Saving Yourself Money at Christmas

With Christmas coming up, now is the time to tighten those purse strings. Christmas is a very expensive time of year and with the increased prices at the supermarkets then you have to think about how you are going to cope this year.

Below I will offer you a few pointers on how to save money this Christmas.

Make Just Enough

At Christmas time there is often a lot of waste, both in food and wrapping paper. When figures suggest that we waste a massive 230,000 tonnes of food each year at Christmas (equalling around £275 Million) then surely we need to think about the consequences of making too much.

If there are four in a household then you don’t need to fill the table with all varieties of food, try to be minimalistic for a change. There is nothing worse than sitting down for Christmas dinner and being faced with no room left on the table for anything else. Be considerate when you are planning your Christmas dinner after all you don’t want to be eating the left overs into January.

When it comes to wrapping paper, recycle it. You can either keep it and use it for something else or take it to the recycling bins. With people buying more at Christmas then there is going to be an increase in the use of wrapping paper and that means more waste paper over the festive period. Around 8000 tonnes of wrapping paper is used at Christmas and most of this is wasted, do you not think we should do something about this?

Why not buy cheaper brands

Buying cheaper brands from the supermarket may help you save a lot of money this Christmas. As Christmas is such a busy time and a lot of food is consumed then if you are buying the more expensive brands the bill soon rises. Buying own brand products may seem cheap but then you have to think that there are other things that you need to spend your money on during the festive period, there is fuel (as you have to visit the family), food and drink and of course the presents.

Compare Prices

This is an obvious savings tip. If you are buying lots of presents for everyone then trying to find the cheapest deals around is a good idea. If you are using the internet for shopping then you can compare prices using Google. Perhaps finding the best packages for items, such as Xbox 360’s and PS3’s, can save you money in the long run.

If you are buying a lot then look for offers from retailers. There are often ‘3 for 2’ or ‘buy one get one free’ offers that you can take advantage of. By comparing prices and using offers to buy your gifts then you can save serious amounts of money.

There are hundreds of other ways to save money over the festive period this year I have only broached the subject slightly with a few larger items but then there are the cards, decorations, parties, going out and more.

Author Resource

Philip writes for his own blog Healthy Wealth where he covers all the finance news and events that happen in the UK and Europe. He sometimes branches out to writing about the US economy and financial situation.