Tips to Save this Christmas

According to CECU (Confederation of Consumers and Users), each household spends an average of $1000 during the Christmas period. This is an excessive amount of money considering the average monthly salary is not much more than the expenditure itself. Most people like to think of different ways to save money during the holiday season and each and every family would like to see this figure lowered as much as possible. This requires a bit of planning and imagination.

Try to buy before or after the Christmas period. Look for recycled gifts, always compare prices, set yourself a budget and shop online. Avoid the lavish, fresh and expensive Christmas meals and save money by complimenting your dishes with frozen goods. Frozen meat can be as good as fresh if you follow the package instructions and guidelines thoroughly. Fish, meat and seafood can be quite expensive: hake, sea bass, sea bream, lamb, suckling pig, tenderloin, turkeys and prawns can be bought before the Christmas period for a much lower price if frozen. This option is certainly a good way to avoid unnecessary expenditure.

Give useful and inexpensive gifts to your friends and family. When choosing them, it would be a lot more interesting to look for things that are practical and also economical, even if that means “having to think a little more”. This requires that you write down a list, look around for the gifts and compare best prices. The Organization of Consumers and Users advice people to consult these lists which they provide on a regular basis.

The use of the internet is always handy if you are looking into saving money. Buying online is usually a lot cheaper and it will also be easier to compare prices. If you purchase in bulk you might be able to get wholesale prices with goods like Christmas videos, cards, books, clothes, cds and lots more.

Go through the boxes you’ve got in storage at home. Remember what they say: “someone’s junk is somebody else’s treasure”. Surely we can think of many people who would be delighted to receive these gifts.

Making your own Christmas decorations is easy and will also save you quite a bit as they are usually expensive in the shops. Cook yourself instead of ordering food during the festive season. This is a great opportunity to give a try to that chocolate cake you always wanted to make!

Be a “good Samaritan” and offer to cook for other members of your family, walk their dogs, care for your nieces and nephews in the evenings… these are all great Christmas gifts.

If you are planning on watching a Christmas show this year try to either find last minute cheap tickets or plan in advance and buy them a few months before the holiday season; both options will be cheaper than buying them within the same week.

These are just a few ideas that will save you money this year. As you can see, by planning ahead and with a little imagination you can still have a great Christmas without drilling a hole on your savings account!