Thriftiness is the name of the game this holiday season, and BritMums has been working with Tesco Mobile and a group of bloggers to hear parent bloggers’ #XmasSavingTips.
This December Tesco Mobile has a number of special offers on handsets that are perfect for families (including the Samsung Galaxy Ace – available for £12.50 a month or the the BlackBerry Curve 9320 - available on pay as you go for £120). With Tesco Mobile you can control mobile spending with a capped tariff (i.e. your teen doesn’t go over their monthly allowance of minutes, texts or data; you can put all the handsets onto a single bill and get perks each month (e.g. free minutes or data); plus Clubcard members get triple points for each pound they spend.
We have 3 Galaxy Ace handsets to give away: 1) Leave a money savings tip below 2) Tweet it to @TescoMobile and 3) use the #XmasSavingtips hashtag to be entered in the prize draw to win one! (Read the Terms & Conditions.) You have until 31 Dec. to enter.
BritMums bloggers who’ve taken part shared their best #XmasSavingTips. Here are their top 14 tips:
1. Use price comparison websites.
Sometimes we get in a hurry and forget but Fashionmommy’s blog reminds us of the impact it can make: “I saved £13 this way buying Rocky the Robot truck for my little boy, getting it at Boots for £51, when I’d originally seen in on another website for £64.”
2. Create homemade decorations, enlisting the children.
You don’t need fancy store-bought decorations to get into the spirit of the season. The Gingerbread House shares 5 of her favourite homemade versions, including Scrabble tile decorations, multicoloured wooden stirrer snowflakes that would suit any midcentury modern design lovers, and button trees using all the odds and ends from your button jar. “I love to save money where I can which is why we’ve been busy getting our craft on and making our own decorations.”
3. When food shopping, be willing to give up on tradition.
“Everyone in your family hates brussel sprouts, yet you buy them each year because it’s tradition? Don’t buy them,” recommends Mum Reinvented. The same goes for buying big jars of cranberry sauce you barely dip into or roasting a big turkey when your family would be satisfied with a smaller…or prefer a different main altogether. “They may only be small savings but they soon add up!”
4. Set your budget and stick to it
It sounds easy, but it’s tougher than you think, says Mummy Alarm. “Write down all the people you have to buy presents for and allocate each person a certain budget. Once you have set it, don’t go back to change it.” And don’t forget to the update the list once you’ve bought for someone, to avoid buying for them again in a panic. “Believe me,” she writes, “I’ve been there!”
5. Temper your spending with temperance
“Go to any supermarket at this time of year and see trolleys being piled high with crates of beer and bottles galore,” writes Kate on Thin Ice. “Without being a party pooper, it is important to remember that it is possible to have a great time without getting inebriated” — not to mention that you’ll end the season having guzzles fewer calories and in less need of a detox!
6. Don’t get swayed by the high-street frenzy
“Don’t blindly enter the high street fray. Have a good Google first,” suggests Ellen Arnison. You can get an idea of what you’re going to buy and where to get the best deals, or find something unusual they’ll really love.
7. Use cash-back sites
“When I mention cash back sites people look at me like I’m barking mad,” says Mummy vs Work. “I’ve been using them for about 18 months now and have earned about £600+ ! In simple terms you go to a cash back site (Quidco & Topcashback are a few) then click-through to the site your purchasing from. Once you purchase from that site you then get a % back as per the cash back site you came from.” Haven’t tried it? She reckons you should!
8. Avoid buying presents for the sake of it.
Do you traditionally trade gifts with friends for whom you buy a gift – pro forma – and they buy you one right back, no thought required? “If you have people you buy for just because you feel you have to because you know they will, suggest going homemade and exchanging cupcakes or cookies instead – it will be more meaningful as well as saving a few pounds,”says Madhouse Family Reviews.
9. Put a stop to (too many) gifts for children
You want your children to have a cracking Christmas, but have anxiety to what’s under the tree. Listen to Kate Morris: “Knowing when to stop buying presents for the children, it’s rather like writing a book – you never quite feel finished. This morning I decided to stop once and for all. ” Guess what? They played all day with the box it came in anyway.
