Christmas is an expensive time, with countries going all out to set up markets and switch on lights and ship in Christmas trees. However, it doesn’t have to be so hard on our finances when we budget over the Christmas period as well as before it. There could even be some money left to shop in the January sales, for next year’s Christmas gifts! So, we spend a lot for the Christmas period, but then there is the festive activities before and New Year’s celebrations after. If you need some tips on making sure your money stretches that far even with the big celebrations in the way, look no further!
Budget for Dinners and Presents Accordingly
Between you and your friends, it’s often a little more cordial to ask each other not to buy presents, but doing the same for your kids doesn’t quite work out the same way. Christmas is about magic for our children, so we don’t want to let their imaginations and hopes down like that. This means we can budget more for them when we cut off the unnecessary presents for the people who will understand.
Christmas dinner is a big do that we go all out for, but make sure you’re not letting any food go to waste; this makes sure your money was well spent! Some of the trimmings can be cut off, and you can use vegan alternatives to the well known foods to make sure you’re not casting off extra pounds you could really do with keeping!
Spend Christmas Away
This idea sounds a little counterproductive, but going away from home where you’re not tempted to spend spend spend on all the sales at the shops, and instead staying in a reasonably priced hotel instead of constantly heating the house could actually work out cheaper!
If you’re spending most of the time in a resort which you got a good deal on, either in a flash sale or earlier on in the year, you’re not going to be exposed to the usual overpriced festivities at home. Money is usually worth more abroad anyway!
Be Prepared for Emergencies
With winter right around the corner, there’s plenty of opportunities for something in our houses to stop working; wouldn’t that just be perfect! So you need a few numbers and tips on your side to make sure anything that does go down, whether it be the boiler or the electricity, can be quickly fixed and at a cheap rate.
Contact your providers to book home checks before the cold temperatures get truly underway. If they’re your provider, make sure you keep the British Gas homecare contact number on your side as it’s a free hotline and can immediately get you to the service you need. Look around for similar numbers if you need them. If you do get a bit cold and there’s no chance for an emergency repair, wrap up warm in thick jumpers and lots of pairs of socks!
Christmas is an investment, spend wisely!
‘Contributed Post’
