London, Europe Brief News – Some people think Christmas is all about spending thousands on amazing presents, decorations and food, but here are some tips to buck the trend and get smart with their festive finances.
1- Make a Christmas budget
Use our budgeting guide to help establish how much you’ve got going spare (taking into consideration your usual expenses) and base your festive plans on that.
2- Prioritise your purchases
Particularly when you’re doing Christmas on the cheap, you’re never going to be able to fulfil absolutely everything that features in your ideal festive fantasy. So, grab yourself a pen and paper and start thinking about what’s really important to you this year.
3- Beware of Christmas ‘deals’
It might look like retailers are spreading the festive cheer, but the sad truth is that they’re trying to stop you from saving money at Christmas.
4- Use price trackers to decide when to buy gifts
All you have to do is enter the product you’re interested in buying, and not only will Idealo show you how the price has changed over time, but it’ll also tell you where the cheapest place to buy it is.
5- Spend less on your dinner
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a ridiculously excessive meal with foods that, for whatever reason, we don’t allow ourselves to eat at any other time of the year (seriously, there’s got to be a market for pigs in blankets beyond December?!).
The only problem is, it’s a little expensive to have turkey and all the trimmings… or is it? It turns out that it’s possible to have the full Christmas spread for as little as £2 per head!
You heard us right. That’s turkey with potatoes, carrots, peas, Yorkshire puddings and gravy, for just a tad more than a takeaway coffee.