As part of our Members Helping Members series, we’re asking our members to share how they are saving money on their day-to-day spending so that other members can benefit from advice. Here’s how one of our members Mary is preparing for Christmas this year.
“I’m normally the first person to get the Christmas decorations from the loft, put the tree up and wish everyone a Merry Christmas however with the cost of living crisis we’ll be doing Christmas a bit differently this year but still looking at ways to spend time with family and the surprise of opening a few presents.
Here’s some of my top tips on how to keep Christmas special on a tight budget this year:
- The first step is managing expectations from the rest of the family so I’ve started telling family members that I’ll be making presents this year as opposed to buying them. If you’re not feeling inspired then there’s loads of videos on YouTube that will teach you how to create things such as making things out of paper, material and wool. If you’re not a crafty person then an alternative is to browse the many charity shops and buy things with a theme and put them together as a gift, such as a mug and a favourite bar of chocolate and wrap them up together with a bow with some leftover ribbon.
- To help support family and friends though the cost of living crisis, I’ve also made a decision to only shop for basic necessities and gift them this year but with a twist. For example I’ve been stocking up on artisan soaps as a local craft market as opposed to buying online as they are usually good enough to gift whilst still providing a basic need. It also means that I’m helping to support our local economy.
- To help spread the cost of Christmas, I’ve noticed that people are shopping early so I’ve joined the trend and I’ve also started my Christmas shopping and now have a present drawer to store gifts until Christmas or birthdays. They are either things that I’ve seen in local craft markets or things that I’ve made.
- One thing I started doing over lockdown was learning how to bake so will also be gifting homemade biscuits and bread to family members that I see over the holiday period. As others know that I’m not a natural baker and have learned it then it’s something that they will appreciate and treasure as they eat them.
- I’ve stopped buying cards and wrapping paper and instead will either recycle cards and paper or use everyday brown paper and draw Christmas icons and tie up with string which can be recycled to create something a bit special.
- As we’ll be hosting our family at Christmas in our home, I’ve asked that instead of presents, those that can afford it can bring some food, so instead of putting the oven on for an hour to roast those perfect potatoes they are planning on bringing microwave-ready spuds to the table. This also allows other family members to feel that they are contributing to their Christmas meal.”
We are keen to hear from as many members as possible so please email your tips to info@wavecb.org.uk or comment in the posts below.
