Tis the season to be jolly; Christmas is one of the most wonderful times of the year, the opportunity to come together with loved ones, exchange gifts and relieve yourself of the stresses throughout the year. Whether you are having a large or small gathering, Christmas is truly magical. Remember however, Christmas is not all about the costs, you are able to have a beautiful and luxurious or homely christmas on a budget and here's some tips and ideas how.
HE'S MAKING A LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE
It's important to always make a list of who you are buying your gifts for and the types of things they like as well as dislike. This makes it easier when you are buying gifts for them as you already have an idea what you are going to purchase, as well as avoiding the inevitable unnecessary purchases which will undoubtably save your money.
If you set an overall budget for your gifts, as well as then breaking that down for individual people. This will allow you to spend a set amount you know you can afford or pay back rather than spending frivolously and once again necessarily. Don't forget that it is not about the cost of the item more the thought and meaning behind a gift.
Once you have brought items or ordered them, it is always important to write it down on your list and include the price to make sure you are keeping on budget as well as buying everyone on your list an item. You can create this list either on paper or if you find it easier to carry around while shopping why not write it up on your phone or tablet.
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BUY ONLY WHAT IS NECESSARY
It is extremely easy to get lost in the sparkle of christmas and realise you have over-brought and overspent, but hey its okay its christmas right? Wrong, it is important to buy people things dedicated to their personal taste or likes. If you are very broad with your purchases then quite often you may find 'that the pair of socks' you brought, have already been brought by someone else, or even worse, the receiver will dislike their present.
It is far easier to buy personal gifts for people you know opposed to those you may not know as well. However remember your on a budget so those smaller gifts are just that, smaller, therefore spend less. This is not offensive in any way. A gift is a gift and many people will be happy to just receive a little present such as a box of chocolate or a nice christmas plant.
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TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DEALS
There are many deals and discounts around christmas time such as 3 for 2 and other percentages off as well as some online shops offering free shipping. These can save you lots of money as you may have been buying three gifts and you find out you can get one for free; best of all buy them online without having to face the shops for free! Remember the other rules with this as you may get taken in by the 3 for 2 deal and buy purely for the deal, this is bad as you will end up necessarily buying.
A good example of a 3 for 2 deal taking place is in Boots where they sell a wide range of products from beauty to electrical to gift days therefore you can buy for a range of people and receive several items for free saving money. You will also earn points if yo own a free Boots loyalty card which then equates to money you can spend in store which could mean more gifts for free or being able to buy other items later on in the year as the points do not expire which is a mega bonus.
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Planning ahead is very important at christmas time in more ways than one. You can either plan ahead and buy presents throughout the year (although this will mean to write your list early on and keep on top of your budget). This method means that you can take advantage of deals taking place for longer than just the month of December and save by doing so.You can also recycle those unwanted gifts you have been given to someone who would want the gift. However with this you must remember to not tell the person who gave you the gift or the person you are giving the gift to as it could be offensive on both counts. Also make sure that you have removed and incriminating evidence such as names tags or price labels which may still be lingering on the item. If the item is food, unless recently given this is unwise as the product may be out of date and therefore unusable to anyone else.
I would love to hear any other tips or tricks to help out with spending and christmas ideas,
Disclaimer:
I have not been sponsored to mention any of the products of brands above and all of the opinions are my own.
I apologise for not posting for a few months, unfortunately i have been without a Mac and uploading on an iPhone with edits is very difficult. On top of this I was going through a difficult time with a past relationship. I can assure you that updates will be up to date and regular now.
Have a very merry Christmas Everyone!
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