Love it or loathe it, Christmas is undoubtedly the most expensive time of the year and although it only happens once a year it’s still a big financial drain that can affect your spending habits all year long.

So what are the best ways to save money over the festive period?… We’ve compiled a list of 10 ideas that we think are the best and could easily save you a load of money. Some of these tips you may have heard before, but we hope that you find at least 1 great idea to help you spend less over this year’s holiday season!

1. Shop Online

We’ll start with quite an obvious one, but still one that thousands of people sometimes forget about in the Christmas rush.

Every year shopping malls and high streets are packed full of people seeking perfect gifts for their loved ones. This is a great way to look for gifts and get inspiration, but what’s often forgotten is that products you see in the shops can usually (although not always!) be found for substantially cheaper online. So although we think it’s a great idea to shop around, you can often save money by simply making a list of gifts that you find and then buying them for cheaper online. Online shops such as Amazon now stock almost anything you can think of and 9 times out of 10, they’re cheaper than buying from the high street (especially with free postage). Now clearly some local independent shops don’t offer their products online and we think that local shops such as these are worth supporting, but if you’re going to purchase something from a big high street store (who normally have online shops themselves) then get online and save some cash!

2. Use Online Coupon & Cashback Sites

On a similar theme to our first suggestion, there are now hundreds of sites online who offer discount codes or cashback for things you would normally be happy paying full price for. Qudico is a great example; simply sign up with their surprisingly quick process and take a look at all the shops they are partnered with, all you then need to do is visit the online shop through the link provided by Quidco and you’ll earn cashback on whatever you buy. Deals and cashback amounts vary, but even 5% cashback is worth a few extra clicks to get what you’re after… isn’t it!?

There are hundreds of coupon sites such as www.moneysavingexpert.co.uk and www.vouchercodes.co.uk who offer online codes and coupons for retailers; simply enter the retailer you wish to shop with and you’ll be shown any coupon or discount codes on offer at the time.

Another site, one of our personal favourites is www.hotukdeals.co.uk. Essentially it’s a forum style site that anyone can sign up to and just post great deals they’ve found. Posts range from great offers in local shops to big online chains. Sometimes mistake offers are also posted by people who are quick off the mark – We picked up a laptop a few weeks ago that Dell had put the wrong price on their website for… that saved a few hundred pounds!

3. Save on the weekly shop

Grocery shopping is usually a big and unwelcome bill at Christmas. Luckily there are ways to save money without requiring the effort of going to each supermarket and finding the best deals from each shop. If you like shopping online then www.mysupermarket.co.uk will allow you to shop as you normally would and then instantly compare your basket with the big online supermarkets to find where it’s cheapest. You can then just submit your shop to your supermarket of choice and pocket the saving from shopping around without the hassle! We also happen to think that the online shopping experience through MySupermarket is better than using some of the sites provided by the big supermarkets.

If you’re looking to save even more money, then we’d recommend starting your shop at a discount store such as Lidl or Aldi. The savings you can achieve are usually pretty good and you can always finish off your shop (i.e. get anything that wasn’t stocked) by visiting your normal supermarket afterwards.

Another great idea is to ‘make your own’. Now, this isn’t always practical, but for things such as mince pies, making your own nearly always tastes 100% better than shop bought, it normally works out cheaper and you have great fun doing it!

4. Give unwanted gifts as presents

Most of us have unwanted gifts lying around somewhere don’t we? Usually these gifts are still sealed in their original wrappers and are therefore essentially brand new! Rather than buying new presents, take a look at anything you have like this in your house and think whether you know anyone who would appreciate it as a present rather than you. This not only saves you money, but also gets unwanted clutter out of your house (Don’t get sentimental about it either! Something being used is far less of a waste than it sitting around doing nothing!).

5. Don’t go over the top!

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in Christmas and end up spending more than you would have liked to. It seems fine at the time, but when the festive season is over, that’s when the costs normally starts to bite! We recommend making separate lists of presents, food and any other accessories and decorations you need and setting a budget for each item (or list). Then focus on trying to keep within the budgets you have set. If you spend too much on one present, cut back on another, or spend less money on your decorations. With a little balancing and will power, it’s normally quite easy to stick to a set budget.

6. Don’t call relatives from a mobile or landline

Ever heard of Skype?… If you’ve got relatives you call every year, whether they’re across the other side of the UK or across the other side of the world, Skype usually offers massive cost savings. If you’ve got a PC and a microphone (most laptops and PCs now have them in-built) then you just need to go to www.skype.co.uk and get yourself set up. The relative you’re phoning will also need to do the same, otherwise it could be a bit of a one way call!

7. Get duty free goods online!

Yes, that’s right! You can get quality big brand perfume and make up products online for a lot lower than you could from the high street. Just go to www.feelunique.com, a Jersey based company who offer duty free prices (and free delivery) online. Saving you money whilst being completely convenient!

8. Reveal your crafty side

A lot of people have a crafty side whether they realise it or not! Why not try out yours this year and put together some homemade Christmas gifts, cards or even decorations! It may not be to everyone’s taste, but giving a handmade card or gift shows much more effort than just handing over shop bought items.

For decorations, paper chains (like you made at school) are always a winner. We think they look pretty good and they cost no more than the glue and paper required to put them together! There’s a great BBC Guide here on how to knock one up, just in case you’ve forgotten!

9. Walk!

We know that it’s cold outside in winter, but walking to the shops or to visit people rather than driving is often pretty refreshing and usually safer than just jumping in the car. I for one actually enjoy walking in the winter… if you can look past the biting cold, then there just seems to be a magical feel to the air (that might just be me!), but you can still save petrol/diesel money in the process!

10. Wait till the sales

If you’re not seeing someone (be it relatives or friends) until after Christmas, why don’t you hold off buying their present until the sales start!? They’ll be none the wiser and you’ll have saved yourself a nice bit of cash.

You may actually find that some people would rather wait for their present so you can get it at a lower price rather than paying over the odds just to have it on Christmas day!

That’s our list done, but we also wanted to share this great infographic with you about UK Christmas Shopping in 2011;

UK Christmas Shopping in 2011 infographic By Deals.org.uk

If you’ve got any money saving suggestions that you’d like to share, please comment about them below, we’d love to hear them!

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Written by: Alex

Dec 6 2011 in Being Frugal, Seasonal AlexTags: christmas, Gifts, Homemade, Organising, Shopping, Vouchers
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