Christmas on only £250

[Broadlygotit]

We’ve only managed to save £250 for Christmas (both work but low earners)

There’s DP & I (we aren’t doing presents for each other) then our children aged 15, 6 and 3.

15 year old is a beautiful human who understands that money isn’t what it’s all about, thank goodness, and just loves the whole atmosphere so will be happy with very simple gifts.

Then we need gifts for the little ones. Parents of kids in our 6 year olds class are saying they are buying things like an x box etc this year and I’m too embarrassed to admit that our entire budget wouldn’t buy one of those!

Then there are our dear friends and family and their children too.

Can it be done?
The food, the gifts, everything. For £250?

Only buy for your kids.

For the wider family could you give home made vouchers? Where the gift is your time? So maybe offer to babysit or pet sit or dog walk for family members.

Ironing? A voucher for an hour's ironing?
What skills do you have - are you great at organising or folding or researching or decorating? Perhaps you could give gift voucher for your skills?

I'd love a voucher for babysitting (they are 13 & 9) as we don't have many people to ask.

Why don't you suggest a secret Santa amongst the adults? Then everybody buys for one person rather than 6.

You can get some wonderful gifts in the middle of Lidl or charity shops.

One gift I like to do is to get beautiful cards and then frame them in an Ikea frame. You can really personalise the art you choose and once framed it looks quite an expensive gift.

Start buying a few extra Christmassy things for eating and drinking now then hide them away. We do a weekly shop, our Christmas weekly shop is more special, with maybe a bit extra in the budget.

You don't have to do Xmas Dinner if you don't want to. Have Xmas fajitas. One year we were absolutely skint we had just moved and couldn't afford a turkey or a tree. We had spaghetti carbonara, my DS was 1 so didn't know, I trimmed up the mirror and pit plants with lights and made Dec's out of foil and old material. Every Xmas eve we always have a carbonara and we remember it was one of our happiest times together. Tell your family and friends you can't afford it and not to buy for you as you can't buy for them, lots of people breathe a sigh of relief at this as they are secretly skint too. Save a couple of jars and divide a bag of supermarket truffles between them, get the kids to decorate the jars as snowmen with an old sock as a hat and scarf and googly eyes to give teachers. Don't ever feel bad for not getting suckered into the "spend spend spend" bollocks that people thrust down your throat.

Surely you just say to those outside the family you can’t afford it this year and just buy for your own? 100 for the eldest 50 for the six yeAr old and 30 for the 3 year old.

Oh if you have any Boots points you can get Christmas's 3 for 2 with points. Great for gifts.

There are some amazing phone deals, could you do that for the 15 year old, or just upgrade for them?
Mine always wanted that more than other gifts, it then leaves you a bit more cash for Xmas.

Yes don’t buy for teachers.
DH is a teacher, her gives away all the presents he gets, but proudly shows me all the cards that tell him how he’s made a difference.

Tell adults the situation or offer to do secret Santa? Gifts for grown adults is absurd.

Do not buy for teachers. I have friends who are teachers and they hate it.

Aldi is fab for inexpensive toys/crafts.

Also fb marketplace.

I'd also suggest the co op xmas meal deal like the one they had last year...think you got the whole thing for £10!

Ime it's the simple things that kids love...the decorating , baking, playing games.

If your eldest dd is into perfume I have (many!) Nice samples I could send you :)

I think it's doable too.
I agree with others, don't worry about the teacher or get DC to make something cheap.
Friends/family DC - a selection box. Don't feel pressurised and just explain things are tight this year.
I also remember a very tight Christmas when I was younger. My parents explained beforehand. We had a small stocking with soap on a rope (showing my age now!), a small bouncy ball, candy cane and some stickers. We were happy!
It's better than getting into debt and worrying come January - it's a miserable month anyway without further worry.
I hope you have a lovely Christmas

Of cours eit can be done. As you say - buy boxes of chocolates for in law families to share - same with close friends. And just be honest. Say money is tight this year.

Get DC to make cards for teachers and write thank you notes in that are personalised with mempries of what the teacher helped them with.

Look on Freecycle for second hand gifts. Lots of people (our family included) give away good quality toys and sports equipment that have been outgrown or are gathering dust at this time of year. Also check Freecycle for an artificial tree and decorations if you don't have any and need some.

Look in Poundland/Wilkos/Tiger for five things each for DC's stocking - a toy, bubble bath, some sweets, a craft item or for your older DD some cosmetic things/stuff for her room if she likes that sort of thing.

Personally I'd do the same for each other. A handful of token presents - a book or DVD from the charity shop that you know the other person really wants to read, some favourite sweets or bubble bath etc, some seeds to plant or spring bulbs, or a poundland pack of birdseed (we love feeding birds) - stuff that is cheap but meaningful. Last year Tiger did an 'everything is £2' week in the run up to Christmas. I got some beautiful diaries and notebooks, toys and homeware from them.

Five stockings at £5 each = £25
Five boxes of chocolates at £5 each = £25
Put £50 aside for Christmas food: a bird to roast, veg, chocolate log etc and some bubbly and soft drinks.

