It’s the most wonderful and the most expensive time of the year. But these savvy shoppers have a few tricks up their sleeve for keeping the cost of Christmas down…
The gift of time
A small figure stood with a paint-covered dapper in her hand, creating pictures of baubles.
We saved money by making our own Christmas wrapping paper.
My little girl, Ivy, loved to decorate brown parcel tape and give it a personal touch.
As I watched her, I wondered what I could I do to make my gifts more affordable and personalised.
Then, I thought: I know! I can give the gift of time.
I went on Canva, a free online design tool, and designed 12 cards with a simple activity written on each.
Then I placed them in 12 envelopes, each marked with a different month of the year.
Finally, I placed all the envelopes in a gift box.
When Christmas rolled around, I handed the box to my mum Diane.
She opened it, and when she read the message explaining that each envelope contained a voucher for a gift of time spent together, she was thrilled.
‘That’s really thoughtful,’ she said.
For each month, I’d chosen a simple activity, whether it was coffee and cake in March, a day out in June, or a family barbecue in August.
It was a gift that I could give at Christmas but spread the cost out over the year.
Stressing about buying gifts is not what Christmas is about. Nothing can compare to the gift of time and making memories with the people you love.
From Michelle Slinn, 33, of Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Bartering is best
My husband Alex looked at the boxes piled up in the spare room, and said: ‘You need to start shifting some of this stuff.’
I’d bought hundreds of pounds worth of greetings cards from a distributor with the intention of selling them on for a profit.
It seemed like a good sideline. But after taking voluntary redundancy from my job, I’d lost access to a big Christmas fair I’d attended through the company.
Now, I had stock piled up all around the house.
A friend was in a similar position. She had stocks of perfume she was struggling to shift.
As we moaned about the cost of Christmas, my friend said: ‘It’s a shame we can’t swap stuff.’
I thought: Why can’t we?
So, I set up a Facebook group and invited other people, who I knew were in a similar situation, to join.
Before long, there were lots of us swapping everything from cards and perfume, to books and cosmetics.
I saved money by swapping bundles of cards for winter candles and skincare products.
Bartering, whether with products or skills, is an age-old thing that’s become lost in the modern world. But it’s a simple way to cut the cost of Christmas.
From Kim Darnes, 55, of Andover, Hampshire
Bonus points
I picked up a box of biscuits and popped it in my shopping trolly.
Christmas was a few months away, but I spread the cost by popping a tin of sweets or a stocking filler in the trolly each week.
And at the tills, I made sure to collect my loyalty points.
Throughout the year, I picked up things in sales, such as a Barbie I saw for half price for my granddaughter.
I wrote down everything I bought so I didn’t double up on gifts for people.
‘You’re so organised,’ my friends said.
But I found it took the pressure off to get everything wrapped up early, so I could sit back and enjoy the month of December.
The loyalty points I collected throughout the year at Tesco and Iceland covered the cost of Christmas dinner, and my Boots points paid for a lovely present for Mum.
From Karen Dennis, 60, of Barnstaple, North Devon
Made with love
I handed the present to my partner’s stepmum, and when she opened it, she smiled.
‘That’s lovely,’ she said.
I’d crocheted Christmas tree decorations as a gift for her and for my mum.
I’d also crocheted soft toys and little dresses for friends’ babies, and made 3D flowers for presents.
Family and friends appreciated the care and effort that went into creating their gifts.
But handmade presents also saved me money. And I had some other money-saving tricks.
I bought wine when there was a special offer of five bottles for £20, and split them between people.
I noticed that after special occasions, the prices of gift sets dropped. So after Mother’s Day, I picked up a Christmas gift for my mum at a reduced price.
There are lots of ways to show people you care without spending a fortune.
From Jemma Flores, 26, of Portsmouth, Hampshire