{"id":9534,"date":"2023-12-06T09:51:24","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T09:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mouthymoney.co.uk\/?p=9534"},"modified":"2025-03-03T09:00:12","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T09:00:12","slug":"how-to-have-a-frugal-family-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mouthymoney.co.uk\/budgeting\/how-to-have-a-frugal-family-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"How to have a frugal family Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shoestring Jane shares tips for a frugal family Christmas, emphasising budgeting, creative gifts, traditions, and cost-effective card alternatives for a memorable holiday<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m not turning into Scrooge, honestly! I think it is possible to have a frugal family Christmas without feeling you are missing out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no reason you can\u2019t join in the festivities when you are on a tight budget. Here are some suggestions to shave some pounds off your festive spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the best deals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Aiming for a frugal family Christmas doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t buy anything; rather, it means that you shop around to make sure you are getting the best deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find something you want to purchase, research the websites of similar retailers to see which is the cheapest or if they are running any special offers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use cashback<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you find an item you want to buy online, use a cashback site such as Top Cashback or Quidco to get back some of the purchase price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep your spending under control<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all too easy to get into a spending frenzy once you start. The shops and online retailers are full of sparkly Christmas bits to lure you in, but do you really need them, and will they be used?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find that setting a budget is super helpful to enable a frugal family Christmas. An Excel spreadsheet can be a good tool for this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I type in everything I plan to spend money on and set an approximate spending limit. Everybody I need to buy gifts for is listed (don\u2019t forget obscure ones such as teachers or any one-off gifts to the window cleaner, etc.), along with all the Christmas food we will need, costs of outings or parties, clothing, decorations, travel, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focusing on my list and ticking things off as I buy them helps to stop unnecessary spending and keep me on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Christmas hampers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not every gift needs to be shop-bought at great expense. If you harness your creativity, you can make some of your own gifts more cheaply, and if you let the kids help, it creates family entertainment, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, various Christmas hampers can be pulled together inexpensively. I look for suitable baskets and boxes in charity or pound shops. They can be filled with sweets, toiletries and other items you can purchase little and often as you see them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pamper hamper might include cotton wool balls, bubble baths, face or hair masks and bath bombs. You could pull together a gin hamper with mini bottles or cans of gin, alongside a nice gin glass. (I recently picked up a really fancy one for \u00a31 from a car boot sale!)  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children will appreciate a craft hamper containing coloured pencils or crayons, stickers, different coloured pieces of card, glue, glitter, pipe cleaners, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a particular talent for painting, knitting or pottery, the world is your oyster for homemade gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create frugal family Christmas traditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are many fun things to do at Christmas that don\u2019t mean spending lots of money. For example, here are some frugal family Christmas traditions you could create to make memories rather than a dent in your overdraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n