10. Skip Santa and a free personalised video instead.
Baby Budgeting recommends skipping the hassle and buying temptation of the shopping centre Santa and instead visit “The Portable North Pole. It will save you £’s they can enjoy it again and again and it really is so well done, (saving £2-£10)”.
11. Transform old Christmas cards into gift tags
“When you are putting away the trimmings and recycling the cards, select a few cards that have a neat image on the front- a Santa face or a Christmas tree for example,” suggest Juggle Mum. “As long as the sender didn’t write on the back of the image, you can cut it out to make a unique gift tag for next year’s presents. Why…spend on shop-bought tags when these work just as well and cost you nothing?”
12. Start budgeting now for next year!
Feel like you’re spending too much this year? Now’s the best time to start planning for a thrifty 2013 Christmas! “You know how much you can actually afford so don’t go over the top. I tell my children the maximum I will spend on each of their main presents to manage their expectations (no Xbox 360′s at our house!),” says Lakes Single Mum. By making a budget early, you can manage expectations, save a little each month and still create a magical Christmas with a selected few gifts they really love!
13. Change Santa’s traditions
Tradition is what you make of it, when it comes to gift giving. If kids expect one gift under the tree and one small item in the stocking, they’re thrilled when they get it. If they expect an avalanche of goodies and only get one, they can’t help but be disappointed (“Was I naughty?” they might think.) “Bear in mind whatever you do one year, your children will expect the next, and circumstances and budgets change,” says Helen from Kiddy Charts. “Santa is stingy in our house; he gives one present and a small stocking. That’s it; and the kids are fine with that as its been that way forever.” Haven’t set it up that way? Start preparing children for the change in his circumstances so they know what to expect.
14. Spend time together – it’s free!
Whether it’s working on a puzzle together, playing a board game, or putting together a game tournament, doing an activity together is at the crux of Christmas celebration. “It is a great opportunity to spend time chatting and having a laugh as a family. At so many other times we are rushing about doing things that we do not to spend time together,” writes Dragons and Fairy Dust.
THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
The winners are:
Claire T
Christopher Taylor
Boo, Roo and Tiger Too
About Jennifer Howze
Jennifer Howze is the co-founder of BritMums. She blogs about travel, family and London life at Jenography.net. Previously, she wrote the Alpha Mummy blog at The Times and as a journalist has contributed to The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Wall Street Journal, Travel & Leisure, Budget Travel, CNN.com, Allure, SELF and Premiere, among others. She won The Maggie Award from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America for a health article in Seventeen magazine.
Hosting a Big family Christmas? Ask people to bring specific dishes as it spreads the work/money load AND they will be delighted to be helping – plus you won’t end up with 20 tins of biscuits you won’t eat..!
Vita, good tip. My husband’s family are always good about this – everyone has their thing to bring so you don’t have to cater for the entire group.
Save a certain amount of money from each pay packet towards Christmas starting in Dec a year before
Great tip! If you do a bit each month, you don’t feel the pain! I try to buy gifts throughout the year whenever I see something so that it’s not an outlay all at once in Dec.
Was thrilled to be a part of this, Merry Christmas everyone.xx
Merry Christmas!
My money saving tip….make your own cards and/or wrapping paper using a fun handprint design…..I will tweet a picture of one…novel but cute x
Homemade, handmade (actually HANDmade) wrapping paper really lend a personal touch.
Research is the name of the game…. Work out your budget, write a list of everything you need…do not deviate…sounds simple but really necessary…Then you literally have to shop around the major online stores. I find a spreadsheet works best for this (just keep a note of the lowest prices).
Then, the most important, google money saving vouchers for these stores. Its surprising how many people do not do this. I manage to save hundreds at Christmas by this simple technique….
Just remember to give yourself plenty of time to bargain hunt….
Got any sites you particularly recommend?
Savebuckets.co.uk. VoucherCodes.co.uk. Discountvouchers.co.uk. Also I go to individual sites and become friends of restaurants or sign up for emails. I also ‘like’ pages for companies on fb in order to receive offers.
Save up reward points and vouchers through the year to take money off xmas food shop
I always try to make the majority of my gifts, mainly with a re-claimed twist.
