A Christmas budget planner is essential!
When we are parents to young children the thought of Christmas can be wonderful and worrying in equal measure.
It is undoubtedly a time of magic and memory making but the expenses can taint it if we aren’t mindful about money.
We constantly get told that Christmas is expensive don’t we? And that we are going to overspend and that the average cost of Christmas is X and we are all going to end up spending way more than we should.
Our Christmas Budget Planner instead Take a look at this brilliant tool … it is a Christmas Budget Planner
The planner aims to show people what Christmas is actually going to cost them, not the ‘average’ person, and bases the costs on thrifty spending. It also includes categories that many people don’t think of such as mileage and stamps so all area are covered.
A Christmas Budget Planner
My overall spend came out a lot lower than I expected and suddenly I feel a lot less worried about Christmas. I just need to stick to the gift budget I have set myself . Why donyt you have a go at this and see how much you need to save each week in the run up to Christmas. It will be different for all of us.
Here are 5 more tips to help you get your Christmas spending under control by saving a little each and every week on the run up to Christmas:
- Identify a pricey luxury that you could swap for an own-brand for a few weeks and save the difference. Or why not try a family challenge to give up takeaways, cheese, or dessert for a month. Both your health and your bank account will thank you! We could definitely save some money giving up takeaways in this house! In fact I am going to rename November No Take Away month!
- Post early – this way you can use the cheapest postal services available – this works for both gifts and cards.
- Consider gifting your time rather than spending money. Have a look at these Christmas Cheques from Money Saving Expert. You could promise a night of babysitting, all the cooking for a week, or a 30 minute massage? Gifting your time is so precious.
- DIY gifts are a great idea too and can be such a thrifty way to give. Biscuits, bath salts, photo albums and playlists are all lovely thoughtful ideas that can be made over the weeks running up to Christmas.
- And how about making the most of your freezer? Food prices rocket as soon as the Christmas packaging comes out in supermarkets. Take advantage of deals now by buying early and freezing food. For even bigger savings, note what time your supermarket gets the yellow stickers out and freeze the reduced items at the end of the day.
There is a lot we can do to make Christmas more affordable – do you have any Christmas budgeting tips to share?
A Christmas Budget Planner – More ideas
One thing I never skimp on though is an advent calendar for my teens they get a whole month of pleasure form it unlike the one day wonder of some Christmas gifts so it is definitely worth it!
A Christmas Budget Planner is a collaborative post – you might also like my post on how to afford Christmas and Free Christmas gift ideas
and some gift ideas for Christmas on a budget here
