Tricks money influencers use to save a FESTIVE FORTUNE
From DIY hampers and Secret Santas to a pot-luck dinner...
CHRISTMAS can be the most expensive time of the year. But money bloggers are experts at finding ingenious ways to cut costs. Here, Lynn Beattie of Mrs Mummypenny, Al Baker of the Penny Pincher, edmund greaves of Mouthy Money, roosa Mezher of Money Marshmallow, and esther Mukoro of Money nuggets, share their 21 tricks to help you celebrate Christmas in style on a budget.
1. CHECK OUT PRICE COMPARISON WEBSITES
WEBSITES such as Idealo, google shopping or Kelkoo trawl the internet to look for the best prices on items from electronics to food and drink. some, such as Idealo, also tell you if prices are above or below their historical average, so you can tell if you’re getting a good deal or if prices are higher than usual.
2. A HAMPER FULL OF FESTIVE TREATS
ASSEMBLING your own hamper costs a fraction of one from the shops — and you can make them bespoke to include your loved one’s favourite treats. you could save more by baking your own biscuits and cakes. Hampers themselves cost from around £6 on Amazon — but you may be able to find cheaper in charity shops.
3. EARN CASHBACK ON CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
CASHBACK websites such as Quidco and topCashback let you earn when shopping online. you need to sign up and click through from the cashback website to the retailer you plan to purchase from.
For example, you can currently earn up to 6 pc cashback on clothing, home and beauty at Marks & spencer via topCashback and up to 7 pc at Fortnum & Mason. you can set up alerts on your computer from cashback websites that pop up and remind you when you could earn cashback when making an online purchase. go to their websites for details on how.
4. SIGN UP TO GET MORE MONEY OFF
SOME retailers offer you a discount on your first purchase if you sign up to their newsletter.
5. HOLD OFF ON THAT ONLINE PURCHASE
LEAVE items in your online shopping basket for a day or two. some retailers will send you a discount voucher to lure you into completing the purchase. Make sure you have handed over your email address so they know where to send a voucher or discount code (see above). If you are buying an item that you fear may sell out or are using a time-limited offer, you may not want to risk holding out.
6. BUY THE WHOLE FAMILY A PRESENT
RATHER than buying individual presents for members of a family, buy one for them all, such as a board game or panettone that they will all enjoy.
7. CREDIT CARD CASHBACK PERKS
Use a reward credit card to pay for your Christmas shopping. However, remember to pay it off in full before you are charged interest. Among the most generous is the American express Platinum Cashback everyday credit card, which offers 5 pc cashback for the first three months and up to 1 pc thereafter, so long as you spend at least £3,000 a year on it (see page 40).
8. BE PICKY ABOUT SECRET SANTAS
INSTEAD of buying every member of a group of friends or family a present, agree to do a secret santa, where everyone is allocated just one person to buy a present for. However, if you want to save money say no to secret santas with people you don’t know so well so, for example, you are not forced to buy a present for a colleague you’ve barely ever spoken to.
9. GIVE SOMEONE THE GIFT OF TIME
INSTEAD of a physical present, offer a loved one the gift of time instead, for example babysitting or pet sitting or a chore such as sorting the garden or washing the car. If they are time poor, they may be grateful for the offer of a helping hand.
10. CASH IN LOYALTY CARD POINTS
DO YOU have old loyalty points with retailers such as Boots or supermarkets? now could be the time to use them to buy gifts without having to hand over a penny.
11. MAKE YOUR OWN FESTIVE TAGS
CUT up old Christmas cards to make name tags. you’ll save money and create less waste.
12. HOST A POT-LUCK CHRISTMAS DINNER
THE cost of Christmas dinner has hit £31.71 this year for a family of four — for the main meal without the extra festive treats, according to consumer insights group Kantar Worldpanel.
so that no one has to bear the full cost, try a pot-luck Christmas dinner. For example, you provide the turkey, while someone else brings the roasties and another deals with the sprouts.
13. MAKE A CANDLE IN AN OLD TEA CUP
PICK up second-hand tea cups from charity shops — you can usually find them for pounds or even pennies if they’re mismatched. you can buy candlemaking kits for considerably less than the cost of buying candles new. For example, dunelm has a kit to make two candles for £14; the Works has one that makes two for £7.
14. FROZEN TURKEY — FRESH VEG
Frozen turkeys are around £10 cheaper than fresh on average. However, supermarkets often do cut- price offers on fresh veg needed for Christmas dinner, so pick fresh over frozen.
15. RETHINK THE TRADITIONS
MANY of us do things at Christmas simply because that’s how we’ve always done them. think afresh about which traditions are important to you — and ditch the rest. you may find you don’t need to spend money on Christmas crackers, for example, or Christmas pudding.
16. FREEZE REDUCED FOOD BARGAINS
THERE’s often a glut of reduced items around the festive days because many shops close on Christmas and Boxing day so need to get rid of items reaching their best-before dates. If you head to the reduced section of your supermarket just before it shuts or when it opens after the Christmas break, you may find some bargains you can freeze for a new year’s party.
17. MAKE HOMEMADE DECORATIONS
SPRIGS of holly and pinecones you find out on a winter walk can be great for free, elegant decorations. you could also paint the pinecones with glitter to add to the festive feel. Homemade paper chains and cut- out snowflakes are great decorations to rival shop-bought ones. Ask your children or grandchildren to help to make a free, fun activity.
18. SEEK AN OUTFIT THAT’S NEW TO YOU
gone are the days when you need to traipse around charity shops in the hope of finding an outfit you like — in good condition and in your size. there are a number of apps and websites for secondhand clothes where you can search by size, condition, colour and style. try depop, Vinted or thriftify.
19. HIRE YOUR PARTY CLOTHES
IF YOU want a special outfit to wear to a Christmas party, try renting instead of buying. you will enjoy the thrill of wearing something new without the price tag.
Hurr Collective, My Wardrobe HQ and By rotation are three rental websites. retailers that offer rental services include John Lewis, LK Bennett and Jigsaw.
20. ’TIS THE SEASON TO SHARE A LIFT
IF YOU’RE planning to travel over the Christmas period, you could save money with a car share or getting a lift. Liftshare websites that match up passengers with drivers taking the same route include Liftshare and BlablaCar.
21. INVEST NOW FOR NEXT YEAR’S FUN
Use the Boxing day sales to buy decorations and cards for next year. Just make sure you have somewhere to store them — and don’t forget you have them when Christmas comes round again.