Mumsnet users share their best budget buys for Christmas 2020 with Park Christmas Savings

[LibbyMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed

When it comes to Christmas, planning ahead is key, especially if you want to stay within your budget. It can be so easy to get swept up in the excitement of Christmas and spend beyond your means, but festive fun doesn’t need to cost a fortune - you just need to be a savvy-shopper. With this in mind, Park Christmas Savings would like to hear what your best budget buys are this Christmas.

Here’s what Park Christmas Savings have to say: “For over 50 years now, families have trusted Park Christmas Savings to take the stress out of saving for Christmas. With our huge range of digital and physical gift cards with online spending options that allow you to shop in all your favourite retailers, we help you make Christmas truly magical.
Whether it’s covering the Christmas ‘big shop’ and not holding back on the fancy crackers and prosecco, using Love2shop Gift Cards to buy all the gifts on your list, or simply sending them to the people you can’t visit over Christmas – we’ve got you covered! To find out how you can start saving today and be the smug organised mum next year, take a look at our site”.

So, we are asking you, what are your best budget buys this Christmas? Have your past experiences of not properly budgeting for the festive season made you a super-saver this year? What steps have you taken to plan ahead and to make sure you stick to your budget? Maybe you have some tips and tricks for getting the best discount codes, recommended retailers, or you think getting crafty with homemade presents is the best way to keep costs down?

Share your best budget buys on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

My best budget buys were the 30% off Ragdale Hall gift sets at Marks and Spencer.

My top tip is follow the Mumsnet Christmas bargain thread and you will get more bargains than you could ever want. My best buys were the Mellisa and Doug puppets and the Vodafone candy kittens.

,y best buy is a lovely dress from J Lewis reduced to £35.00 in my size. I am so pleased!! Now waiting for an opportunity to wear it!!

I bought my son's teacher presents and my Secret Santa for work with 40% off in the Debenhams closing down sale. This is an unfortunate saving as I love Debenhams however it did save me a lot of money.

Going to Wethespoons the days before lockdown and getting pints for a £1 and unbelievably bargain food.

I love to buy my 3 daughters party dresses. However they are so expensive, especially with 3 girls. I use Ebay and I buy them second hand and get them for a fraction of what they originally would have cost me. In fact I end up buying dresses I would never have been able to buy with our budget in the first place!

I love a good bargain! I have missed my local Christmas Fair this year thanks to Covid, but last year my friends and I popped in to see what was on offer. I came away with a brand new silver plated stag wine bottle stopper for £2 and was actually worth a minimum 10 times that. Bargain!
Always good to shop in charity shops - Even buying new from them, you can get something of a great bargain too. I love my multi coloured fabric horses that I purchased from Oxfam. They weren't expensive but everyone loves them when they see them on display. (Typically I went in to buy for others and ended up loving them, so had to buy double!).

I buy cards, wrapping paper etc in the January sales. I also got a lot of toys in the Tesco half price toy sale this year.

A reduced bonsai tree for my elderly Dad. Bought ahead back in August, but delivered the day before Christmas.

I always do a search for a discount code online before buying and have not paid full price for anything this year.

I tend to buy what I can in January and then little bits through the year. Then I budget per person and stick to it.

To help cut down the cost of Christmas as on a budget I buy products before hand when on sale or reduced and put
Them in the freezer definately helps x

I shop through the year for gifts. From November onwards, i buy yellow stickered items and freeze for Christmas Day and beyond.

This year I've been focusing on entering competitions for cash & vouchers. I have been very lucky & was able to get my 6 year old a present pet for Christmas for free using a £50 voucher I won.

I search for voucher codes online before buying anything and often get 10-15% off doing that plus I use cashback sites like Quidco which typically offer 10% back.

Ask people what they’d actually like and reduce your Christmas list

Save money all year by shopping late for reductions. You can then keep the amounts saved towards Christmas.

I discovered the Too good to go and Olio apps that offer discounted and free food and non-food items. This has saved money and helped reduce food waste.

Buy wrapping paper etc in January and pick stuff up over the year when you see a bargain - also has the advantage of spreading the cost.

If I plan ahead, I buy expensive gifts in the Black Friday sales in November. i got my Dad a watch he had been looking at for ages for half the price this year.

This year I started saving in February! My budgetting plans all went a little wrong with the various lockdowns and school closures. Next year, I will utilise all the online sales I have this year...but a bit more co-ordinated!

Go onto Ebay, and find the items you want, and narrow your search for 'distance nearest' so you can pick up- often these sellers are having a clearout of toys/games to make room for more toys coming - that way you can negotiate a discount, and also collect to save you more money too.
Use charity shops, and make your own gifts - we love making peppermint creams half covered in chocolate - you can buy gorgeous gift boxes from Amazon and look amazing if you use edible glitter with the chocolate for Christmas.

I’d bought my daughter a beautiful sewing basket - went to a local craft shop and rummaged around in all their sale items/end of line goods and absolutely came up trumps with filling it!

My best thing is probably that I use a list, no lost presents, ideas listed so I can keep an eye on prices and watching the Christmas threads on here :)

Thanks to everyone who took part in this sponsored discussion. The winner of the prize draw is @jdore1964 - congratulations!