5 Tips For A Frugal and Thrifty Christmas Buying

4. Get Crafty this Christmas

If your baking leaves something to be desired, then think about other talents that you can showcase. Perhaps you could make small Christmas decorations for your friends and neighbours by buying a few key items at the craft store. Or maybe you could knit them something small like a scarf. You could even write them a poem on some pretty paper, add a few stickers and a magnet for a personal Christmas fridge magnet.

5. Suggest a Family Gift Swap

One of the reasons Christmas can get so expensive is because you need to buy for all members of your family, including your extended family. Your brother’s three kids, your mother-in-law, your aunt and uncle if you are spending hundreds of dollars on gifts for people outside your immediate family, then this is can be a big budget problem. You don’t want to exclude them from Christmas so why not suggest a Christmas gift swap? Rather than buying everyone a gift, put everyone’s name in a hat, set a spending limit and draw out one person each. That way, you are only buying for one family member (and receiving one gift) rather than spending your savings on buying 20 plus presents for nephews, cousins, sisters, uncles and parents.

These are only some of the ways you can get more organised for Christmas and avoid the January budget blues that often follow the festive season. Put a budget together, set a limit on your spending and work as a team with your partner to come up with the best savings plan for your situation.

Wishing everyone a thrifty and happy holiday season!