Thrifty Christmas Tips!

[notnorman]

Somebody on another thread has just suggested the need for a thrifty Christmas tip thread.

I would love to hear some thrifty tips - I’m overwhelmed every year with adverts for tat which i invariably buy and waste money on.

mine is to save on firelighters by using snipping from the Christmas tree to light the fire (but this is more of a thrifty new year up, come to think about it!)

Does anyone have a good Christmas themed thrifty tip?!

Mulch your blueberry plants with pine needles from your tree. They love it.
Not very thrifty, but it’s all I can think of!

oo that’s interesting!

Buy nicer versions of needs rather than tat for Christmas. Teenage DD is getting new pyjamas (next rather than primark), a Chilly water bottle, a new electric toothbrush and a new phone as hers is broken. That's all. No stocking fillers and nothing to bulk up the pile.

I agree with this. I fill my teenagers stockings with stuff they'll need anyway throughout the year...pjs, pants, socks, body spray, lip balm, t shirts, snacks etc

I agree. Keep the stocking fillers to a minimum, and buy things you know they like.
You don't need to buy all the Christmas trimmings.
I only bought panettone and stollen once, we don't like dry spicy bread, but we like shortbread and mince pies.

Buy good quality whenever you can and keep using it.

This generally true, not just at Christmas. It often works out cheaper in the end too since you are not constantly replacing shoddy goods which often works out to be more expensive in the long run.

from Wiki:
In the Discworld series of novels by Terry Pratchett, Sam Vimes is the captain of the City Watch of the fictional city-state of Ankh-Morpork.[1][2] In the 1993 novel Men at Arms, the second novel focusing on the City Watch through Vimes' perspective, Vimes muses on how expensive it is to be poor:[2][3]
The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. ... But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socio-economic unfairness.[4]
In the New Statesman, Marc Burrows hypothesized Pratchett drew inspiration from Robert Tressell's 1914 novel The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists.[5] In the book Fashion in the Fairy Tale Tradition, Rebecca-Anne C. Do Rozario argued "shoes and economic autonomy are inexorably linked" in fairy tales, citing the Boots theory as "particularly relevant" and "an insightful metaphor for inequality".[6]

I think it's working out a budget at the start, and sticking to it - it's SO SO easy to overspend if you don't have a total in mind

There's one here
https://www.updraft.com/smart-money-habits/christmas-budget-calculator/

I think if you do that (might be a little late now but do it in the NY) and then have your shopping list way in advance, if you are on a budget you can pick up anything you need through the year - booze and presents as you see good deals through the year, any wrapping paper etc in January. And make a note of what you think was worth it and what wasn't, and any events you didn't manage to do that you'd like to try next year.

I think it's also worth getting the family to feed info it, if your kids are older, so they can say what they really value, which is often making it to events, rather than say Christmas Eve boxes or extra presents.

If you have a lot of adults in the family then I think secret Santa is a good idea, so everyone gets one thing (one nice thing if you can collectively afford it) rather than lots of stuff they don't need.

Yeah - as a teen what I liked about stockings was the weight on them on my foot, and the general pleasure of getting a whole bunch of lip balms and pens, it was the ritual of it. This did include smashing open the chocolate orange and eating some pre-breakfast.. but I also liked the fact we always got a tangerine.

I usually pop in a lip balm (usually Burt's Bees tinted) and a chocolate orange equivalent (e.g. Maltesers truffles, Ferreros, selection box).

Sometimes a cheap present is more popular than an expensive one (e.g. toddler playing with a cardboard box).

Usually keep something like a hexagonal box of Turkish Delight in the house to be on hand if I need an emergency gift - it's better than turning up empty handed or paying £££ for something from a petrol station.

I agree with some gifts being nicer than normal things the person needs.

My son is 12 now and getting past the toy stage, plus is at the stage where the things he wants are more expensive. So, some of his presents are things he needs but that I may usually spend less on. So, for instance, I have bought him some joggers/hoodie in a particular make from JD. Nike sports socks (he does a lot of sport).

