How to do Christmas on the cheap

[Pilarpuzz]

I recently lost my job and my husband earns very little. He’s looking for more work.
We’re making changes where we can but I’d appreciate any tips on how to do Christmas on the cheap. Including handling the inevitable Santa letters full of expensive stuff 🤦‍♀️ thank you

Don't over cater. It's just a glorified Sunday roast. We always have chicken and veg followed by one pudding. (However some years there are only 3 of us).

The actual meal can be quite cheap. Definitely have a chicken not turkey. Then you just need the veg that's sold cheaply in the week before Christmas.

Definitely limit presents and look for second hand.

Strictly limit stocking fillers and extra padding of gifts. Almost always a total waste of money.

Buy as little as possible in the way of 'Christmas food' just enough to feed yourselves on Christmas and Boxing day really.

Then when the shops reopen go and have a look at what's reduced. You can get all the special cheeses, pre-made stuffing, sides, chocolate selections etc at 50-75% off so if you're feeling like you've missed out you can get things then.

Cheaper shops like B&M and Home Bargains for Christmas crafts/stocking fillers for the kids - bulk out their gifts with bath sets/hot chocolate gift sets/cosy throws etc.

If feasible use Klarna and pay over three months x

Definitely enjoy some free activities - carol service; winter walk; Christmas movie night etc 💕

Where I was struggling financially with my young family it really helped for me to turn the focus from receiving gifts to giving. I would encourage the kids to make chocolate crispy cakes or cookies for the school fair /for Father Christmas and we would talk about what Christmas is all about, our happiest memories, how different people and places across the world celebrate. I would get a few packs of dog treats across the year when on offer and we would take them to the local cats and dogs home festive fund raiser and we could have 50p each to buy a certain person a present from the jumble stalls to wrap up and put under the tree. They loved at it wasn't because we were struggling, it was a challenge to find the best present that somebody would love for 50p. This was before we knew what secret Santa was.

On the same path I got a charity shop nativity second hand, quite big. This was about 12 years ago. The people are the size of Barbie's but over the years quite a few bits have gotten broken or gone missing so it's kind of morphed. Baby Jesus was eaten by a dog so he's been replaced by a key ring sized donkey kong from the charity shop. One of the shepherds hands broke off and my DH glued on a hook. Then a pirate hat appeared on his head. No we have dinosaurs in it, Lego trees, a hula girl and every year something new appears, secretly dropped in by family or friends. My kids are 26, 25, 20 and 16 and all of them still love the nativity and check on it every time they visit in December. You could easily buy action figures or get them free in a bundle from your local FB pages and use acrylic paint/ fabric scraps to start your own slightly barmy nativity.

My kids always enjoyed the local church Sunday school and service on the run up to Christmas and it meant we were warm, with friendly people, got to make lots of crafts and got biscuits and juice while learning all about Christmas

If you have a local petting farm they often do reasonably priced festive events. Otherwise go on a light walk and take a hand drawn street map. Mark down each house number with a good display and take a photo. When you get home go through the photos and vote which are the best. Call it The Best •town name• Light Off . Maybe write a note to the people that live there telling them how happy the lights made you and how much you appreciate it and if you have an old stamp lying around, post that letter. Or just post it through the door. Spread joy, not commercialism.

I find what inspires real happiness in me is complimenting people. Try one a day to start. The look of genuine surprise on the faces, followed by a smile gives me the warm fuzzies.

Facebook marketplace. You can check things before handing money over and only ever pay cash in person.

Vinted also good, watch out for fakes if you’re after brands.

Specialists for electronics - CEX is good.

We got brilliant Marvel and Wrestling figures from FB MP. It’s also good for bikes/scooters etc

You can follow Amazon prices on Camel Camel Camel. I agree with PP about Klarna - I just used it and couldn’t fault it. But I did ensure I had the money ready for the payments.

Making biscuits and home made decorations are fun. Going out and looking at everyone’s Christmas decorations at night. Having a hot chocolate station - get a few flakes, marshmallows and cream to decorate. Its a lot cheaper than going out.
Do you have clothes you could sell on Vinted to make some money?
But also using Vinted and EBay to buy gifts.
Have a Christmas movie marathon, make pizzas and popcorn.
Definitely avoid Christmas lists. I’m sorry this is very hard. But my kids are teenagers now and they talk about all the fun things we did at Christmas rather than presents.

Don't go into debt. It's really not worth it. Get the children to write a list and then pick 3 things from it. They are old enough to know that they won't get everything but at least something they want. Perhaps grandparents can buy things from the list too. Pack the tree out with little gifts they might like - toiletries, games etc. I'd tell extended family that you won't be doing gifts this year, they'll probably be relieved. Set a budget and stick to it. Lots of great ideas already posted.

The kids are old enough to know the financial situation, don't scare them but explain that until you get a new job you need to be careful. Look at second hand, try and get an invite for Christmas Day or look out for yellow stickers and freeze ahead (later on thanksgiving day I picked up a good organic turkey for £2 last year!) all the supermarkets offer really cheap veg just before Christmas, buy really cheap crackers if you want them but have a favourite chocolate bar each ready a a prize.

