Savvy budget tips for a cut-price Christmas
No last-minute grabs...
The main offender when it comes to festive over-spending? Those last-minute gifts, grabbed when time has almost run out. So plan your gift list carefully and, when you've ticked off each recipient, don't listen to the niggling voice which says, 'Will this be enough?'
'My friends and I have scaled it down so we just give tiny, token presents,' says Claire, a 29 year-old PA. 'Everyone feels relieved - not hard done by at all.'
Still tempted to splurge? Bear in mind that last minute 'top-up gifts' cause 46 per cent of women to blow their budget, according to investment experts NS&I.
On the bargain trail...
If you're not keen on a 'Secret Santa' approach - where everyone in a circle of friends buys for only person only - then shop around to rein in your spending. Joanna, a 35-year-old landscape gardener, homes in on department stores' beauty counters: 'I've gone mad on special edition Laura Mercier skincare sets, which I'll split and wrap individually for close friends,' seh reveals.
Check out promotions at counters such as Clinique and Elizabeth Arden, where luxury goodie bags (which are infinitely gift-able) are often on offer with two purchases.
Gifts for free - yes, really
Sign up for weekly newsletters at www.moneysavingexpert.com. Their emails flag up discounts and freebies - so you can often nab a present for virtually nothing.
For instance, at the time of writing, there's a £10 Oasis gift card when you buy Look magazine (the site even suggests items under a tenner such as slipper socks - ideal in a teen girl's Christmas stocking). Discounts are also listed for numerous stores like Ocado, Debenhams, Karen Millen and the Body Shop - so log on and get saving...
Eye-watering wish lists?
Without crushing their dreams, you can explain to your children they might not get everything on their list. In all the excitement of Christmas Day, they're unlikely to remember their entire wish list anyway.
For older children and teens, be honest when you can't afford a certain item - or, if a pricey prezzie is wanted, perhaps ask relatives to contribute to the total cost. Chances are your child will be understanding. More than one in four kids worry about how their family will afford Christmas, according to a survey by Red Tractor food standards watchdog.
I made this just for you...
Making Christmas presents can result in Blue-Peter-style projects gone horribly wrong - but not if you keep things simple. Gifts From the Garden, by Red magazine's Debora Robertson (Kyle Books) is packed with gorgeous home-grown ideas - from potted herbs to preserves and edible wreaths.
In The Thrift Book (Penguin), author India Knight explains how she makes her own olive oil and sugar body scrubs. Or make a big batch of truffles (see jamieoliver.com for recipe) and pack in gorgeous tissue-lined boxes for choc-loving friends.
Pretty-up your home
The craft revival has ensured that DIY decorations look charming, not sad. Stuck for ideas?
Check out Sarah Raven's Complete Christmas (Bloomsbury) for inspirational ways with twigs, foliage, fresh flowers and bulbs. The great thing is, the kids can help too - even if it's something as simple as filling a huge glass bowl with jewel-coloured Christmas baubles. Primark is excellent for plain, glossy baubles in brilliant shades.
Eat and be merry...
A get-together with the girls is part of the run-up to Christmas - but it needn't be a pricey restaurant affair. Hosting the night means you can be as rowdy as you like - and asking each friend to bring an edible contribution lightens the cost and your workload.
Likewise, if you're hosting Christmas Day, there's no shame in asking guests to bring extras like crackers, pickles, a cheeseboard or chocolates to have with coffee. As well as a bottle - of course!
Still eating turkey?
We're all guilty of shopping as if for an approaching famine - so bear in mind how much your family can actually eat. On the other hand, eking out the leftovers is one of the nicest aspects of festive eating.
Freeze anything you're not convinced you'll eat straight away - like spare sausage meat from making the stuffing, to cooked turkey (divide into separate cartons and use in soups, stir fries and risottos). Instead of leaving them to languish in the fridge, use up cheeses in sauces and pasta dishes, and sling that last chunk of Stilton into a creamy soup. Leftover chocolate, however, never seems to be an issue...
Festive fizz
Cava and prosecco feel just as festive as champagne. In Nigella Christmas (Chatto & Windus), she whips up a delicious Poinsettia cocktail with prosecco and Grand Marnier plus cranberry juice.
Check the supermarkets' and online wine stores' offers: Asda are currently offering a vintage cava for £5, while a £12.99 prosecco is down to £6.99 at www.laithwaites.co.uk. Visit www.top10wineclubs.co.uk to check the best deals and order early. The challenge is resisting tippling before the big day...
And what about you...?
A new dress might have slipped off your list - but some canny shopping can nab you a bargain. Check out online outlet stores like www.uk.monsoon.co.uk/outlet. At House of Fraser's eBay store you'll find discounts of up to 75 per cent.
To pep up your look, check out discount beauty websites such as www.fragrancedirect.co.uk where perfumes, make-up, skincare and gift sets are up to 75 per cent off.
Finally, we must point you the direction of the brand new iVillage.co.uk Shop. It's a price comparison shopping site so you can see all the prices of the same item across a number of different retailers, enabling you to go for the cheapest deal. You also earn loyalty points on all purchases.
Next Up: Christmas central
Whether you're looking for something pretty for her or failsafe for him, or you're stuck for ideas of what to get the kids this year, look
See also:
- getty images,
