How do you avoid a post-Christmas financial hangover? Share your tips with Lloyds Bank and you could win a £300 Love2Shop voucher NOW CLOSED

[ZaneMumsnet]

We've been asked by Lloyds Bank to get Mumsnetters' tips and tricks for stretching every pound in the run-up to Christmas.

”Christmas is a joyous time of the year, however, many parents find it difficult to truly enjoy it. Somehow, your money (and time) is needed to cover presents, food, drink and travelling amongst many other expenditures. We would love to hear how you make sure Christmas doesn’t leave your bank balance a Santa shade of red.” – Lloyds Bank

So, what's your secret? Do you have a special knack to shopping that saves you pounds? Or are you more into the homespun approach, making your own gifts (and fun). Have you perfected the art of negotiating a lengthy list to Santa with a budget in mind? We’d love to hear your top tips.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks,

MNHQ

Buy a £10 waitrose voucher each month to spend on food, or if not needed they can be given as gifts as they can also be used in John Lewis.

there is just no avoiding it this year at all

I work extra hours from sept to Nov topay for Christmas. I buy wrapping paper / tags/ cards / crackers in the sales from last year. The only extra food I buy is a couple of tins of chocolates, the Turkey and a few bottles of wine. I don't go mad on table decorations ( no one appreciates it). Our tree was given to us and decorations are years old. We do not do any entertaining as have very little extended family. I only buy presents for my own four kids and me and my dh spend very little on each other. I prefer to spend any spare money on theatre tickets/ meal out etc.

Simply set a budget and stick to it!

Sticking to a budget and not buying for randoms. I also use ebay a lot to pick up things

i save through the year and buy tins and things that dont perish throughout the year. i also find the sales good for crackers and decorations that you can put away

I start early, like a lot of people. wrapping paper is bought in the January sales and stored away and I get a few little bits every month for presents.

I also start adding extra bits to the weekly grocery shop (crisps, nuts, biscuits etc) from about September time to build up a nice treat box.

I try to buy throughout the year and have a saving jar x

Buy Christmas cards for next year in January; keep tesco and nectar points for Christmas shop, only buy boys 1 or 2 big presents, Dh and I only buy eachother something little - some perfume or something. It's just a big roast really. If you don't go mad, where's the problem?

I use cashback sites a lot. I get quite a nice amount of cash back into my account in dribs and drabs during the first half of the year. I then spend this in the sales for next Christmas.
I also try very hard to stick to a budget. We don't go overboard buying loads of fancy food or sweets - we make our own mince pies and look up fun baking activities on pinterest.

Apply the same principles as I do throughout the rest of the year. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. I am very close to my daughter and that is far more important than presents.

I like to be organized in the run up to Christmas and have notebooks for most things that I can plan in.

I work out what we can afford based on the disposable income left over from Sept - Nov (Dec payday is off limits to any Xmas spending, we just don't allow it as we get paid 20th of the month so no post Xmas payday until the back end of Jan) and only buy for close family and friends.

Luckily most people enjoy the things that I sell for a living so I can use my staff discount to get something I know that they will love that at full price might be a bit more expensive than I would spend on them. In other cases I shop around and make sure I give myself time to research ideas as not to buy last minute and end up spending more than necessary.

I buy all greetings cards, wrap, tags and ribbons in the Jan sales until the next year and I adore using brown parcel paper with special ribbons and stick-ons to make them look super special (if you can get to a Costco, the rolls are a great price for a huge roll that last forever). Having the wrapping day with mince pies and cheeky glass of port is all part of the Christmas excitement to me.

I do online grocery shopping because I don't have a car and start buying freezables like party food and meat (and cupboard stuff like nuts/crisps/mixers etc) in earlier weeks when it's on good offers, I can store it safely and the cost is absorbed into that weeks food bill and it's not such a shock to be system when you do the Christmas food shop the week before.

But really just living within my means - we have credit cards but see them more for emergency situations, we know Christmas is coming - as it does every year!

DP and I are having a Christmas present 'amnesty' this year, that is, we are not getting each other any gifts, but instead just enjoying spending Christmas day with each other and our toddler.

Just don't go over the top! Budget, and stick to it. Buy in the sales thoughout the year. Buy food when it is reduced and put int he freezer for Christmas. Cook from scratch instead of buying all the expensive pre-prepared veg, pigs in blankets, puddings etc.

Don't be tempted to keep going with buying presents just because you have the money there. It's worth more in your bank than under the Christmas tree then eventually in the bottom of the toy box.

Stick to a budget, save a little each month. Buy little items throughout the year to space out presents such as little stationery gifts, hotwheel cars, felt tips, paints etc. Save the big gift(s) until at least November when you have some idea of what the DC want.
If you're buying for other children ask what the parents/gp's are buying to see whether there are any little add ons you can contribute towards (dnephew is getting a garage from bil so we have bought little cars for it).
Once you've spent up, that's it.
Oh, and sometimes in the run up beforehand we cut out meat and have porridge for dinner too. The DC think its a treat to eat it in front of the tv so they don't notice.
Just do a normal weekly shop if you're not having guests. The shops are only shut one day. We've had chicken instead of turkey some years.

Budget budget budget .... if that means splitting your budget into envelopes of money and only spending the amount in the envelope on that person then so be it, that has worked for me in the past.

Summer sales are often better than the pre-Xmas offers (provided you don't then forget what you've already bought and end up doubling up by accident...)

budget management

Simple really; be grateful for the blessings you already have. Accepting and following God's statutes. Bliss and fun follow from that. Everyone happy.

I feverishly post in sponsored threads in the hopes of earning some fat stacks to make up for my terrible habit of buying my family various things plated with gold.

my top tip, don't spend your money on useless to swap with other people, like your lovely family, for other useless . The alternative christmas greeting would be to say, make christmas, don't buy it.

We only spend what we can afford - which this year amounts to very little. We've prioritised our DS, and told family that we won't be giving gifts this year and so don't expect to receive any.

I'll be adding to his gifts by knitting him a few things, and making more out of activities such as spreading reindeer food on the garden, watching a Christmas film on Christmas Eve, new Pjs etc. Focussing less on the material side of Christmas and putting more effort into the bonding aspect.

A tight Christmas here so...
Using up wrapping paper and cards left over from last year. Have cut down the Christmas card list and doing email round robins to have more of a chat with those we don't see very often.
I am using DD nursery paintings as wrapping paper - feels like I'm not throwing them away then!
Keeping the Christmas meal not crazy. It has got too rich, and too much of everything left over! Not having a big Turkey this year as they are so expensive, I worry about cooking it properly and don't really like turkey anyway!! So salmon instead this year!
Christmas presents for my two toddlers are from the charity shop - pushchair, books, soft toys. All washed, and tarted up with ribbon, fabric and sparkles.
Homemade presents for close family - fudge, biscuits, recipe books, cushions, bags; still have a lot to do!
No presents between DH and me as we don't need anything.
Trying to find locally produced food gifts for friends so not too expensive but have an exclusive feel to them.
Restraining myself from not buying unnecessary decorations!
Free school fayres and entertainment around at this time so not spending money on going out.
We are probably luckily as the kids are too small to be commercialiSed and don't really get Christmas yet!

I put 50 a month away in to a separate savings account, doesn't cover it all with four children but certainly helps! I also use the save the change app on the Lloyds bank account - this is fab and tops the account up nicely!