Tips to Save this Christmas

If there has ever been a year when tightening your belt (well if you can tighten it with all those extra layers on) could be more necessary then surely it is 2022. 

These are some tips on how I am saving money and managing my finances this Christmas. 

My starting point is my budget. I list who I will be buying for and how much I can afford to spend on each of them.

Actually my real starting point is saving towards Christmas each month all Year! We all know Christmas is coming and putting a little bit away each month really takes the sting off!

Next I really consider my list, if money is tight I will have conversations with family and friends. Can we do a nice brunch or coffee together or a games night rather than gifts. Sometimes it just takes that one person to start the conversation and everyone is all in. 

Planning my gifts. I am an early bird shopper and like to get things ticked off my list. But if its a website without "Free Shipping" I will wait a little bit before checking out to make sure I am buying all I need in one hit. I always shop around especially if I find a cute gift on Not on the HIghstreet or Etsy. These sites charge commission, you can often find a deal more enticing on their direct website. The price might be a little lower or there is free postage or gift wrap. 

Once things start to arrive I take photos of them and store them on a password protected file ( thats not necessary if no one else uses your phone or devices) This makes sure I remember what I have bought and do not over buy!

Top Tip - I pop ever email order confirmation that comes through into a folder within my email account. This makes it super easy to look up how much you have spent and deal with returns if you need to. 

When it comes to food and drink I have a mantra! "It is just 2 days! This makes me stop and really consider how much we need. No ones to be throwing things away!

After Christmas if I feel I have overspent or over indulged I write myself a letter to read the following Christmas. It mights say things like, the house looked lovely you do not need more decorations! And things like DONT FORGET you have Christmas wrapping paper and cards left over, so don't buy any more. 12 months is a long time and it is super easy to forget these things!