Slash your local postal costs by half when sending Christmas cards locally and you Scout Post ( same job but at half the cost ) you can use the money saved to buy mince pies etc!
We have always saved our Christmas cards then the next year with the kids will cut all the pretty pictures out to use as gift tags
We have always saved our Christmas cards then the next year with the kids will cut all the pretty pictures out to use as gift tags.
My thrifty tips this year include avoiding wrapping paper and using reusable materials such as fabric – I wrapped up a whole load of gifts in babygrows this year! The gifts I gave were mainly secondhand, or homemade vouchers for help. I asked for people not to buy gifts for me and although I’m hosting a Christmas dinner, I’ve asked for contributions from family members!
take time to enter a fab comp like this on the off chance you could win,its a nifty gadget+it would make a great gift.it would save me a lot of money also!some could be put towards xmas essentials
I save up vouchers from surveys I complete throughout the year and cash them in at Xmas to buy a few presents
Buy gifts in the sales !! It may not seem in ‘Christmassy’ at the time but you will really appreciate the time and money you save in December !
HotUkDeals.com is an excellent resource for finding bargains. I was able to get loads of cheap gifts using the offers and vouchers posted on the site. Also great to look if there’s something particular you’re after as the forumites post excellent deals.
I use approvedfood.co.uk as they sell off food that is close to its sell by date (which is different from the use by date) and buy in bulk for useful items. It’s also a good idea to chip in with others who may want the same sort of things you do and then you can share the cost too.
Ask shops if they do price matching. A lot of the larger stores do and you can save a fortune at this time of year if you have evidence that another shop is selling the same cheaper.
oooh I am on here
thanks.
Buy cards and wrapping paper in the new year when its on sale and save till next year. I also buy gifts thoughout the year to spread the cost
As for gifts for the children that will last the year. We got a merlin card last year for my neice and my brother bought her one for the children.
I start in January sales and do a little each month. That way there is no Christmas rush, stress or panic buying. It allows me to spread cost over year and pick up bargains when I see them. We make our own cards with girls and we cut up cards we receive for gift tags. Any gift bags we get we re use.
My tips are save your reward vouchers! I use Boots Advantage points for their 3 for 2 offersoffers, Tesco Clubcard I double up and buy clothing and sometimes toys as gifts for relatives and children and Sainsbury’s Nectar points helps towards the food shopping or their Toy Sale – dont forget you can also collect Nectar points online using their search engine and if you shop on Amazon, eBay and many more!!
I also shop around – if I know what I want I will find the best price online and I have just discovered a site called Flubit.com which will take your cheapest price and find it cheaper still – it really does work and has saved me a fortune this year!! @chelseamamma
Work out how much you have to spend each week after all the bill have been paid, and withdraw this as cash, using this to pay for any expenses during the week. You’ll have a much better idea of what you are spending and will have a better idea if you can treat yourself a the end of the week or not.
Make a plan of what to spend and stick to it, we actually decided to yesterday to collect the stamps from Tesco, a few each time you shop will build up over the year to a decent amount for Christmas.
Be realistic about what you can and can’t do, and make the best of what you have!
save your xmas cards to make gift tags for next christmas
If money is short organise a “Secret Santa” that way everyone gets a gift but you’re only buying for one person.
discarded news papers on trains, have loads of money off vouchers
Visit your local charity shop – grab a bargain, keep stuff out of landfill, and support a good cause – everyone’s a winner!
Have a christmas savings tin so you can put a little bit away each month, and if you’re having a party try to plan for between Christmas and New Year and hopefully you’ll be able to pick up some party food bargains in the shops, but if not you’ll have a bit more time on your hands to bake food at home instead of buying it.
Have a christmas savings tin so you can put a little bit away each month, and if you’re having a party try to plan for between Christmas and New Year and hopefully you’ll be able to pick up some party food bargains in the shops, but if not you’ll have a bit more time on your hands to bake food at home instead of buying it.
I save my reward vouchers for Tesco, Sainsburys, Boots and Superdrug all year. This December I did my whole Christmas food shop for free and got 50% of my presents. I then shopped through Quidco and got cashback and extra sales on everything! Just be savvy and use the internet to your advantage!
