Credit-crunching Christmas - please may we have your survival tips?

Erm...spend less..??? Sort of obvious really. I love xmas and all that, but do people really get themselves into massive debt for just one day???

I use my M&S credit card for everything during the year (pay off every month so no interest) save all teh &more points vouchers and use them for treats from M&S for Xmas which I can;t ususally afford.

Same with Tesco clubcard points though have been buying Aldi this year so fewer points this year.

Take advantage of offers you see now.
Reduce the £ per head you intend to spend and stick to it.
Homemade food gifts
Homemade cards for rellies with dc handywork.
Buy a smaller turkey and I use all of it - even down to boiling the bones for stock.
Rechargable batteries
Limit the amount of cr*p bought food and otherwise.

we are doing a secret santa for the adults with a price limit.

last year we started just having leftovers on boxing day - it was really nice- there is no point having 2 really big meals imo. we are doing the same this year.

we are making teacher's gifts (although have done this before too)

I agree about the food. It makes me laugh to see people with their trolleys piled high with enough food to feed an army. The shops are closed for a couple of days at most. I dont buy any extra food for christmas.

I always used to get pants as a child, one year it got silly when I got about 6 m&s multi-packs of 5 pants, so 30 pairs all in!!! I think I was about 13. Haven't had any (except lacey ones from dh) since!

Do not go mad with food!! I used to spend loads on all sorts of special food and then find that we threw loads of it out and ended up eating Christmas boxes of things (chocolate, cheese biscuits, etc..) for weeks on end.

Last year, I did my usual shop and just added a ham and a beef roast from the local butcher, as well as a box of mince pies and a stilton in a pot. We got a present of a Christmas pudding from my work.

In total, we spent about 1/2 of what we used to spend on Christmas food. It was just as good as always and we had fun. Result!!

I am ebaying all dd's old stuff to raise funds for her xmas present

I guess it depends on how much time you have for sourcing, wrapping, posting etc etc a myriad of items...... (and how many people you are buying for)

I mean the adults, too. Oh, cool, a game I don't really fancy playing.

How about just one good thing for each person, like you said, a good bottle of wine or a lipstick.

Better than cheap pants, socks, toothbrushes, toiletries, games, etc.

Do you mean the children expat?! You're probably right, but then they get way too much anyway

I would much rather have a nice bottle of wine than any cheapo toiletries giftset/scarf/address book/photo album etc.....

MIL buys me pointless cheapo tat every year like this.

I go for the quality not quantity route - I'd much rather receive a bar of really decent chocolate (or v. small box) than my own bodyweight in Celebrations.....

Similarly - I'd rather have one small pot of lovely handcream than a huge box of naff toiletries packaged in a kilo of moulded plastic

I could go on............

'Getting "family" gifts is great'

Maybe to you, but not to others.

Buy decent "family" presents instead of separate ones - e.g a game of Pictionary or whatever for sister, BIL and nieces/nephews instead of 4 or 5 smaller crapola gifts (provided you've cleared this plan of action with everyone in advance of course!). Getting "family" gifts is great, and you can have a bit of togetherness using them too

Don't be sucked in by advertising and buy too much food. You can always go shopping again on the 27th if you run out.....

By the way - another vote for pants/socks/toothbrushes/slippers etc in the Christmas stocking here!

My parents always did that - they didn't have a lot of money and a lot of our presents were things we needed anyway - toiletries, pj's etc etc - it didn't bother us one bit - we were grateful for it all

we make our own, but they only contain chocolates .

otherwise, yes, they are just junk and i so despise junk and clutter.

Don't bother buying crackers. They are expensive and are just junk. You could make your own I guess, but really what's the point - they look pretty on the table for about 5 seconds and then you just end up with cracker detritus strewn all over the table....

I'm so glad DH and his sober Eastern Scottish family aren't into 'daft' presents, either.

It's just more bin fodder and then I'd feel guilty about landfills and whatnot, but not so guilty that I'd hang on to such tatt.

I'm with you all the way, Enid. Pants and tights. As a gift.

Erm, from a lover, very high quality stuff. Perhaps.

But mostly, erm, no.

I have worked too hard all my life to get shit presents now tbh

I have no sense of grace over joke presents