Top 10 Christmas Money Savers
Christmas can be expensive! Here are Sue Haywards’s budget-savvy hacks so you can get festive without suffering a financial hangover...
Save Christmas for January
Forget tr ying to squeeze too many meals and nights out into your diary during December and suggest catching up with friends after New Year. Come Januar y, you can bag deals and discounts as restaurants will be keen to boost business – plus places won’t be packed. And if you’re not seeing friends or family until New Year, don’t be afraid to buy their gifts in the post-Christmas sales to save money.
Free Festive Fun
Get in the Christmas spirit with a candlelight carol ser vice at your local church. Or watch a Santa fun run; there are lots across the countr y during December and all for charity. See a panto on a budget by checking local amateur productions in your area. And younger family members can check Santa’s progress by logging on to WWW.NORADSANTA.ORG during December and even follow his trip around the world on Christmas Eve.
Cut Card Costs
Save on Christmas cards by giving ever yone a surprise phone call. How many times do you write a note in a card saying, “must catch up next year”? Well, now’s your chance to get in touch. Buying and sending 30 cards first class can cost over £30, but you won’t pay a penny on calls if you use free minutes on your mobile or landline package. Skype friends and family who are abroad.
Points Mean Presents
Play your loyalty cards. We earn £112 a year with them according to cashback site TopCashback, so put them to work! Tesco, Nectar & Boots are the big ones and you can boost Tesco points by three times their face value. Swap them for gifts instead of using them as cash at the till. Boost the power of your Boots card with double points promotions or coupons that boost your point-earning potential.
Shop Late
Most supermarkets sell off fresh food with a short shelf life from midday onwards. Waiting till after 7pm can mean a 70% discount, so pop along the week before Christmas to stockpile festive food in the freezer! If you have nerves of steel, save your big shop until an hour before closing on Christmas Eve, as you’ll be able to snap up yellow sticker bargains – though it may mean gammon or fish for Christmas lunch if the last turkey has gone.
Amazon Hidden Hacks
Amazon is great for gifts but how do you know you’ve bagged the best price? Check WWW.CAMELCAMELCAMEL.COM which tracks Amazon prices all year round, and its price drop tool tells you the best time to buy. Save on deliver y charges with WWW.SUPERSAVERDELIVERYTOOL.COM It finds small “filler” items to bump up your basket if you’re slightly short of the £20 free deliver y option. This way, spending a few pence more saves you around £5.
Magic Gift Cards
Buy discounted gift cards to save at the till. Gift card marketplace WWW.ZEEK.ME sell unwanted cards for stores including Waterstones, Thorntons and Hobbycraft with savings up to around 25%. Buy up cards and use as cash. Asda and Tesco have occasional flash sales, with 25% off on brand name gift cards too. And double the discount by using alongside other vouchers. Check websites like WWW.MONEYSAVINGEXPERT.COM before shopping.
Save To Splurge
Spotted the per fect present that’s just over budget? You can still get it. Just make a rule that you’ll only spend more on one gift if you can save on another. So if you save £5 at the checkout with a discount voucher, “bank” the savings and put them towards another present that’s over budget. Saves overspending and you’ll turn into a savvy shopper on the way!
Gifts That Go On Giving
Go for gifts that bring enjoyment all year round. Green-fingered friends might enjoy an annual subscription to the Royal Horticultural Society which means free entry to over 200 gardens – and you can save 25% paying by direct debit. A solo membership still means another person goes free to RHS gardens, so you can save on a present for two! Or trade in Tesco vouchers, which will save you over £20.
Keep An Emergency Breakdown Kit
Stock up on batteries, sticky tape, light bulbs, foil, headache tablets and even an extra bottle of wine or box of chocolates in case a friend arrives with an unexpected gift. Saves a last-minute dash to the local shops and paying more than the supermarket. And if you’re travelling, pack snacks, drinks and fill up with fuel before hitting the motor way to avoid paying over the odds at service stations.