Plan meals for the week ahead and always use a shopping list… and stick to it!
Always shop around via internet for better price/free
delivery
Use cash. I get my weekly budget out of the bank in cash, it’s then really way to keep track of how much I’ve got to spend. If the money isn’t there, don’t spend it.
Buy an artificial Christmas tree (preferably in the sales) then you can use it year after year at no extra cost.
Use the January Sales to stock up on Christmas cards and wrapping paper for next year. Some paper is suitable for birthdays eg plain gold
The adults in my family do ‘Secret Santa’ for Christmas pressies. Everyones name goes in a hat, we pick one out an that’s the only person we buy for. Set a budget that’s achievable for everyone and have fun
Take advantage of the sales to buy Christmas and birthday presents for throughout the year. Buy one or two sized clothing up for the children if the prices are low enough and you have winter clothes for next winter (monsoon season).
Stock up on Christmas cards, wrapping paper & crackers in the sales too, no one will know they’re a year old!
Always make a list when you’re shopping & this way you shouldn’t impulse buy too much. Draw out the cash you’ll need & when that’s gone stop, don’t use cards.
Great comp prize by the way!
Our local school holds a second hand toy sale in November. This year I picked up plenty of nearly new books, an almost immaculate Star Wars bike for £18 and my four year old’s star present – a big red dragon, which cost me about £2 (including batteries). Little ones have no idea that things are second hand and they had some amazing presents for very little money.
My tip is to use freecycle if you do not already do so. Brilliant concept.
Another tip is to make sure you have a tesco clubcard and look out for money saving vouchers that get sent to you in the post and keep an eye on their special deals.
I like to make gifts for friends and family, like play dough for the children and pickled onions or chutney for the adults! This year I made 100 children in school some reindeer dust and it only cost me 25p per child! Also I keep the gift bags presents come in ready to use the next year
Instead of buying gifts for everyone, each pick one name out of Santa’s hat and buy for that one person. Less present buying, less cost and hopefully a better thought out gift.
I did all my present buying online and shopped around for the best deals. I bought presents earlier in the year when they were cheaper. We only buy food for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. We bake gifts. We’re going to do the Secret Santa for extended family next year. We use cards as tags the following year plus any left over cards that we don’t like the design on particularly.
I try to buy any non-expiring presents in the January sales – if you look hard enough, you can get a magnificent bargain & save a small fortune!!
I shop in-store but google prices whilst there on my phone. If it’s cheaper, I put on my list of online purchases to get later.
When buying online use cashback sites like quidco or topcashback as this earns you a couple of percent back, although it’s slow to be paid back to you it’s still a discount. I bought a tv this Christmas from currys. Same price in-store or online but online I earnt nearly ten pounds discount and delivery was free so no hassle.
I entered lots of blog competitions (like this one) got quite a few pressies over the year which I put away – definitely helped as my budget was really tight this year.
Homemade cards. my 2yr old daughter helped this year. Not only do they double as a present (grandparents loved them) its also a good way to occupie little ones and have some Christmas fun. X
My tip is to always always search on the internet for discount vouchers before making any purchase. This has helped me a lot in the past – particularly around Christmas when making large purchases etc. That unexpected 20% off can save a great deal!
Buy your wrapping paper and christmas cards in th january sales for next year #XmasSavingtips
My suggestion is that instead of buying gifts for everyone, each pick one name from Santa’s hat and buy only for that person. Thus saving time, money and hopefully a better thought out present for your chosen recipient!
Instead of buying gifts for everyone, each pick a name from Santa’s hat and buy only for that person. This will save time, money and hopefully a better thought out present for your chosen recipient!
I try to take notice of what people mention during the year and quickly make a note of it, then I can make sure I buy something just right for them! Perfumes, books, food, wine.. Also, shopping early you can make sure you don’t pay over the odds !!
A good little tip my mum taught me was to cut up your old christmas cards that would normally get thrown away in January & keep them as gift tags to go on next years presents. Also if you need new christmas decorations for next year get them in the January sales – I’ve got some really posh ones today that I would never have brought If I had to pay full price for them