This month has been especially lean.  The hoover and toilet both broke.  The car has an oil change booked and we had to order more oil to heat the house.  All that without even thinking about getting Christmas sorted!  25^th of December is looming ever closer and with it the real panic of not being able to afford to give the kids a decent Christmas.  I thought it was the best time to think about money saving tips especially with my bank balance not looking too good as we approach the countdown to Christmas!

Make a budget

It’s a good idea to have some idea how much you can afford to spend.  Otherwise things can get a little silly!  Try and set a reasonable budget and don’t let yourself get carried away.  Once you know how much you will need you can start to ready your finances for Christmas.  For example, cut back in the months leading up to Christmas although I understand that is not always possible.  It’s good for your children to see you being sensible with money, it is all part and parcel of teaching your children about the money.

In our case we had things break and you can’t foresee that happening sadly.  I guess we could have had a contingency but if you are having a tough month like us and you don’t have much disposable income its unlikely you have a pot of cash saved for those situations.

Borrow only if you must

Lots of people seem to get in debt over Christmas.  I am not averse to a short-term loan from a site like cashlady.com just so you can get what you need if you have stuck to your budget.  Just to make sure the kids get some kind of Christmas.  It’s especially hard if children still believe in Santa as they expect him to pick up the bill!  That can make things a lot tougher.  At least my two don’t believe anymore so they know if we haven’t got the money for it Christmas may well be on a smaller scale.  There is a lot of pressure with the big day though and you want to make sure you can get yourself right again quite quick in the new year.

Prioritize who you buy for

I have had conversations with two friends recently and they have both scaled back Christmas.  They are only now buying gifts for the children and not the expended family.  This can save a fortune.  It could be worth having the discussion with your family to see if you can make some savings.  I don’t have many to buy for so will continue as we are for now.  Although I have noticed it gradually reducing.  This year will probably see me needing to buy a couple less.  You could just do a secret Santa for the family as one alternative if they are not happy to drop presents completely.  You get allocated a family member and you just buy for them, so everyone still gets something.

DIY presents

If you have any skills try and go down the homemade route for gifts.  Perhaps bake a Christmas cake, cinnamon cookies or a batch of mince pies and hopefully save a fortune!  Just make sure it looks presentable otherwise you might have to go back to the drawing board and buy gifts!

Looks out for offers

Do your research and find out where is the best place to buy each item on the kids Christmas lists.  Use price comparison sites to locate the best price then use a cashback site to hopefully bring you in a few quid in January when the excitement of the big day has faded, and you need it most.

If you have any other money saving tips to add I would love to hear them.