Buy affordable decorations
If you’re planning on decorating your home with new ornaments then you have to remain mindful that these Christmas decorations incur a cost. If you’re planning on buying additional Christmas baubles or wreaths, then you might want to take note of how much you are paying for these decorations. Remember that decorating is about enjoying a creative outlet with your family and you shouldn’t stress too much about paying for lavish ornaments.”
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year filled with happiness and joy, but it can also be incredibly expensive and hard to manage. After-work events, socializing with loved ones at the weekends, travel, food and, of course, gifts can make December a month that is hard to manage financially. With this in mind, read on for a few tips for saving money over the holidays.
Plan Your Expenses
It can be very easy to splash the cash in December only to realize in January that you have gone way overboard. This is why you should work out how much money you want to spend over the holidays and then work out how much you are able to spend on each expense.
Use a Carers Card
If you look after a loved one, you are a professional carer or you work in the care sector, it is worth getting a carers card that can be used to earn cash back both online and offline at many of the major UK retailers. This is a smart way to reduce your spending during the holidays (and beyond) and could make a big difference to your finances.
Buy Family Gifts
Do you have a long list of people to buy for? Instead of buying everyone an individual gift, you can save money by buying a gift for the whole family such as a board game or box of chocolates. Alternatively, see if anyone would be interested in a Secret Santa so that you only have to buy one gift – this is something that many people will get on board with as it allows you to make savings in a time where many are worried about money.
Stick to Your Budget
Once you have your budget in place, you need to stick to it. You will want to find a way that is easy to track your spendings, such as using a prepaid card, an app on your phone or a spreadsheet that tracks your spending. This should help you to control your spending while out and about and ensure that you are not scraping by at the end of the month.
Keep an Eye On Your Bank Balance
It is very easy to overspend during Christmas, especially if you are out socializing and the drinks are flowing. You can set up alerts when your current account falls below a certain level and December is certainly a good month to use this feature. There are also apps that allow you to bring all of your accounts together in one place so that you can easily monitor your spending.
These tips should help you to control your spending over the holidays while still having a festive period filled with happiness and joy.
