Learn my tips and tricks to make the most of the budget you have, for a magical and stress-free Christmas.
If there was one thing I learned in my time working as a debt counsellor, it was that Christmas was a stressful time. Incredibly stressful.
Christmas is the time when retail explodes, and businesses ramp up their advertising and marketing. They get louder, bolder and more invasive.
It’s impossible to ignore them!
So what’s a person on a tight budget to do?
I know it can seem tempting to get a short term loan, just $1000 or so, to cover the costs of the season. You’ll pay it back in the new year, right? Loan sharks up the ante this time of year, and it is like candy before a baby, dangling that instant money in front of a struggling person who needs to buy lots of stuff.
It makes me SO mad.
Here is the advice we gave our clients who were living on extremely tight budgets:
DON’T GET THAT LOAN. Instead, Give yourself Time to Save.
It may make things easier for you now, but these are the kinds of high-cost loans that you will be paying off for YEARS to come, sometimes up to 10 times the amount you originally paid. Just don’t do it, okay?
Now, it’s time to start saving.
Actually, you should have been saving since last Christmas, but starting now is not going to be as bad as not starting at all. You will probably just have to save a little bit more each week to ensure you have enough funds for presents and food and events.
Side note: if you save $20/week starting from this Christmas, and set it aside into a separate “Christmas Account” you will have $1040 in 52 weeks. That is not a bad Christmas Budget.
Ok, so you have not started saving yet. No worries. Here is what you do: Anything extra after rent, bills and food, set aside into a different bank account. DON’T TOUCH IT.
Be firm with yourself!!
There is still about 6 weeks till Christmas, so you could save up to $600 if you were super frugal about it. You might have to tighten your belt and adjust your lifestyle a bit to make this happen.
But imagine what a lovely time you will have at Christmas if you do!
Ok, so you have the funds. What next?
Say, you have between $300 and $600 saved up. That’s $50 – $100/week.
How to have a Magical Christmas on $300 minimum:
What Presents To Buy:
Go thrift shopping. I will tell you this much: you cannot afford to buy anything full price. Say you have ten people to buy for. Aim to spend $10 per person. Get puzzles, books or toys for the little kids. Or, you could find some felt pens and a colouring book from the $2 shop.
For adults, you can find so many hobby, recipe, and fictional books at a thrift shop. Or a nice dress or jumper. If you really hunt, you can find good-quality stuff.
Try to think of items you have already you could DIY into a gift. Maybe you are a clever drawer and you already have pens and paper – why not draw a picture for someone as a gift? The time and the detail you have poured into such a gift will be more valuable than funds spent.
Here’s a tip:
If you have a supermarket around you that is doing a Christmas promotion loyalty scheme, participate! You are spending the money on groceeries anyway, why not get something free with it?
Just try not to spend more than you usually would.
Our local Supermarket, Countdown, is doing a ‘Lego’ themed promotion, so every $30 you spend you get a little packet of ‘Lego’. I am going to save it up for Christmas, as a little treat for my boys to open on Christmas day.
Disclaimer: hubby thinks this is a terrible idea and wants to open them straight away.
What Food to Get:
By the time you have bought your presents, you probably have $200 left for food.
This is going to be tight.
Starting from this week, look at the specials at your supermarket, and get the things you KNOW you will need, IF they are on special. There is a good chance that between now and then, the item you want will definitely come on special.
Wait, and save.
Then, you can start a little Christmas food collection, adding to it every week from your regular grocery shop. Allocate a special “Treat” cupboard where you can store these things safely away, out of reach of little (or big) fingers.
Get your meat items on sale from your local discount store.
Plan your Christmas menu around what is available there. For example, at our local “Reduced to Clear,” an Organic Frozen Chicken is only $10. If you get 2 of those and roast them, that is a delicious Christmas dinner for $20. You just need potatoes and salad, and you are set.
Get all your sweets, snacks, and drinks from the local Discount store.
These stores often have high-end products for a fraction of the price. These snack-type foods tend to comprise the most of the Christmas budget, so saving here will really maximise your Christmas budget.
Here is a really low-cost, feed a crowd Christmas day plan that will still feel like a treat for you:
For breakfast:
Make a massive amount of pancakes. Pancakes are such a treat, who would know that they are actually make from low-cost ingredients? Flour, eggs and milk. And they go for miles.
No, you don’t have to have all the toppings – that just gets unnecessarily expensive. Just simple maple syrup will do, or Cinnamon and Sugar as my Hubby’s family has it (delicious and Christmassy!)
For Lunch:
2 big roast chickens, with roast potatoes and a massive amount of coleslaw. Fresh, simple, inexpensive, but DANG TASTY. What can get better than perfectly crisp and seasoned roast potatoes?? And with the mayonnaise that already comes with the coleslaw, you do not even need to buy special dressings.
This is the perfect sort of meal to prep ahead and go and have a picnic at your local park (if it’s a nice day). Take a frisbee and have fun!
Dessert:
What about a giant sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and cream? Dates are SO cheap, but this dessert is so decadent and Christmassy, it is a real treat.
Snacks:
Sparking water or grape juice, chippies and crackers and chocolates (all from the discount store, of course!)
Dinner:
Leftovers!! Have some bread in the cupboard so you can make roast chicken sammies maybe with a few sneaky chippies in there as well.
This Christmas menu shouldn’t cost you too much extra. Remember the $200 you had left from your Christmas budget is ADDITIONAL to your usual food budget (although, try not to dip into that too much for the one day of Christmas). If you get most of your items from your discount store, you should easily have enough to cover the items you will need to get from the grocery store.
I hope this has inspired you to think a bit differently about how you can save money. Even if you do have a bigger budget, you don’t have to spend all your money on Christmas treats. Remember, having time together is also a treat, so focus on maximising that, too.
What are some ways you will save this Christmas?
