We always have a “nice” Christmas but don’t spend as much as you do.
We keep costs down by:
- picking one “pricy” Christmas activity in December (for us we usually spend this on seeing Santa but the place we go is an outdoor Museum so we can spend several hours there and make a proper day of it). Any other activities are much much cheaper. Also lots of craft activities, baking with kids etc. Can get the materials really cheap at shops like Home Bargains/The Range/Asda but can easily fill a few hours each day.
- we get vouchers from our work as part of our Christmas bonus for a food retailer so all of our Christmas food, excluding alcohol, is covered (but you can do similar with keeping points all year etc)
- only buying gifts for close family. So me, DP, kids, my parents and then partner does the same
- savvy shopping for gifts. I always keep an eye on the prices of toys from August and pick anything up if it’s on a good offer and I always check several retailers for each item. Black Friday is great for adult presents I think. Clothes, perfumes, etc. I also routinely search for discount codes/newsletter sign up discounts etc. Theres lots of decent threads on here for that, too. That being said, it’s about balance.
- Don’t really do Christmas cards anymore except for close family and a few friends
I don’t have to worry about Christmas Do’s as ours is always after Christmas anyway so that’s a January/February problem.
However, the main thing that has helped us over Christmas is the fact we communicate with each other about what we actually would like for Christmas. I know a lot of people don’t like this and prefer a surprise, but I’d much rather buy my mum, for example, something she wants and was going to buy anyway rather than guess and miss. It saves everyone time, effort and money. Eg if my mum asked me what I’d like and I said our air fryer was a bit dodgy so perhaps a contribution to that, that’s money I wouldn’t have to spend on it a month later.
I also stick to a budget. I work out what I’m spending on x person and I’ll do my best not to go over. Having a budget for everything (presents, activities, clothing etc) means I don’t end up in a situation where I’m shocked by what I’ve spent. I’m completely in control. I do always buy the kids presents first, though, just Incase something comes up like say, the boiler breaking. DP, myself, parents etc can easily forgo gifts to pay for a repair but it would be harder on the kids. So I prioritise them first then at least it something does go wrong, it’s fine.
Oh and one last thing, Advent calendars! I bought the kids fancy ones for a few years but genuinely they prefer the basic chocolate ones. Can buy one for £3-5 max or spend more on a reusable one/make one then just buy chocolate at a quid or so to top it up the rest of the year. Same with selection boxes- the small cheap Cadbury ones go down just as well as the fancier ones.