Go to the service at church on Christmas Eve (usually there's one about 4pm) then walk around the lit up streets with homemade cocoa from a flask ... even better if you can find a brass band playing in the shops earlier that day. All cheap or free, but crucially all lovely on Christmas Eve.

For older kids:

Christmas Eve - fry up / bacon sarnies for breakfast! Kids love food. Christmas movie with a bag of popcorn. Local Christmas light walk around town with a bag of chocolate coins each. Lots of Christmas music in the house!

Christmas Day - A normal roast with crackers, Christmas music & a board game (could get 2nd hand!). Christmas movie.

Mix popcorn, chocolate buttons, pretzels and mini marshmallows in a bowl.

Make your own selection biscuit box. Jammy dodgers, bourbon biscuits, nice biscuits and Wacko bars from Aldi.

Boxing Day: Wrap up and go for a walk to the beach / forest / around the City. Or football at the park. If it’s clear skies you could go stargazing in the evening! Another Christmas film.

At that age they’ll love Elf, Deck the Halls and all the Home Alone films.

Get some grape juice and lemonade and they can make their own mocktails. Cute paper straws are about £1 from eBay.

My local charity shops are great, but you need to be popping in a lot. Eg we had the cards against humanity family edition in perfect condition for £7.99 last week.

And save jars - you can use them for mocktails suggested above

Christmas bark is good fun as well. Melt cheap chocolate then pour it on some baking paper and decorate it with sweets - anything really. Then let it harden and you can break it up.
I also used to make gingerbread Christmas decorations with mine when they were little.

As they've gotten older it's the cheap things they remember.

For an advent calendar we have a family fabric one with pockets but you can easily make a fun one out of odd socks pegged on string or envelopes your children individually decorate which is also a cheap craft project to keep them occupied. Write little clues to put in each pocket and hide a couple of sweets out of a big bag so it's like a treasure hunt each day. I think your kids are of the age where they would have great fun doing this for each other and the adults in the family, or you all can take it in turns each day (or ChatGPT is your friend here as it's amazing of coming up with little treasure hunt rhymes on your behalf!).

Thanks, I've just joined via your link.

Definitely 2nd hand toys. My kids have always had 2nd hand stuff and if they have ever noticed (which I doubt they have) they have never mentioned anything.

We normally spend about £60-80 on presents per child and they still get a sack full of presents. My tips are;

Farm anything expensive that cant be found second hand, such as Lego, to grandparents or other relatives.
Scour charity shops every weekend. If it looks new, it's from Father Christmas (if they still believe in him). If not, it can go under the tree from you. Books and board games are the same second hand as new.
Vinted. Have a list of what you're looking for and then check vinted every few days. You can make offers, sometimes people are willing to lower the price, particularly if you buy a few items to save postage.
If your kids are too old for father Christmas, have an honest conversation about budgets and encourage them to think about what they'd really love and use.
Encourage them to be thrifty. Send them into some charity shops armed with a fiver to buy you a present.

Ditch presents for adults, explain that money is tight this year. Instead, take homemade food as a contribution.
For food, we save up co-op points all year and this pays for all the food.
Decorations - homemade. Get the kids stringing popcorn etc.

The important thing is to not get into debt buying presents.

I just bought some gifts from Very - price checked to make sure that I didn't pay over the odds. A Wicked Lego set was actually £5 cheaper than elsewhere. They have a Buy Now Pay Later offer for 6 months over a certain amount, so I will pay around £95 order over 6 months.

I sell my own/DD's things on vinted and save the money to buy Christmas presents, so that's an idea for next year.

I buy a lot of presents second hand on vinted, for DD . I have got her some great musical theatre books that were £35 on Amazon, for £10-£15 on vinted, in immaculate condition.

I also use Top Cashback for all purchases online, and save that for Christmas. I can then exchange it for gift vouchers, or take the cash out. (Another idea for next year for you).

Boots 3 for 2 is good. The Works have great offers, I just got 3 gifts for £12.

Poundland is great for stocking fillers. Toiletries, hair bits, stationery, socks, sweets etc. B & M is also great for gifts and stocking fillers.

As a child, my stocking was things like bubble bath, shower gel, knickers, socks, a book, chocolate money (obviously) and I've replicated this for DD.

99% of what I put in her stocking are practical I know she will use, and while not very helpful for this Christmas, I buy these throughout the year and especially when they are on offer.

Definitely look at rewards schemes in supermarkets - we've managed to save a total of £300 at Asda and Sainsbury's this year, so that's a huge help.

Surveys can pay out well, transfer your bank account to Natwest and you'll get £180 if you pay in £1250 (only need to do it once as far as I can tell).

I'm another Vinted/charity shop hunter, for lots of reasons, but mainly because it can be fun. DD loves a charity shop trawl - she buys a new board game every few weeks for a pound so definitely worth a look.