The holiday season is upon us and we’re all looking for ways to save money. Christmas can be the source of financial stress for people.  This blog post will speak about how you can have a great Christmas without getting into debt or any other financial trouble.

Around one in every four adults went into debt to pay for Christmas last year and some are still paying it off, research shows.

Young people – those aged 18 to 34 – were the most likely to go into debt to pay for the holiday season

Just over three in every 100 people were still paying it off when the research was undertaken in November – nearly a year after the prior Christmas.

But don’t despair! There are simple things you can do to avoid this.

How to Save Money This Christmas

1. Create a budget. 

Before you even start really thinking about getting ready for Christmas, you need to work out your budget so that you can prepare wisely. Remember to involve everything you will need. This includes; food, decorations, presents and parties. This will help you to avoid overspending on unnecessary things.

 2. Hide or Cut your Credit Cards

It can be tempting to use credit cards to offset some of the costs of christmas. If you know that you might be tempted to use your credit cards, outside what you would normally spend, then you can choose to hide, cut or put them away for the month of December. I know it seems a bit extreme but if it will help you to control your spending, then it’s worth it.

3. Start Present Shopping Early

Starting your shopping early and even shopping throughout the year will help you to reduce the cost. Between now and Christmas there are lots of sales going on. This is the perfect opportunity to stock up on a whole host of presents. 

Do your research thoroughly. Make a list of everyone you need to buy for (colleagues, family , and maybe even the dog). Taking your time will really help you choose presents wisely and carefully – and you won’t have to worry about delivery times!

4. Make your Own presents

Speaking of saving money on presents…you can choose to make your own presents. Last year, I made some candles and knitted some hats for family and friends. It saved me so much money. So put your creativity to the test by making something.

5. Do Joint Presents

You can get together with someone and buy 1 present for someone between the 2 of you. This will save money because you only pay 

Also, instead of buying 1 gift per family member,   something for the whole family

Also doing Secret santa with your group of friends, family and colleagues… That way you only have to buy 1 present.

8. Buy Christmas Food Early

We’ve all experienced that last minute Christmas eve supermarket rush. 

Doing food shopping in a rush means that some items are sold out, or you forget something on your list. So start buying items now. When you go for your weekly shopping, buy one or 2 items and place them in the freezer. 

This will definitely reduce the amount of stress associated with cooking for the big day.

9. Cook at Home

Over the Christmas period, you will be invited to a lot of Christmas dinners -for work, family, friends. Each time you’ll need to buy food + drinks but avoid this by eating at home. 

You can host dinner parties and ask guests to bring one dish each. That way, you avoid spending lots of money on food.

10. Recycle Christmas Decorations 

Instead of buying new decorations and lights, which will only be up for a few weeks anyway, re-use the one from last year. Instead of buying a new or a real tree, re-use  an old one. 

11. Start planning for Next Year’s Christmas

Yes! Start planning for next year’s big day. You can buy presents throughout the year and start a sinking fund for the related costs. Good preparation will reduce the likelihood of you having any money issues next year.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Christmas is a costly time and good preparation can save you a lot of money this Christmas. 

So how are you preparing for this year’s Christmas? Have you bought your Christmas presents and food already? Let me know!