Christmas is a magical time of the year for many. However, it can also be expensive, especially when you have children or a large family. The amount we spend at Christmas as well as limiting spending at Christmas is something we’ve been thinking alot about this year.
There are those who are savvy shoppers who started squirrelling gifts away from the January sales onwards and there will be some who set a deadline for having the shopping done by September.
But most of us are only starting to think about it now, and it can be so easy to go into debt to keep the little ones happy. As a parent, you want your children to have the most wonderful of Christmastimes, and this often leads to trying to keep up with everything they’ve asked for from Father Christmas and frantically working out how much will be left in the festive budget if you do buy the toy of the year.
To help keep costs down, here is a look at how to keep costs down and why not giving them everything they’ve put on their list can be helpful in the long run.
The Gift Limit
Have a budget in mind and stick to it. Once you know what you want to spend this Christmas, you can then let the children know they can only ask for so many presents this year.
If your child has been asking for the same expensive thing for most of the year, you could get them that and some stocking fillers. You could also follow the four-gift mantra and only get them something they want, need, wear and read or tell them they can have one big present and two small ones. From there, you can work out what to get them that fits within your finances.
Big Gift Ideas
The big gifts on the list needn’t break the bank. From reasonably priced tablets to brightly-coloured toddler scooters, like the ones from SkateHut, if you aim to avoid the big brands and shop around the sales, there are bargains to be had.
Christmas Eve Treats
To help soften the switch to the new way of buying gifts for the kids, why not start Christmas a day early? Christmas Eve is a lovely opportunity to gather around and watch family films. Buy some new pyjamas for everyone, get some popcorn ready and snuggle up together.
By changing how you give gifts this year, you can still make the day special without spending a fortune. Plus, the children will appreciate their gifts as they have carefully selected them.
Will you be trying something new to save some pennies this festive season? What strategies are you thinking of trying to curb gift buying?
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