wow that's AWESOME! What a fantastic and unique gift 

Well, I've got my FREE M&S Christmas food delivery booked and I didn't spend a single penny  That means I have all my Mr. Sains points which I've now doubled ready for a free January stock up 

The Lidl App has daily discount advent gift boxes and the scratch & play has yielded so far: A free large crisp selection bag, a free chocolate Santa, and a free bag of 12 mini packets of Cheesy Cheddars - Perfect for Christmas nibbles   

I potted up some free Hyacinthians & Narcissi bulbs in late October which are now wrapped up ready to give out on Monday as Chrissy pressies to a few neighbours, as the Hycinthias will be flowering soon and then I'm done! No need to go into any shop which I absolutely hate and especially in December as I've personally found that people/shoppers seem to be excessively nasty & selfish at this time of year!   

Babyface Daxie also has all her December food for free as I used my £30 Amazon voucher & additional Amazon cashback vouchers from TopCashBack to pay for it all 

It's the second year where Christmas has cost me nowt - I wonder if it's really going to be possible to have a totally free Christmas in 2026, but I'll certainly give it my best shot! xxxx Preparation will begin in January with the re-bagging, tagging & storing of unwanted / useless Chrissy gifts, recycling Chrissy cards & making appropriate envelopes, and checking and repairing any Chrissy decorations before storing them away once again! I might even make a few new ones, if any neighbours decided to donate any to me to upcycle I do love a good a good upcycle / repair project

Soontobeoap

So I am admitting defeat. Recipe books still not started and we go away tomorrow. I will do a much better job if I leave them until Easter. As I say every year, I must start earlier next year. Happy Christmas everyone. I hope that we all managed to save money on Christmas this year if only a little. 🙂