It’s very easy to get swept up in the expectations of a grand Christmas but this often leads to financial stresses, both during and well after the holiday season has passed. Fortunately, doing Christmas on a budget doesn’t need to be dull or difficult. It just takes a little planning and a little extra thought.
How to create a budget friendly Christmas
Save money at Christmas with these 5 tips:
1. A budget Christmas means starting early
The most effective way to manage your holiday season expenses is to start preparing early. If you leave everything to the last minute, you’ll likely find yourself in a panic buying frenzy which can lead to overspending. So, where do you start?
- Begin by making a list of gifts, decorations, and food items you’ll need. Having a list keeps options contained to the list, so you are less likely to blow the entire holiday season budget.
- Set a present budget and make a pact to strictly stick to it!
- Aim to complete your Christmas shopping by early December, before the last-minute madness grabs ahold. Setting a time limit can help you stay organised and avoid the stress and annoyance of last-minute shopping.
2. Take advantage of savings throughout the year
To have a great Christmas on a budget, spread expenses out by grabbing gifts and other holiday season necessities throughout the year:
- When you see those Christmas decorations, wrapping paper and other items on clearance sale in January, buy them then! You’ll pick everything up at a massive discount and you won’t have to worry about it come Christmas the next year!
- Do your research. Checking which stores have the best product specs, deals and bundles online can get you a lot more for a lot less.
- Finally, shop online whenever sales hit, don’t wait until Christmas is looming. End of season, Black Friday and end of financial year sales often offer great bargains. You’ll make some big Christmas savings – without leaving your couch!
3. DIY Christmas gift ideas on a budget
When it comes to gift giving, it’s essential to be thoughtful rather than extravagant if you want a to reduce your holiday season spending:
- One way to save money at Christmas is to just buy presents for the children and organise a cheap Secret Santa gift for adults. This way, everyone can give and receive without the usual Christmas expenses associated with gift purchases.
- Alternatively, try Special Secret Santa. Each adult buys one quality adult present, so everyone receives something they want. You either ask each person to write a wish list of 3 things, or you theme your present buying to suit your crowd.
- For example: If everyone joining you for Christmas are foodies or enjoy cooking, everyone buys something to do with food. This could be a pasta maker, a voucher to a restaurant or a knife set.
- A nice idea is to consider charitable donations instead of presents. This can put the good ‘feels’ back into your Christmas. Every little helps so it really doesn’t matter how much you donate. Your charity choice makes a good conversation around the dinner table too.
- DIY Christmas gifts are a great way to save money and give more thoughtful, personalised presents:
- Frame nice family photos and give them as gifts.
- Make jams, chutneys or even flavoured oils or chocolates.
- Help children make iced cookies for school friends.
- If you’re into crafting get busy in the lead up to Christmas.
- Buy some seeds and planters then grow flowers, plants and herbs to give as gifts.
- Make treat based “I owe you” vouchers for your partner, children or friends to redeem. Maybe a movie night at home with lots of treats, a pamper evening with their favourite meal, perhaps a day out, just with you, or whatever treat you think they would enjoy. The trick is to make sure it’s something that you can make happen without a mountain of cash.
4. Christmas lunch on a budget – and the rest
Food can quickly add up during the holidays, but there are ways to save money on Christmas food purchases too:
- If you collect supermarket loyalty points or coupons, save them up for your Christmas food shopping.
- Butchers often do value packs of essentials, so pick up a couple for the freezer. It will help when you have more mouths to feed over the holidays
- Order your Christmas turkey, ham or seafood before they go up in demand and price, and pop those in the freezer too.
- You can generally save money at Christmas on all the meals around the big day itself by getting creative with leftovers. Think frittatas, curries, potato hash cakes and rice dishes, made with leftover meat and veggies, plus some fridge and pantry basics.
- If your friends or family like a Christmas drink, or should we say 4, ask everyone to chip in for the alcohol. Either buy in bulk for cheaper prices or get everyone to bring a few bottles or cans, so you’re not footing the bill for what is sometimes one of the biggest Christmas expenses.
- Finally, always ask friends or family to bring a plate, cook a dish or look after an entire meal. This eases the workload as well as your Christmas spending.
5. Don’t be afraid to DIY your decorations
When it comes to decorating, DIY doesn’t just mean paper snowflakes and colour paper chains. Get a little creative and use what’s around you to whip up something special, without eating into the Christmas budget.
- Recycle materials for gift wrapping, such as pieces of fabric, sacking wrap, paper bags or even newspaper. Add some splashes of colour, and tie up with string or pre-used ribbon.
- It’s easy to create cheap, simple Christmas table decorations. Pine cones are a classic but think about using clumps of foliage, pine fronds and native Aussie bush flowers too. If you’re near the coast, driftwood and pebbles mixed with glass beads make a great centrepiece.
- Bundles of tree branches draped in fairy lights with dried fruits and cinnamon make a great cheap Christmas tree.
- Get everyone to join in, so you don’t have to spend hours making your decorations. It’s more fun too. Kids especially love doing anything Christmas related, so make sure you get them involved too.
Bonus: Remember to de-stress the money talk!
Remember Christmas and the holidays should be about the people you share it with, not a money spending task. Christmas on a budget is easy if you follow just some of the advice in this article.
In the end, the more you involve others, the more enjoyable and cheaper the preparations become. And remember, nobody cares if you serve cheap sparkling wine instead of the good stuff. You can still toast to the spirit of Christmas!
A final word on doing Christmas on a budget:
Celebrating Christmas on a budget is not only possible but can also make Christmas a much more thoughtful and shared experience. By planning ahead, being creative, and involving everyone in the process, you can enjoy a fun, festive Christmas without the usual stresses on your finances. Happy holidays!
