Christmas is celebrated worldwide and majorly it is enjoyed by the kids. There is so much advertising aimed at children that sometimes they may be oblivious to the costs and/or the fact that sometimes things are tight and you may not afford the gifts they want. To avoid letting them down you can plan in advance to avoid the New Year with a financial hangover. Here are some tips to have a Happy Christmas for Less.
How to reduce cost during Christmas occasion
Spending on Christmas for your kids is something that needs a lot of consideration since every coin spent on pleasing the kids will be purely luxurious. For that reason you need to try as much as possible to reduce cost. Ideally you should start saving for Christmas early, to avoid the last minute rush. This will be easy since the earlier you start saving the less you will need to set aside for every month. Plus if you put your savings in a place where you will earn an interest, then at the end of the year you will have this on top of the savings. Construct a rough budget and try reducing costs that you may have to incur during this occasion. Importantly remember that this spending should be subject to a certain limit. I think we underestimate children though and what they really want is our time and love so never get yourself in to debt just because of a few things that they want. Showing them how to save and plan also passes on good financial habits to them.
- Shop around: The internet has made it easier to find out the best place to buy gifts at the cheapest price – or offer something extra with the purchase (such as a money back voucher at Argos).
- Buy in Bulk: Have you considered getting together with friends and family to buy in bulk and receive a discount and to minimize on delivery costs.
- Discount Codes: Look for websites with discount codes for money off and/or free delivery, for example Kiddicare UK will offer you free delivery. Or store offers – Early Learning Centre UK offer up to fifty percent off for selected toys, Argos have 3 for 2s and Sainsburys have a half price toy sale.
- Gift Cards: Some places give you something extra when you buy a gift card there such as Morrisons. Some sites offer discounts on gift cards too.
- Unwanted gifts: Not everyone agrees with wrapping up and passing on gifts to others but you may be able to exchange them for other gifts in shops that allow this.
- Home-made: Things do not have to be bought and home-made gifts give an extra special touch.
- Attractions and/or events: Christmas should be a family time so you should consider buying things that mean spending time together – look for places that offer discounts, for example at Thomas Cook UK they have 25% off vouchers for hotel and park tickets plus free entrance for kids under seven in Disneyland.
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Yep I agree with you about attractions and events, I’d much rather do things than have things and I feel the same about the children. Much as it’s nice for the children to have toys, I’d rather they had amazing experiences.
Nat.x