Saving Money at Christmas

I don’t know if you saw it but there was recently a film by Martin Lewis, from Money Saving Expert fame that calls for a ban on unnecessary Christmas presents. And by unnecessary he means the ones you tend to give from obligation as it would seem rude not to.

Lewis is calling for this to stop. Speak to your friends and relatives and ask if they would rather not exchange this year. Apart from the extra expense of buying the presents it’s hard to work out what to buy for people that they don’t already have and that they might want or need.

Save Money at Christmas

I have a simply enormous list of people I buy for at Christmas. It’s so large that I need to keep a spreadsheet and start buying months in advance just so that I can manage to wrap them all in time!

This year I am going to look at my list and make a few decisions. After all, the people I am buying for might feel the same way and be really relieved by the suggestion.  I buy for both my friends and family and my husbands family. It’s a lot of money and work and is, quite frankly, a bit daft. So this year, things are going to be a bit different.

I am debating giving ‘promises’, so I might promise to look after a friend’s child for a few hours while she has a massage, or goes shopping, or just has a well deserved nap. I might offer to help someone with some sewing, or cooking, or website updating as those are the things I like to do and not everyone else does! I might make someone this lovely Christmas Cake.  Pledge a little of your time in exchange for some of theirs and I think we will all be happier this Christmas.

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