The Christmas holiday season is often the toughest in the year for saving and spending money. On the one hand, you want to make sure you have enough savings to see you into the new year whilst also covering the essentials. Unfortunately, the essentials during late December include presents, Christmas trees, Christmas dinner, decorations, and much more. By the time the glorious January sales swing around, a lot of people find themselves running on empty when it comes to funds. Here, we’re going to take a look at five ways in which you can survive the Christmas holidays on a budget.
1. Write a budget. – Christmas Holidays on a Budget
This might seem obvious, but making a list of everything you need to buy and everything you want to buy can show you what’s essential and what isn’t. Keep a list of all your expenses throughout December and early January, and then cut down on costs from there. You can also do this to figure out how much you’re going to spend on each of your loved-ones this Christmas.
2. Make use of free delivery options. – Christmas Holidays on a Budget
Services like Amazon Prime can save you a lot of money on next-day delivery, but remember that there are often other options too. During the Christmas holiday period, a lot of websites offer promotions regarding shipping costs, which can save you money if you’re going to be ordering a lot of presents and other items online.
3. Be wary of internet prices. – Christmas Holidays on a Budget
While big websites tend to offer products at a lower price than their high-street competitors, this isn’t always the case. Keep an eye on prices both in-store and online, then make the decision where you want to buy from – don’t assume that online will automatically be cheaper!
4. Organise a Secret Santa with family. – Christmas Holidays on a Budget
If the rest of your family is up for it, you can save a lot of money buying everyone a gift, and instead focus on each of you buying one gift for someone else via a Secret Santa.
5. Take advantage of January sales, but be careful. – Christmas Holidays on a Budget
January is a momentous time for sales and shopping in the UK, as many online and high-street retailers clear their stock and get ready for the new year. While this is often a great way to find some amazing deals, be careful of ‘sales’ which actually aren’t great deals at all. During Black Friday 2017, consumer watchdogs issued a warning stating that some retailers were inflating prices to make deals seem much bigger than they actually were. Keep your wits about you and make sure to compare across multiple stores so that you don’t get caught out!
