Christmas saving tips

I put money away throughout the year for Christmas so December is not so expensive! I also save loads of time writing out cards - I have a rubber stamp with a Christmas greeting and our names on it, so I only handwrite who it's going to and address the envelope

I have in the past bought remnants of festive material from charity shops and used for present wrapping.-much easier than wrapping with paper.

guggenheim.corporateecards.com/category_list.asp?CCID=10&ID=&action=#1
If you are finding it expensive to send cards abroad the Guggenheim in the US has free email cards if you would normally choose arty cards. I know it's expensive to post to Oz . I used to use the British library ones but their new ones to me are weird and certainly not Christmassy . I don't know if there is a limit on the number and it doesn't say free but I can't see any demand for payment. They have a nice Chagall of Paris and some still lifes/ lives and a pretty Seurat

Some large UK department stores have a gift wrap service. ToysRUs have a wrap your own area. It would be good if the service was more wide spread though.

Shop assistants also ask if your purchase is a present and they will then wrap it for you. Supermarkets have rolls of wrapping paper near the exit so you can wrap your own. It saves quite a bit and I don't have any last minute wrapping to do. Not much help for UK shoppers I know but maybe you could start a campaign!

I say Happy Christmas to people I see and only send cards to those I don't. I live in a country where it is not the norm to send cards for celebrations.

My crinkle edge scissors are in great demand around the family at this time of year, as we`ve all started making our own gift tags out of old cards. And for string I use the shiny tpe that comes with packs of gift bows.

Like margk, I sometimes do surveys for rewards. The best I have found is for Royal Mail (Sorry, no link, but try googling 'Royal Mail Postal Survey). Once accepted, you do a 6-month stint and get 'paid' with stamps - a book of 12 first-class stamps plus 4 large first-class every month you do the survey. Last year I had enough stamps for all the Christmas cards plus loads left over. The survey is easy and not onerous, taking approx 5-10 min per day, posting and recording received items.

^ I store it in a dress cover hung up in the spare wardrobe along with gift bags to be reused.^
marpau what a good idea! It either falls around in the bottom of a spare wardrobe or gets squashed in the top of same wardrobe.!

I shall try that (hope I remember, and then hope I remember where I stored it the Christmas after next )

Post about 15 within UK.
Post 5 abroad long distance.
Family and friends cards with their gifts, otherwise hand delivered.
Yes DH and I exchange cards.

Slightly off topic but it is cost related.
Out of curiosity can I ask how many cards do you write/post ?
I post about 10 (we have a small family) and hand deliver 12 more to neighbours and local friends.
Do you and DH/SO give each other Christmas cards ? we do.

I shop for small gifts throughout the year. I happen to love table top sales, car boots, and charity shops, and often find brand new things. Even today I found a Disney Store top for my granddaughter in a charity shop, brand new. These are not main gifts, but add a bit of extra fun to the day. I buy my cards and wrapping paper in the January sales, but doesn't everyone do that!

You can get really good buys of ribbon on eBay. I got 9 metres for 1p and postage was £1.99 yes, from China but a bargain.

Getting organised and buying things well in advance must save money and hassle. Some things may get more expensive (and harder to get) nearer the time!

- pre-preparing, blanching veggies and freezing them,
- presents all sorted by November,
- post off, especially parcels, early in December

Postage, of course, doesn't have special offers. But my main problem, as a working mum, who's used up all her holiday and won't have any days off except Christmas Eve, is saving on time, rather than on money.

As I mentioned on another thread, I'd really like to push the boat out and decorate the house up to the gunwales this year for the grandchildren, but I won't have much time to do it in.

As for saving money, if at all, I buy 100 charity cards, cheaper than smaller amounts, and they do for 2-3 years. As Christmas morning is spent church-going and entertaining, I have been known to just do chicken breasts rather than a whole bird. No one misses it, and chicken is nicer than turkey anyway. Although, on second thoughts, that may no work out cheaper, because you get another 3 meals out of the turkey.

We save money by buying special stamps from our local scouts who deliver cards locally for half the price of Royal Mail.

Not sure it's money saving but the grandchildren love it, DH makes crackers for each of them using a cardboard tube and the cracker snaps we buy on ebay. He likes to choose something nice to put inside for each grandchild, decorates them with Christmas wrapping paper and then instead of putting names on we print out a picture of each of them and stick on the cracker. He's got 4 to make this year as all the grandchildren will be with us, plus one extra for my 3 year old great niece.

