Christmas is stressful at the best of times, but Christmas 2020 really takes the biscuit thanks to you know what! People are struggling due to a manner of different things right now – losing their jobs, losing someone close to them, feeling demotivated throughout this year or perhaps self-isolating and suffering from Covid-19 themselves! I think nearly everyone could do with some ways to have an inexpensive Christmas!
Whether we’re able to see family this year or even in the mood for celebrating Christmas, what I do know is that pretty much everyone could do with having an inexpensive Christmas. Tightening those purse strings can be easier than you think this December, even though Christmas is usually considered to be one of the most expensive time of year. Here are some tips on how to save money and at Christmas this year.
BE HONEST
First of all, be honest about your situation. You don’t have to go into details but if you simply cannot afford presents/Christmas dinner/festive drinks this year, just say so. Everyone is in the same boat one way or another and I bet if you spoke up and explained the way you feel, the other person will probably be really relieved that you did so, because they probably feel the same! Even if it’s something as simple as not feeling safe enough to see family over Christmas, just own up to the fact that yes, it’s probably going to be a sh*t Christmas – just like it’s been a sh*t year – and if you don’t want to celebrate it – or can’t afford it – than so be it. There’s always next year!
GIVE HOMEMADE GIFTS
Some other ways to have an inexpensive Christmas is to obviously save money on gift-giving. If you absolutely must give gifts this year, make them homemade to save money! The beauty of giving homemade gifts is that no matter what the gift is or how it looks, the recipient will always feel really appreciated that you’ve put so much time/thought into such a gift. And DIY gifts are so easy to do. You could head to the pound store, pick up a couple of cute mugs and fill them with cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows to make a hot chocolate kit. Good with your hands? Cross stitch or embroidery a personalized gift. You could even pick up a jar and fill it with a homemade DIY body scrub. Just tie some pretty ribbon around it and add a nice gift tag (or make your own..!), and it’ll look just as pretty as anything you can buy in the shops. Most bath or body stuff can be made from stuff you already have in your house too.
If you don’t feel confident enough getting crafty, why not agree on a budget for presents? You could also do secret Santa with your family – so you only have to buy one gift – or agree on joke gifts under £5.00. Oh, and if you’re not seeing someone until long after Christmas..there’s nothing wrong with buying their gift super cheap in the January sales.
HAVE A VIRTUAL CHRISTMAS
I know some of you are probably sick to the back teeth of Zoom by now, but for those of you who don’t mind it, why not agree to have a virtual Christmas instead this year? There are probably elderly relatives that will probably have to tune in via Zoom this Christmas to be on the safe side anyway this Christmas. The bonus of having a virtual Christmas is that there’s no rule to how many people you can celebrate with, you can have a drink as early as you like and not have to worry about driving home and you don’t even have to get out of your pyjamas. Just throw on a corny Christmas jumper over the top! And you don’t even have to cook, if you don’t want to…
THINK: DO YOU REALLY NEED A FULL CHRISTMAS DINNER?
We’ve already agreed 2020 has been a total write off – why not forgo tradition altogether and just have something other than a Christmas dinner? The year my mum died, we obviously didn’t feel like celebrating Christmas, so we ordered a curry instead! It was completely odd, but felt right for us (especially as we love curry in this family). Just remember, if you’re going to order in, you’ll have to call up in advance and have it arrive the day before to reheat on the day off.
Alternatively, if you are having family around and have a fair few mouths to feed, do a pot luck. Ask everyone to bring a dish each to save the pennies. And if you really love Christmas dinner but want a cheaper option? Gousto does a delicious Chicken & Stuffing Sarnie With Plum Chutney that really hits the spot. I had this last week and loved it so much that I’ve already gone out and bought the ingredients to make it again!
By the way, if you want to try Gousto, you can get 50% off your first box and 30% off all boxes in your first month by using my affiliate/for friends code (or rather my boyfriend’s affiliate code, but we share an account obviously!): SHAUN36038679! I get that spending money on a food subscription box isn’t really saving money at Christmas, but they’ve got a really tasty festive range at the moment, so you can get four meals quite cheap if you’d like to!
HAVE CHRISTMAS DAY…ANOTHER DAY
No one will care, honestly. There is so much pressure on Christmas Day, so why not spend the day doing whatever the hell you want and agree a day in January (or when things calm down enough) to celebrate it instead? I appreciate that this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll then have the money just by pushing the day back but it gives you more time to save up if need be. Plus if you’re really not that fussed, most employers offer double or triple pay to work Christmas Day – depending on where you work. If you’re not going to be celebrating it anyway, you might as well get paid to sit in work on what will likely be a very quiet and relaxed day anyway.
This also leads back to one of my previous points – you can always do a festive catch up/a few drinks via Zoom in the evening so you’re at least acknowledging the day.
Read more: 4 ways to get a grip on your finances this year
PLAN AHEAD FOR NEXT YEAR
Finally, there’s no time like the present to start thinking ahead for next Christmas, especially if you’re forgoing this year to celebrate better next year instead! Brainstorm gift ideas (even better if you can afford to buy them in the January sales), budget how much you’d like to spend and set up a separate pot on Monzo. Put X amount of money in that specific pot each month and by the end of the year you’ll have money saved up specifically for Christmas presents, dinner and anything else.
Despite all of the tips above, I really do think honesty is the best policy. No one is going to judge you for being skint at Christmas any year, let alone this year! The most important thing is to try and not get overwhelmed with worry, keep an eye on your mental health and stay safe. If you can’t see your family, it’s certainly going to be hard not giving them a big hug this year, but staying safe (and not worrying too much about money!) means next Christmas will hopefully be less stressful.
Do you have any tips on ways to have an inexpensive Christmas? Comment any ideas below!
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