What are you stripping back this Christmas?

[Carfeulyay]

As my thoughts turn to Christmas - I’m conscious this year with rising prices and uncertainties that I would like to limit spending this year.

I put money aside each month for Christmas, so I have a nice little aim set aside but I would like to draw some of that back into my emergency fund or cover cost of rising heating bills.

What will you be cutting back this year? I’m thinking visit to Santa, Xmas panto & reducing present budget per child

I've reduced the present budget and am buying less food and alcohol.

Nothing. But we didn’t go over the top anyway (probably why we love the time of year so much). Will do the usual, family ice skating session, one London theatre trip with overnight hotel stay in a premier inn, and the rest is generally free…. Lots of walks, films, board games.

Obviously food different but we aren’t big foodies and don’t have big family gatherings so will be the same… couple of hundred pounds extra if that.

presents for the children - same. Only a few adults to buy for… probably the same

Present and meal out budget has increased, skipping the panto, winter wonderland etc

Could you do pantomime tickets as part of your DC's present?

We're cutting down on the food side - treat food Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day, NYE and NYD, but not having loads of chocolate, booze, snack stuff in the house for weeks (my waistline will thank me).

£10 present limit as all close family are adults now - charity shop and HM presents most welcome, we're making a bit of a game of it.

Don't get drawn into all the faff like Elves, Christmas Eve boxes etc.

No Panto
Less stuff in stocking

No Christmas tree (it wouldn't survive with a toddler anyway), smaller presents, no eating out.

I’m seeing Matilda the musical instead of the usual theatre trip, presents are being cut down but I was going to do that anyway as part of the growing out of playing with so many toys.
we cut back a few years ago on so much food and buying for people outside of my own child but if I were still doing that I’d stop or suggest secret Santa. Christmas to us is get togethers with friends and see some lights, an extra take away with friends in the lead up and usually a show in London.

Me and my work colleagues (we're ancient and go back 20 years) have all decided not to buy for each other this year and rather than go out for a meal we're visiting a christmas market to get in the festive mood. This way we can concentrate our present giving on our families. On a side note I've noticed that not many people have signed up for the office Christmas meal citing cost of living as the factor putting them off.

We are not buying adult presents for wider family this year - we are "doing things" together instead. It is working out much cheaper. With son, not really cutting back, still plan a couple of panto/a show. No clue what I'm getting him - he's not asking for anything, birthday close to Christmas doesn't help either. He's 12.

I'm spending less per dd. They are 14 and 10 so trickier to find decent gifts for less but I've been hunting second hand and done v well! Ive gone from £350+ each to £220 including clothes and stocking fillers. They prefer experiences anyway so will plan a few cheap/free days out next year.

Im cutting right back on Christmas food, the treat stuff is going in their sacks (they have these instead of stockings). I think we will have roast gammon and trimmings on Christmas eve. Then our usual favourite easy meals on the day (probably pizza, supernoodles and nuggets!).

Cheap days out, church fayres, walks to see the lights (will also book advance cheap train tickets to see the London ones, look around the christmas fair and see if I can find cheap show tickets). We are going to see matilda at the cinema. Movie nights and games evenings.

Me and DH are putting our budget for each other aside for a day out in the new year, neither of us want or need anything.

Cut back on family gifts, just something small to show we care and a day spent together is more important.

I'm not buying any new decorations, I'm using up wrapping paper, cards I have already.

I've got our matching pyjamas early before they sell out and sky rocket in price! Stitch tshirts and plain leggings from primark and they look enough like normal clothes so can be worn for xmas jumper day at school if last year's doesn't fit!

Advent calendar is a cheap chocolate one each for the girls. Then im going to put an activity and board game to play in each pocket of the reusuable advent calendar.

My main focus this year is making memories, spending more time and less money!

Nothing.

But a few years ago I read a thing on here that's always stayed with me when it comes to presents:

One thing to play, one thing to read, one thing to wear, one thing they need. And I generally stick to that, unless the one thing to wear is some new pants as they are for my little one this Christmas, then I stretch to a bit more 😅

It limits the amount of money spent and saves me the hassle of thinking about what to buy. I have half the presents already, spent around £100 on a £200 max budget stretched out over the months and I make my own cards and for the most part hand them to people directly.