His stocking is usually things like chocolate/pens and always an apple and tangerine 😂

Keep track of everything. I've already started a notes section for next Christmas. It has everyone I buy for and ideas, then I add any presents I buy throughout the year and also a reminder of repeat presents you may buy.

Set up 'birthdays' for November with companies and you may get a discount. I got 50% bloom and wild so a £40 bouquet for £20 for my friend who I send one to every year.

When you put away your Christmas things document anything you may need for next year. Eg Christmas crackers and then look out for them during January (or from September time).

Dont buy stuff for the sake of it. Buy things that are better quality or appreciated. Dd has asked for some jam which is more expensive than I buy normally. She's getting 8 jars and will last till the summer. She'll appreciate every morning rather than for a few hours on Christmas morning.

Be fare with dc but you dont need equal piles. Dc need to understand the cost of things. I give all mine the same amount in money but not in number of gifts. They get the difference in cash.

One thing that helped us was deciding in advance what not to buy. No novelty gadgets or “just in case” bits. I make a short list and stick to it, and anything not on the list doesn’t go in the trolley no matter how festive the advert is.

I agree, I buy necessities, new oodies, dressing gowns, branded clothes, the more expensive products I wouldn’t buy throughout the year. But I do spread the cost throughout the year so I’m not struggling to find the money all at once.

I use to buy lots of trinkets, novelty bits but now I focus on things that will be used and just buy Christmas themed food treats to satisfy my need to buy novelty items.

My kids are young adults now, and their stocking will consist of toiletries they use ( I looked through their baskets in the bathroom) as it means they don’t have to buy it, so saves them money as they are both at Uni.
Presents are things I know they want, and things that are similar to what they’ve already got, so I know they will get used.
Also, I’ve gone with the luxury theme. so for DD I’ve bought her a White Company candle, now I wouldn’t normally spend that on a candle, but I know she will be thrilled with it compared to the cheap ones she buys.

They are great ideas. Thank you! ☺️

Yes, there’s an old saying that if you’re poor, you can’t afford cheap clothes. But it’s a very old saying.

I've bought quite a few toys used from Vinted this year. In the past I might have bought something from there or Ebay but it would have to be new with tags, but now I don't care if it's been played with and isn't boxed. The dcs aren't bothered and the things I've bought so far have lasted well (quite a few electronic toys, which cost 20% of the original RRP).

Buy the kids reduced Halloween chocolate for Christmas (obviously not pumpkin branded, lol)

We don't buy cards anymore and either make DIY ones or use photos of relatives and add Christmas background to them (here is how you can do that if you want to!). We are keeping it in digital for the photo based ones, so no printing, all sent on Whatsapp instead.

Aldi and co are doing Christmas dinner ingredients for 12 quid a head

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/dec/14/festive-food-for-less-christmas-dinner-with-all-the-cost-trimmings

You do have to be prepared to resell a bit, but there is so much decent to v good quality stuff on vinted and eBay, it does make sense to buy toys, clothes, furniture, lighting and bedding second hand

My thrifty Xmas tip is to look for free stuff to do with the kids rather than massively spendy days out.

Local free Xmas events and activities are just as fun. Last weekend we did a Santa show, a trail with a sweetie at the end, a Xmas tree festival, and a library Xmas crafts session in our town. Cost - zero!

If you do want to spend on a day out/weekend/activity, then plan, save, look for offers, and book early.

Buy wrapping paper and cards in January if you have space to store it.

Christmas chocs are usually much cheaper at the end of November so stock up then, including ones for teacher gifts.

I save my clubcard points and exchange them to pay for a theme park day as an extra gift for my dc.

Buy stuff in January - paper, cards, "random" presents like smellies and crackers. Keep for next year.

Get decorations from charity shops - theres always tons of tinsel and Dec's in ours.

My FIL always rewashes foil plates and trays (but that seems extreme!).

I’ve never even thought of charity shop for Christmas decs!