I want a cheap, stress-free Christmas
Christmas is usually both expensive and stressful. Here's how to ensure it's neither this year!
I’ll let you in on a secret. I find Christmas quite stressful. Not so much the day itself, but the bit that comes before. The expensive bit. I call it ‘Torture’. You might call it as ‘Christmas shopping’.
This year, I've been following the lovemoney.com five-step plan to Cutting the costs of Christmas shopping. So, I’ve been scouring the internet for bargains using sites like:
- Hotukdeals.com (a forum where anyone can post details of a ‘hot deal’ they’ve come across)
- Kelkoo (a shop bot which compares different prices)
- Quidco (a cashback website which gives you cashback on all your purchases).
The trouble is, there are now just 13 days to go until the big day. That means, as each day passes, there are more and more things to stress about! (A problem tempered slightly, I must admit, by each new piece of advent calendar chocolate.)
If you’re starting to feel a bit stressed, too, here’s how some of the best articles we’ve published on lovemoney.com over the past few weeks can help:
Gifts
If, like me, you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for a person who has everything, then it’s worth keeping an eye out for our weekly Frugal Friday email. It’s got all the details of the week’s biggest bargains and discounts, and is particularly good on clothes sales and cheap DVDs. (You can find the latest version here.)
You may also be inspired by these 12 Good Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas and these Smashing Secret Santa Gifts.
For online shoppers, we’ve produced a guide to buying The top 10 most wanted Christmas presents and 30 affordable gifts that you won't find on the high street.
And if you fancy a bit of a laugh, check out these 15 silly Xmas presents for under a tenner.
Christmas Lunch
Has the recession munched your Christmas lunch budget? Have no fear, lovemoney.com can help!
Follow these seven steps to a frugal Christmas lunch to cut the costs of your Christmas dinner – they’re pretty easy to follow, and could save you a turkey or two.
And here’s a guide to The best Xmas food bargains and another rounding up the top bargain booze discounts! And check out our Frugal Recipes - Xmas Special series of recipes.
Kids
If you’ve got kids, Christmas can be even more stressful… not to mention expensive.
It doesn’t have to be, though. Here are 10 cheap Christmas activities for kids. Just remember: it will all be worth it when you see those happy faces under the tree….
Christmas Travelling
If you are planning to travel over the Christmas period, and haven’t yet sorted out your train tickets, then you’ll need to get your skates on.
Read Seven ways to beat the train fare hikes to find out our top tips on how to cut your travel costs.
The Biggest Stress Of All!
Ever had a really bad Christmas hangover? You know, the ones that leave you un-festively soldered to the toilet bowl for hours of endless, Santa-punishing pain?
Well, if you’re not careful with credit this Christmas, you could find yourself in a similar situation as regards your debt.
In fact, I’d argue that Christmas credit card debt is most stressful thing of all.
So if you’re using your credit card for your Christmas shopping, STOP! Make sure you’ve got one of The best credit cards for Christmas and are using your card correctly (for example, not making any purchases on a 0% balance transfer card).
Get help from lovemoney.com
If the festive season is leaving you a little strapped for cash, lovemoney.com can help you boost that income!
First, adopt this goal: Make some extra money
Next, watch this video: How to save when you've got no money
Finally, why not have a wander over to Q&A and ask other lovemoney.com members for advice?
More: The top 5 things to do before 2010 | Cut the cost of calling abroad this Christmas
* This article has been revised and updated from an earlier version published in 2008.
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Comments
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I'm in the annual process of buying presents and food for Christmas. I think buying a present that is unlikely to be appreciated is a bad idea. The same applies to food. My guests will probably have stuffed themselves on turkey and Christmas pudding before they come to me. They will probably appreciate quality more than quantity and it's a good idea to look at what's left after your guests have gone home and what they scoffed down very quickly. I have a good idea of what my guests like and so can cut down on waste. With some things, I just have to accept the waste because I don't eat them and give what's left of that jar of pickled onions to anyone who wants it! Presents too can be unsuitable. You can to consider what the person is interested in or needs. One person I find hard to buy for is really into nostalgia and so an inexpensive present will be a photograph album of old pictures that I can copy with my multi function copier and printer. I have to order the photo paper on a particular day to qualify for the double Nectar points! Time can be at a premium for many people just before Christmas and it's not always worth shopping around too much. Especially, if you're busy at work. Spending a little extra and shopping all in one place and getting a good nights sleep can be better than a sleepless night after a day trudging from store to store looking for bargains.
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13 December 2009