I am from abroad and the food we have at Christmas is generally a lot cheaper than the typical roast, so I carried that tradition on, and I've never understood the need for e.g. Christmas eve boxes.

We also reuse almost everything, so Christmas decorations live in a cupboard for most of the year and only get 1 item/ year added to them, which my teen already chose in October.

We always do cheap activities - maybe ice skating, a Christmas lights walk, a few crafts, a streamed movie or one I have on DVD. And Christmas Day the kids just want to spend playing with their new toys/ gadgets anyway, so no need for anything big.

It's very relaxed, little pressure, and therefore a very nice time to break up winter.

Hosting. We always have family over for Christmas dinner, plus either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve we often have friends over. This year I've decided people are welcome to drop in for a drink or two and a mince pie but I'm not hosting parties/meals. We're rarely invited to them!

I'll be 30 weeks pregnant then so we're also buying each other some stuff for the baby that we need, as we agreed there's nothing either of us are desperate for.

I've also got a couple of second hand bits for our son. I reckon the above has saved us minimum of £200.

I'm not going to the staff Christmas party but I hate them anyway.

"Extras" like hot chocolate etc.

I've started buying early.

We're clubbing together with a relative to do a joint Xmas dinner in the hope that makes it cheaper.

Less food. I’m sick of dealing with leftovers.

Local am dram town panto instead of expensive tickets - kids won't care!

My bro is doing polar express railway but it was so expensive, we are going to a special event where you watch the movie, get a hot chocolate and meet Santa all for £5

Less food and booze as fed up with putting on half a stone each year as I'm greedy!

I'm spending more this year on going to plays - going to 4 over the Christmas week

I've got a family member staying with me this time hence the plays

I always spend about £200-£300 on 'extra' nice food (mince pies/Christmas cake and biscuits/panettone/cheese/smoked salmon/chocolates) - that will be more because of the cost of the food has risen

We don't drink or buy presents (I bought my daughter one of the tickets for the play as her present)

We never went overboard despite having a high income!

We arent fussed about panto, the london ones just feel like a rip off, most of the cost is for some minor aging celeb the kids don't recognise, to play Buttons or whatever.

the grandparents take our children to small local productions of seasonal books they are familiar with. These are inexpensive and the kids love them.

The food is probably the biggest cost in our house and we won't be cutting back, however over the years we are more conscious of waste, and are really orgsnised about batch cooking turkey curries & risottos with the leftovers. We've also stopped buying sprouts and red cabbage because hardly anyone ate them.

Op I also put money away, but tend to over spend..
So I will be working on not over spending.

I've already ordered our meat, did a huge shop for biscuits at Lidl, and have DH main gift.

Good lightings, good music and some lovely snacks are all you need.

Yy panto can be sooo expensive!

Often little 2 /4 person theatre companies do little performance in the smaller local theatres.

The most memorable for all of us was the snow Queen with 3 actors!!

Secret Santa for extended family rather everyone buying for everyone

Only buying the snack/treat food in the last shop before Christmas so I only buy enough for a few days, rather than stock up weeks before and end up with a mountain of stuff

We've also dropped panto this year. We usually go for a naice meal and then panto on Christmas Eve. Instead we're going ice skating and then for a burger, at a quarter of the cost.
Present budgets are halved. I've started buying food and drink now when I see it on offer. Supermarkets seem to be racing to the bottom as Morrisons had the chocolate boxes (Celebrations etc) on 2 for £6 this week!! We're not drinking as much alcohol these days anyway, so will continue that, and we usually get fancy advent calendars for each other which we're not doing.

We usually go to London for a couple of nights just before Christmas. Not this year though - the prices of hotels and trains is just ridiculous for a family of five.

I can't afford a tree this year, kids didn't seem that bothered when I told them.

Thankfully never got into the extras like Christmas Eve boxes or expensive breakfasts with Santa. For some families it seems like it’s the whole month they are treating their kids not just 1 day. So many people go into debt for all of this, trying to keep up with the Jones.

I save all year for presents, but I am cutting the budget a bit this year for the kids. I usually go to my mums for Christmas so don’t host so don’t have many other costs. I go to the theatre a lot, London, local amateur dramatics anyway and don’t much like the panto story lines. Rather wait for what’s on in Feb onwards.

Doing a secret santa with the adults in the family instead of presents for each person and have set a limit of £20. That will save a small fortune.