As a parent, I struggle to save money. This is even harder over school holidays when I find it is necessary for me to be resourceful when finding ways to entertain the children in order to ensure that they have fun on a budget or making the most of free or low-cost activities. The summer holidays have now ended and now we have the Christmas countdown.
Yes, I said the C word. And, even worse I’ll admit I’ve already started buying gifts.
But, don’t hate me for it. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’ve been preparing for quite a few months now. I look out for items on sale/offer that look great. I also look for gift inspiration for family and friends everywhere I go and also when I’m online. This helps reduce the last-minute panic and also means that Christmas will cost me less than if I bought mid-December.
I believe that it is important to be prepared for times where you’ll need to spend on larger gifts such as weddings, Christenings etc or a number of gifts – when there are a clump of birthdays the same month or Easter and Christmas.
Although I’ve been careful with spending over the summer I’ll also be watching my spending as Christmas approaches as there are still gifts to buy and maybe a few surprise extras where possible. In order to allow a little extra spending money for those gifts remaining or for those that have yet to start their Christmas shopping here are some tips that will help you save money for your Christmas or any other bulk/expensive shopping period:
Efficient and Careful Shopping
To make sure you have the necessary funds, consider looking at your lifestyle. Where can you cut spending, where can you make savings? It’s shocking how some people don’t shop around for the best car insurance provider for example. I’ve found this can save literally £100’s of pounds. That equates to a few gifts of a more expensive one. You can also consider changing your utility provider or switching to a 0% credit card.
Some cheaper purchases here and there can really help you on your way to saving some extra £’s. Don’t think you have to sacrifice quality as this isn’t the case. I find that many supermarkets own brands are just as good. Their prices can be as low as a third and sometimes half of those of than some competitors. Compare different supermarkets too, some will sell a larger range of products at lower prices.
Although I’ve mentioned using online sites before to find well-priced gifts I can’t stress enough how helpful they can be. You can go on sites like LatestDeals.co.uk to save money and find plenty of great quality gifts at a fraction of the price elsewhere.
Work Out What You Can Afford in Advance
It helps to write a list of who you want to buy for and what you would like to buy them. Then, shop around to find it for the lowest price you can. You’ll need to also know what your incomings and outgoings so you can work out what you can consider buying. Be sure to calculate your budget using a planner to see what you can really afford to spend.
Apps to Help You Budget
You’d be surprised how much money you could save if you really made an effort. There are numerous apps that can help you save money in different areas. Some will identify areas you are overspending whereas others will help you find better deals and some will even calculate how much you can afford to put aside to be saved. The great thing about these apps is that you can stop them anytime you want. They also give you the opportunity to see what your spending on a daily basis and allow you to adjust this yourself where you see fit.
Be Strict When it Comes to Gifts
I’ve decided to cut down the number of people I’m gifting this year. My list has become ridiculously large and to be honest quite a few no longer need to be on my list. I’m not looking to take over from Santa this Christmas that’s for sure. With Christmas and birthdays, there’s so much pressure. Quite a considerable amount of this can be from our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren. We feel we sometimes have to spend more than we can afford to give them an amazing day. It’s important to maintain a balance. Do you really buy everything listed on your child’s Christmas/birthday list? I know we don’t. Partly due to the cost but also so as not to overindulge. I’d hate to have a Veruca Salt (the spoilt little girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that wanted everything now!) as a daughter. It’s not just about the gifts and it is important to instill that from an early age.
These tips should help you save money and help you save further on buying gifts you need to buy making it a far less stressful process.
Do you have an event coming up where you’ll need to buy a large gift or a large number of gifts that you could do with saving money for?
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We have to budget for everything to make sure we can afford it so I shop for Christmas all year round. People think I’m mad but it works for us.
I d exactly the same. It makes life go so much more smoothly.
I always stress about Christmas gifts. I worry about buying for everybody – I used to buy for siblings, parents, in-laws, nieces and nephews as well as my own family and friends and it was all too much. I think sticking to a budget and starting early are key.
They sure are the best way to go. It helps to knock off a few of the older ones from the list too if you can.
I agree with these, you do need to be strict and work out what you can actually afford xx
That’s very true. No point putting yourself in debt unnecessarily.
We went to Scotland for our Christmas last year so had to be aware of the gifts we were taking…..did the kids have a less fun Christmas or disappointed due to fewer gifts? No! They appreciated each and everyone they had
That’s good to hear. It’s important to make sure they are not overly indulged and appreciate what they receive.
In our house there are several birthdays around Christmas so it’s an expensive time of year. You’ve reminded me I need to start my buying so I’m prepared for the festivities AND birthdays!
It’s more pressured when birthdays are near to Christmas. Best buy early to avoid unnecessary stress.
My boys and niece all have their birthdays in November, which requires careful budgeting. We all decided to keep it low key at Christmas and instead celebrate their birthdays a bit bigger as their special day, which takes the pressure of Christmas a little. I’ve also been squirrling away gifts throughout the year, e.g. getting things in the sales or putting aside things I’ve won in giveaways instead of handing everything out right away.
Putting away gifts during the year can really help. Saves having to panic to get them if you remember last minute or have a heavy workload.
I have lots of money savings and cashback apps on my phone. I use them everyday
That’s great. They can help you save so much.
what a great tips! i got a lot of new ideas that i can do and would def be helpful, thanks for sharing
No problem. I hope you save loads for the next time you need to get gifts x
This is a great post full of amazing ideas. Perfect with Christmas coming up!
Thanks Jem. I’m hoping this will help some of my readers in making sure they are organised and therefore reduce the associated stress of having to buy gifts for various events.
Being more strict is such a good idea. I tend to budget for things like Christmas well ahead of time, picking up gifts throughout the year and storing them so that it’s not one big bill all at once.
That’s great to hear. It reduces your workload and the stress that way.