9 Ways to have Festive Fun on a Budget
Christmas is the average UK family’s number one none essential expense. It’s unavoidable, particularly for those with children, which is why making it as budget-friendly as possible is key.
Christmas Money Saving Ideas
Christmas is undeniably the most exciting calendar even of the year, with the build-up starting early December for most. Here are some ways to keep the costs down, without forfeiting on the fun…
1. Prepare
The key to saving money is to know what you have to spend. You should work out what you can afford, and divvy it up into sections such as…
- Gifts
- Food & Drink
- Christmas Activities
Basically, Create a Budget – and stick to it.
2. Prioritise
Can you really afford to buy gifts for everyone? You should never buy for adult family members if you feel you really can’t afford it. Explain that money is tight, and you’re only buying for children. People are usually very understanding, and thankful they don’t have to buy for you also.
3. Shop Savvy
The number 1 expense at Christmas is the presents. Cutting costs in this area will enable you to make huge savings.
Only buy sale items, look for a discount code (or student discount) to make your sale purchase even cheaper, and always shop through a cashback website. This way you will get a triple whammy of savings on your gift purchases.
Check out UK Sale Date calendars online, this way you’ll be the first to know when a retailer you intend to shop at is due to have a sale go live, such as UK Toy Sale Dates, which I have saved a fortune with over the years, just by being kept in the loop.
4. Deck the Halls
Don’t just put your decorations up, make it a thing! Ours go up religiously on December 1st. When the children come home from school, I have their Christmas PJs ready, their Christmas bedding on, and their advent calendars on their beds.
We have a party food tea, blast the Christmas songs and all put the decorations up together.
It’s the perfect way to kick off the festive period.
5. See The Lights
There’s nothing nicer than taking a drive to see the different lights around the neighbourhood. We usually leave this to the week before Christmas to make sure everyone has put their lights up.
Be sure to blast your Christmas songs out as you go!
Top Tip: Ask your friends on social media where the best lights are, so you can make a list and plan your route.
6. Elf on the Shelf
As annoying as it is trying to remember to do something every night, the kids do love Elf on the shelf. You can pick one up for about £2 in any discount shop, and there are 100s of ideas on Pinterest for what the naughty Elf can get up to.
7. Christmas Movie Night
My absolute favourite thing to do! I LOVE a Christmas movie. We have hotdogs and cheap snacks, and cuddle up on the sofa, with all the Christmas lights twinkling in the background.
There’s a channel dedicated to free Christmas movies, called ‘Christmas 24’, so you’ll never be short of free, festive viewing material.
8. Christmas Games Night
Games nights are a huge hit with the kids, it’s a way to bond as a family, have fun and even get the kids learning a thing or two.
We managed to get a fab Christmas board game from a car boot sale called ‘Santa’s Christmas Showdown’, which gets dusted off every year and we also do a free online Christmas Quiz, which the kids love.
We have a buffet tea and all the decorations are lit up, making it really festive.
9. Christmas Crafting
There are so many ideas on Pinterest for amazing Christmas crafts. We make all our Christmas cards, a couple of the decorations, placemats for our Christmas table, and a centrepiece out of pine cones we collect.
It’s affordable, keeps the kids happy, and makes them so proud to see their items being used.
These are just some of the possible ways to save money celebrating and making Christmas magical. If you have any other ideas for free or cheap festive activities, let us know in the comments.
Pin it!