I too buy my paper and cards in the sales I store it in a dress cover hung up in the spare wardrobe along with gift bags to be reused. When we go on holiday we buy a decoration to hang on the tree makes nice memories when we decorate the tree. Present wise I save my loyalty points until stores offer double up yesterday I bought 4 presents at Saintsbury's for £4.85

annsixty I don't think that's mean, just sensible. When I had to give up work, we had to find ways to save money and Christmas cards was one of the ways we could do that. If I don't get a card from someone I haven't seen in years, I don't send them a card the next year. Most are former work colleagues and I don't know what is happening in their lives. It's a pointless waste of money and just perpetuates the commercialisation of Christmas (pompous or what?! ) It wasn't the cards that saved us money, it was the stamps. We hand deliver where we can.

It's amazing how you can save money when you forced to do it. We only buy cards when we're running out. IKEA is good for wrapping paper to fit any occasion. I too save gift bags and also the trimmings from gifts. I do personalised gift labels on the laptop - there's plenty of templates online if you're not good at doing your own designs.

My one weakness is buying meaningful little extra gifts for my Mum. She's the same and I think it's because we live hundreds of miles apart. Our Christmas is much more about family these days.

You'll probably get the non-recipients worried about you this year annsixty! Maybe a few anxious phone calls after Christmas? I had thought of paring my own list down, too, as some of the exchanges are not friends, just acquaintances . It does then seem a bit silly to perpetuate the habit.

My tip is really mean and horrid!! After I had bought all my cards last year I decided to do a " cull" of the list . It was so successful that I have enough cards to send this year without buying more, and I haven't lost any friends as they were the " card at Christmas " type.

I have a tip (a bit too late for this year, but perhaps next year). I do lots of surveys and get vouchers for Amazon, M & S, Boots, Debenhams etc as well as money for doing them. I save the vouchers up in a special envelope and use them to buy Christmas presents. I find I can save about 75% of the money I would have spent and another plus is that if you forget someone's birthday, you always have some vouchers you can send them.

As for this year, Boots and a few other stores do 3 for 2 offers which are a good way of saving money.

Sorry, Guardian website, not Delia's: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/nov/30/delia-smith-christmas-lunch-cheap

When our children were young (and expensive) my dear OH and I got into the habit of frugality at Christmas, not for the children, of course, but for ourselves. We did not do pressies for each other on the day but gave Christmas IOUs and went out in the sales afterwards and bought things we needed at knock down prices.

Other money saving ideas:-
-Make gift tags from the leftover cards. Trim them carefully, use a hole punch to punch a hole in the corner and tie with the silk loops shops use to keep clothes on the hanger (and which are always cut off as they show.)
-Buy cards after Christmas in January for next year.
-Buy red and/or gold shiny wrapping paper and cheap green silk ribbon/bows and the paper can be used all year round.
-Buy one classy Christmas tree decoration a year in a colour code (silver & green or red & gold) and you'll soon have a brilliant looking tree. We used to let the children choose one each.
-Do 'secret Santa' presents with adult friends & family and have a Christmas present limit which is reasonable, e.g. £5 or £10.
-Buy a frozen turkey crown well before Christmas when they are on offer. No waste whatsoever and easier to carve on the day. Tastes as good.
-Much of the Christmas dinner will be root vegetable. Buy misshapen, value ones and remember to parboil them. No one will know the difference.

Christmas is about the company and the customs, not the expense. It's nice to find a lonely relative and invite them. if they are rude or misbehave, laugh.

In our family our kids are broke so we just buy a present (names are drawn out of a hat) for one grown-up. We agree a limit (last year it was £20).

I recently read on the Delia (aka the one true goddess) website how to do a Christmas lunch for under a fiver a head.

My reduced price Christmas cards, crackers and wrapping paper go in a box in the loft in January with all the other decorations. For years I have also cut out gift tags from old Christmas cards and I have hand delivered local cards. We also re-use gift bags for years!

I compose a newsy email with personal adaptations and photos to send to friends at Christmas and make a donation to my local children's hospice instead of cards.

I now only buy presents for DC and DGC but that still costs a fortune. The most popular ones are usually games. Last year's hit, which we still play, was 'Pie Face'. Matching card games and craft kits also go down well, especially with the girls.