How to save money at Christmas

Here are 20 ways you can still join in the festivities by spending very little or nothing.

1. Look for local cheap and free entertainment. Local carol concerts, entertainment at the shops and Christmas markets can all help with the festive atmosphere for the family. Join local Facebook groups and pages and sign up to the council’s newsletter to keep up to date with local activities.
2. Arrange play dates with other families. Take it in turns to go to each other’s houses to play Christmas-themed games and eat together. This helps with the atmosphere with free entertainment for the kids and each time you are out of the house it is saving energy costs heating and cooking. When it’s your turn, you would have been in and cooking anyway, so will not be incurring extra energy costs!
3. Start family traditions that cost little or nothing. For example, going for a Christmas walk to look at the lights, make a new decoration every year or decorate the tree together on the same date every year.
4. Look for the Christmas star on Christmas Eve. It’s the one that shines the brightest! On a clear night with lots of stars, go with friends or family and the children to look at the stars and see what patterns and Christmas shapes you can see.
5. Snuggle up and watch Xmas films as a family/with loved ones/friends with popcorn, biscuits, hot chocolate or wine etc!
6. Have Christmas music playing in the last couple of weeks of December. Much earlier and it will become normalised, but in your home keep it for set specific times, as this is the time you get festive.
7. Going to a Christmas party? eBay, Depot and charity shops are ideal as you are unlikely to wear the item more than once too. Accessorize and jazz things up that you have got with Christmas decorations! Then sell/give on.
8. Have any friends the same dress size as you? Swap party clothes for when you go to different Christmas dos. It will feel like something new! Do the same with children’s clothes.
9. Create some Christmas games that cost little to nothing. Make a picture of Rudolph and pin on his nose. You can give small chocolates as prizes. Make snowman skittles from paper cups. Children could make them using a small ping pong ball to knock them down. You can search the Internet for free Christmas games for loads more ideas.
10. Buy your Christmas jumpers in the January sales, they will be reduced and will often be reduced again. Get them and wear them for your activities next year.
11. If you do want to do some activities such as the pantomime, going to see Santa, then book early. Not only will this help with budgeting but you are likely to get an early bird price.
12. Go to a carol service. You don’t have to be religious to go to a church service. Taking part in singing carols and enjoying Christmas with others is an easy and free way to soak in the atmosphere.
13. Consider going door-to-door carol singing yourself. Get together with a few friends and cover your local area. People used to love carol singers coming to their homes but you rarely see them nowadays. Contact a local charity and work with them on how to collect donations responsibly.
14. Volunteer. Volunteering can have many obvious benefits to the organisation. However, it does for the volunteers too. It’s good for your mental health, well-being and social life. You learn new skills and meet new people.  Around Christmas time there will be a good atmosphere in a lot of places where you can volunteer. Try the foodbank, local community groups, Crisis at Christmas etc.
15. Get the children sticking Christmas pictures, doing Christmas word searches, Christmas colouring in etc., with free downloadable activities from the Internet.
16. Design a Christmas kindness advent calendar with the children. For each day write down a kind activity to undertake. For example, phoning a grandparent, donating an old toy to charity, doing a chore for someone else, offering to help someone, giving a compliment to someone etc. This can be a lovely activity as a family to think of ideas and undertake them.
17. Make your own Christmas decorations. This can also form part of your family traditions by making and adding to your collection every year. For example making paper chains, lanterns and clay or salt dough ornaments for the tree. You can find many templates for decorations on the Internet.
    
18. Go festive foraging. As well as an activity you can do with children it can bring you free to very cheap decorations. Get leaves and berries for wreaths and arrangements. Some branches with lots of twigs and paint them and hang decorations. Make wreaths (forage and tie finds together on a grapevine wreath from a hobby store), sleep pillows (cotton or organza drawstring bags with a mix of dried loose lavender, dried camomile flowers and mugwort), and bouquets (hang up flowers such as roses and gypsophillia for 2-3 weeks, arrange and tie with a ribbon bow). All of these will last for many years.
19. Make pot pourri. Take some dried rose buds and petals and some dried loose lavender. Mix together in equal quantities. Add a few drops of lavender and/or rose fragrance oil and then place in an organza bag or a glass container.
20. Organise a party at your house where every guest brings a contribution. This makes for party that costs you no more than feeding the family one meal. Different people could host on different dates throughout December or take turns throughout the year. Make a list of everything needed so that costs are equally split. More than one person could bring the more expensive items or contribute.

Hopefully there are some ideas here to help you enjoy Christmas without breaking the bank!

More help at Christmas

Saving money and your rights at Christmas various posts about how you can save money on different aspects of Christmas, Black Friday the sales and your consumer rights.

Ways to save money various posts on how to save money on shopping and services.