Money Saving Christmas Ideas

Christmas can be an exciting time of the year. A chance to catch up with your family and friends, a nostalgic occasion with all your holiday favourites such as mulled wine, mince pies, and rich chocolatey yule log (yum!). But this excitement can get overshadowed by the hefty dent in your bank balance at the end of the festivities.

Spending time with friends and family is one of the best things you can do to improve your overall health and happiness. So we hope you can use these money-saving Christmas ideas to help you feel more in control of your spending and help you be present when seeing your loved ones.

Here are 5 money-saving tips to keep your costs down this Christmas (without sacrificing this magical time with your friends and family!).

How To Save Money This Christmas

Plan Ahead

Of course, the best way to save money this Christmas is to plan. As the saying goes ‘if you don’t plan, you have planned to fail’.

We recommend setting aside a little time this week to plan your spending before the Christmas rush. Planning your budget for food, gifts, travel, events etc., can help you feel more in control of your spending at the end of the year.

Planning, spending time budgeting and searching for the most affordable options can save you money and help you avoid overusing your credit card, which may leave the future you to deal with a big bill in January.

Thoughtful Gifting

We recommend focusing on thoughtful gifting and only giving people things that give them joy.

For example, you may like one of the Inscripture pieces, such as our Handwriting Jewellery, as they make excellent personalised gifts. Of course, Inscripture is a Memorial Jewellery brand specialising in creating bespoke pieces to help people cope with grief. However, we also make other Personalised Jewellery that makes thoughtful gift idea for a loved one this Christmas.

Alternatively, if your loved one isn’t a fan of jewellery, we also make personalised Christmas decorations, such as hanging ornaments for the home or Christmas tree.

And if you are organising a secret Santa at work or with friends to save money and ensure everyone is included, we also offer thoughtful stocking fillers from just £14.

Avoid Black Friday Hype

We’ve borrowed a few things from our friends across the pond, like the TV show Friends and the school leavers’ Prom. However, the American tradition of Black Friday hitting UK stores isn’t much good for anyone. So this next tip is more about what not to do.

According to an article in Forbes, Black Friday sales pollute the planet with unnecessary deliveries causing increased CO2 emissions. Another article also highlights the waste associated with this holiday, stating that up to 80% of purchases on Black Friday end up in the bin after 1 use. So save money and avoid waste by forgoing the Black Friday deals unless you were already planning to buy the goods either way.

Another point to remember is that small businesses can also struggle during this time in November. As small businesses usually rely on smaller profit margins (a smaller gap between the cost of the goods and the final sale price), it is hard for independent businesses to keep up with the trend of offering massive 60% off sales on Black Friday.

As a small Memorial Jewellery business, we do everything we can to give back to our customers where we can, but it’s not always possible to compete with big brands during this sale sensation. So if you want to keep small businesses alive and thriving, check out Holly Tucker’s Colour Friday campaign for more information and choose small, local businesses where possible.

Reduce Food Waste

Every Christmas, the UK wastes a staggering 7 million tonnes of food! That includes 7.1 million pigs in blankets that get thrown in the bin. Honestly, those numbers are hard to comprehend, and throwing away 1-2 sausages at the end of a Christmas gathering doesn’t seem like a lot, but it adds up by the end of the festive period.

And wasting food isn’t just wasteful or bad for the planet, but it can actually cost you more in the long run. For example, a typical family of 4 spends just under £300 on food for their Christmas dinner. Of course, this is an extraordinary figure, especially when you consider the average monthly food bill for the average family is around £409.

So to save money this Christmas, buy what you think you can reasonably eat during the holiday period. If you go a bit overboard, don’t panic! Just find some tasty recipes using your leftover ingredients that are freezer-friendly. Then keep your meals aside for another time during the winter or gift some food to your friends or neighbours who can enjoy it.

Reuse What You Can

One easy way to save your wallets and the planet this year is to reuse what you already have!

Here are a handful of easy ways to save money by reusing things this Christmas:

Reuse last year’s cards as gift tags. Simply cut off the front picture side from an old Christmas card, punch a hole in one corner and write your Christmas message on the back. You can then use string to attach these homemade zero-waste gift cards to your presents and set them under the tree.

Reuse old wrapping paper or gift packaging. Wrapping paper is expensive and often not recyclable, so reuse it for other gifts and pass it on.

Wear the same outfit. Wearing the same outfit more than once this Christmas can save you money and reduce your impact on the planet. If you don’t have anything to wear for the occasion, you could also rent a dress or borrow something from a friend.

Merry Money-Saving Christmas!

Browse our personalised Christmas gifts, Paw Print Jewellery, Photo Jewellery and more on the Inscripture website to find the perfect gift for your loved one this Christmas. These items make thoughtful presents for people with big hearts. Be sure to order by 17th December for pre-Christmas delivery to UK addresses!

Last year we wrote about how to cope with grief this Christmas because this season can be challenging for many reasons. Hopefully, these articles help if you or a loved one are struggling with a loss this festive season. And from our team to yours, happy Christmas!