{"id":7150,"date":"2024-11-02T01:34:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-02T01:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/how-to-have-a-free-christmas-with-these-savings-tips\/"},"modified":"2024-11-02T01:34:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-02T01:34:27","slug":"how-to-have-a-free-christmas-with-these-savings-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=7150","title":{"rendered":"How to Have a Free Christmas with These Savings Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\t\tAnnie<\/small><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t<\/i> 1st Nov 2024<\/small>
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\t\t\t\t\t\tReading Time:<\/span> 6<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Christmas is only a few weeks away and for many of us, we\u2019re feeling like we have left it too late to afford the Christmas we want. But don\u2019t fret! We\u2019ve come up with ways you can save on other things you spend in the next few weeks, and dedicate those savings to different festive pots to make sure you have a \u2018free\u2019 Christmas that doesn\u2019t cost anything on top of your saved spending.<\/p>\n

Save \u00a380 for Christmas Dinner<\/a><\/p>\n

Save \u00a350 for Work Drinks<\/a><\/p>\n

Save \u00a3100 for a Christmas Event<\/a><\/p>\n

Save \u00a3150 for That Special Gift<\/a><\/p>\n

Save \u00a3200 for Decorations and Incidentals<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Save \u00a380 for Christmas Dinner<\/h2>\n

Switching up your grocery shop for the next few weeks is all it takes to save for The Big Shop around December 22nd. You know which shop we mean: the one where you get up at the crack of dawn to get your pre-ordered turkey, then brave the supermarket for the final fresh food for Christmas week, throwing extra chocolates in the trolley for surprise guests.<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, it\u2019s eight weeks to Christmas. All you need to do is save \u00a310 a week on your grocery shopping to save \u00a380 to spend on Christmas dinner. If Christmas is closer when you read this, these tips will still help you save what you need. You can even feed six people on under \u00a330<\/a>, so there\u2019s plenty of ways to save!<\/p>\n

First of all, we\u2019re in the time of deals. The shelves will be bursting with Buy One Get One Free deals or similar discounts. For your bulk or pantry items, stuff you know you\u2019re going to use, take advantage of these offers. If there\u2019s something on offer that you don\u2019t need two of, ask a friend if they need the other one and go halves on the price.<\/p>\n

Switch to own brands, too. This can save a large chunk of cash each shop \u2013 and these days it\u2019s often hard to tell the difference between own brand and branded food. You can also switch grocery store, too \u2013 Lidl and Aldi are the cheapest supermarkets overall.<\/p>\n

Finally, sign up to loyalty schemes while there\u2019s time to save. Some shops, like Morrisons, let you earn points on your shop to convert to \u00a35 increments of Morrisons vouchers. This can save you a massive chunk of cash by the time the big shop comes around \u2013 just remember to convert your points on the app a few days before you shop, to make sure it works at the till.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Save \u00a350 for Work Dinner and Drinks<\/h2>\n

Even if your workplace has organised a Christmas party of its own, you\u2019re bound to be invited to a team dinner or drinks \u2018just us lot\u2019. You know, the colleagues you actually like.<\/p>\n

In the weeks running up to Christmas, ditch the takeaway cups for your morning Costa coffee. Use a reusable thermal mug and save 50p each time \u2013 if you get a coffee each day, that\u2019s a saving of \u00a32.50 a week so an easy \u00a315 is saved before Christmas. Of course, you could save more by skipping the morning coffee and taking your own in a thermal mug from home \u2013 saving around \u00a315 a week if you normally buy one every day, or \u00a3120 in the eight weeks to Christmas. If you want to compromise, buying three coffees (with a reusable mug) instead of five each week will still save you about \u00a350.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Save \u00a3100 for a Christmas Event<\/h2>\n

Seeing friends is one of the best parts of the holiday season. Everyone is in good spirits and it\u2019s a great time to catch up with people as many will have time off work. To get a free Christmas, this is one of the best areas to save money, too.<\/p>\n

The best way to save, first of all, is to arrange to see everyone on the same day. If you have a group of friends, arrange a get together where you go for a dinner, or meet at a friend\u2019s house for a potluck event. This gets your main socialising done in one go, with one expense of food, drink, and travel. You also don\u2019t need to do something big or evening-based \u2013 why not meet friends for a wintry walk, hot chocolates in your thermos and biscuits in your pocket?<\/p>\n

You can also save money for your Christmas socialising on your usual Friday night drinks. The cost of a pint in London averages \u00a38 \u2013 reduce your post-work drink session by just one drink each week, and that\u2019s \u00a364 saved without losing out on your usual routine and social time. If you skip just one Saturday night out with friends between now and Christmas, that\u2019s another \u00a365 saved. If you\u2019re not a going-out person these days, skip a bottle of wine each week at home \u2013 saving around \u00a310 a week or \u00a380 by Christmas.<\/p>\n

If you like to buy takeaways during the week for convenience, ditch just one each week to save at least \u00a330 a week \u2013 that\u2019s \u00a3240 saved in the eight weeks up to Christmas!<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Save \u00a3150 for That Special Gift<\/h2>\n

This is a three-parter, so pay attention!<\/p>\n

First: agree to not buy gifts for some people. For example, if your siblings have children, you could agree to only buy children\u2019s presents from now on. You can also skip the office Secret Santa. Many families even agree a single Secret Santa gift \u2013 this works particularly well for large families, so you\u2019re spending \u00a330 on a single, great gift instead of getting lots of things you don\u2019t want or need. When it comes to friends, why not agree on each buying a ticket to a joint experience to have together, rather than individual gifts? Doing all of these things could easily save you \u00a3100 or more.<\/p>\n

Second: Thrift your gifts. Now is the perfect time of year to raid local charity shops for nearly new items. Go to more affluent areas of town to find the higher-end charity shop donations, too. You can also upcycle thrifted gifts into something homemade. For example, if you spot a wonderful kitchen mixing bowl, bake some biscuits to go in it (or even package up the dry ingredients for Christmas cookies for your recipient to bake!). Thrifting gifts will save you at least \u00a350 depending on the bargains you find and how many you need to buy.<\/p>\n

Save when buying<\/h3>\n

Third: When you know what you want for your special someone, track the price online. Use CamelCamelCamel to find out if it is likely to drop in price before Christmas and get alerts when it does. Use cashback sites like TopCashback and Quidco to earn cashback and extra discounts, too. Use reward points if you can from loyalty schemes like Nectar and Tesco Clubcard to further reduce the cost.<\/p>\n

Finally, remember that time spent with loved ones is always better than a super expensive gift. If you can\u2019t afford to buy gifts, don\u2019t. If the idea of that appalls you, agree a budget with friends that you can afford \u2013 whether that\u2019s \u00a35, \u00a310, or \u00a350, be honest and find ways to spend time together instead of spending money on presents.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Save \u00a3200 for Decorations and Incidentals<\/h2>\n

This one\u2019s a bit of a cheat for a free Christmas, as it\u2019s actually a way to get \u00a3175 rather than save it. But if you act fast, you could have an extra \u00a3175 in your bank account in time for Christmas \u2013 which could help you buy some new decorations, matching Christmas pyjamas, or even put together a Christmas Eve box if that\u2019s your family tradition.<\/p>\n

Yep, we\u2019re talking about switching bank accounts! There are a few currently offering some cash to switch, including:<\/p>\n