That leave £50 each for DCs presents. Which is plenty. Your DD could have cash and spend it in the sales. Personally I wouldn't spend as much on the three year old if there's something they'd like which is cheaper. Get some Paw Patrol, a massive cheap cuddly toy and a bag of giant balloons.

Speak to your friends. I am struggling this year financially which my friends are aware of anyway. One of my little friendship groups has made an agreement not to buy presents this year as 2 out of 3 of us are struggling. We’re all happy with the arrangement and are in agreement that the thing we’re bothered about is having a nice low key meet up in December at one of our houses. Gifts aren’t necessary.

I’d rather a hard up friend bought me nothing than spent £5 on a box of chocolates for me that could have been money better spent treating their own family if things are tight this year.

Another thing is to sell a few unneeded bits on eBay. I’ve made £150 in the past fortnight. It’s sitting in my Paypal account and is my budget to buy gifts for my parents, auntie, DB, SIL, DNiece and DNephew all of whom I’m yet to buy presents for.

Amazon are selling Echo Dots for £22. That’s quite an exciting present for a small ish expenditure.

Can you tell us what each child is interested in so we can find somethings for you

Yes ^ We've made £190 on decluttering over the last month or so. It's mostly been £1 here and there apart from DH old shoes which inexplicably made £60!

All of the baby's toys have been second hand from Gumtree or ebay. I did splurge on a specific lego set for 5 yo DC when it was on sale. Christmas really is all about the family time together. I think our spendy culture can sometimes distract from that.

The Works have some really good cookbooks reduced. I'm getting my sisters and their families The Roasting Tin.

I'd never buy a 6yo a games console, and I definitely don't think you should feel bad about that!!

Charity shop or car boot sale for the 3 year old - wooden train sets, bundles of books, play kitchen etc £20-30.

Same for the 6 year old but if you wanted some sort of 'games console' the kindle fire 7 is great & on offer as someone else mentioned. Both 15 & 6 year old would probably really enjoy that. There's loads of free games you can download & books obviously.

Stockings could definately be done very cheaply. Colouring book & pens/crayons for the younger 2. Maybe some bubble bath, body spray for 15 yr old. Choc coins are cheap & keeps everyone happy.

Christmas dinner is just a roast. Buy a tub of chocolates as an extra treat & you're sorted!

I never buy for teachers, just give a card with nice message & I bet your parents would rather you saved your money than buying chocolates for them.

Buy second hand toys. You can often get playmobile, book etc sets that look like new at charity shops

@Broadlygotit just wondering if you could bake a big batch of cookies and wrap up in cellophane and a ribbon to give BFF's/teachers?

I always put a tag on that said "made with love in the mumsie kitchen"
even better if DC help!

You can def have a lovely Christmas on a budget! And make lovely memories! It’s the activities that are the nicest part even in the build up getting the kids to do home made Christmas cards and a bit of festive baking! You can get ingredients and food so cheaply now in Lidl and aldi! You can also buy things in week by week and freeze ahead or make a little Christmas box and add small bits to it when you can. You can also get some great gifts cheaply on the face book selling pages that are good as new, especially for teens. Sometimes they are literally new too and because you are meeting the people you don’t have to wait on delivery and can check it’s as described. Making home made decorations is a great activity for the kids too, even the older ones tend to enjoy that and again you can get great supplies cheaply out of the pound shop! You can do so many wonderful things on that budget and have a lovely time, please don’t feel bad or that you haven’t enough to spend as you will probably find you and your kids may well have a nicer Christmas than some people who have spent an absolute bomb on the occasion!

Thank you everyone.
Some excellent suggestions here.

I’m so grateful to you all.

Go to the make £10 a day thread on here. You could probably make a bit extra money between now and Christmas if you wanted to up your budget.

If you wait until Christmas Eve, you should be able to pick up some stocking fillers for next to nothing. My local supermarket reduces all their Christmas gift stuff to a pound and does 3 for 2 on Christmas Eve. I always pick up a few quiz/Christmas card game type things to play on the day.

If you dare leave it until the last hour, you can probably pick up a turkey and other Christmas treats for a few pounds too. I always buy food to freeze for NYE on Christmas Eve.

I think the PPs are right though, it's not expensive gifts that make Christmas special, its sharing experiences - bake cookies, make homemade decorations, borrow Christmas books from the library and read a different one every night.

Op some years I've had zero money and got mine free secondhand toys from the free cycle or charity shops etc.
I saw a pop up shop in our town on the weekend and there was a brand new sew cool sewing machine unopened for £5.

We paid 25 for that new last year.
Wilko, flying tiger, aldi... You have a very healthy budget there if your prepared to go second hand and ebay which of course dc that young won't realise or care about..

What area are you in OP?

I would definitely check out the charity shops for your younger two. Depending on what your 15 yro like you may find something for them too. Xmas on 250 is do able definitely but I would cut out all present buying apart from the dc imo. I'm sure your family members would rather it went to your dc, I know I would

Any chance of a link to that kindle please?