It’s the most wonderful (*cough* costly *cough*!) time of the year.
No matter how hard we’ve been working and saving through the year, Christmas just seems to catch all of us unawares. We know it’s coming, how does this happen every year?!
Between the presents, food, office parties, and a gazillion other ‘Christmas catch ups ????’ with everyone you’ve ever met, it’s… a lot. On our brains, bodies, and of course, our wallets.
This year, let’s make it a little easier on ourselves, yeah? Without skimping on any of that Christmas ✨magic✨.
Ho Ho… How?
It is possible. In this article, we’re gonna show you lots of merry little festive hacks, covering:
- Budget-planning,
- Fund-stashing,
- Secret-keeping,
- List-making,
- Peace-keeping, and
- Plenty of fun freebie-finding!
Best read with your favourite Spotify Christmas mix blaring at max volume. (Go on, don’t be a total Scrooge).
1. Budget-planning
Sit down and set your spending limit. Do. not. overlook. this. step.
How many people are on your Christmas list? How much do you want to spend? How much can you actually afford to spend without setting your financial goals back?
It’s easy to overdo it on gifts when we’re not looking at our Christmas spending as a whole. Doing this will remind you of the true cost of all that gift-giving, as lovely as it is.
We recommend writing down what you’re planning to buy next to each person with a price estimate too, so you can see if you can really afford to buy it.
Is it too much? Then here’s our next tip: that warm, fuzzy feeling you get watching someone you love open something from you is the same, no matter how much you spent.
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Don’t forget the food!
Um as if we could, it’s the best part of the day.
Baked ham, turkey, fresh prawns, trifle, pavlova (???? )… sorry, where were we? Oh that’s right, they cost money too. If you know you’ll be on lunch duty for one of these big-ticket items, add it to your Christmas budget.
2. Fund-stashing
Now you have a better idea how much the day is going to cost you, open a special Christmas fund and start setting some funds aside every week, fortnight, or month.
We LOVE this idea, it really helps ease the December pressure on our pay packets AND will stop you from pulling money out of your actual savings to cover you.
The amount you set aside doesn’t have to be huge and of course, the earlier you start doing it, the better.
3. Secret-keeping
Suggest a Secret Santa. It’s not just for the office!
The savings benefit here is obvious. Instead of buying a present for every single person at Christmas lunch—mum, dad, your brother, sister, sister-in-law, aunty, uncle and five or six cousins—you just buy for one.
The adults in particular love this one. Everyone ends up with a gift you’ve been able to put a bit more thought into, and it’s FUN. You can draw names, draw numbers for a keep or steal Santa (sometimes called a ‘Bad Santa’), or make up your own version.
If you’ve got a bunch of littlies in the family, it works for kids too. Buying a gift for each can get very costly and let’s face it, kinda unnecessary (Santa himself is usually more generous here). It might just require a little extra time and patience to manage!
4. List-making
Remember the list we made in point one? NEVER go Christmas shopping without it. Keep it in your Notes app so it’s with you at all times and you can mark it off as you go.
The earlier you make this list the better. Instead of doing a Christmas Eve dash and buying a bunch of stuff that wasn’t on your list in a panic, you can research ahead of time to find the best prices. You’ll even have time to go online and have things shipped right to you so you can avoid shopping centre hell altogether!
If you’re really organised you might be able to take advantage of some great deals too, especially for larger gifts. EOFY sales, anyone?
As for those lists:
- Don’t be afraid to buy secondhand. Places like Facebook Marketplace often have brand new items available too. Gaming consoles that were never or hardly used, shoes still in boxes, coats with tags still attached, crockery, records… you name it.
- If you have your heart set on a gift of a very generous nature, why not split the cost with another? Shared or group gifts are just as special, and no one would want you putting yourself in financial pressure for their sake (least of all your nearest and dearest).
- Gifts aren’t the only thing that can be bought in advance. So long as they’re not perishables, keep an eye out for food and drink specials you can set aside for December. Lollies for the kids, your dad’s favourite port, you get the idea.
5. Peace-keeping
Okay, this is a big one.
Christmas is wonderful. But it can be *a lot*, both financially and mentally.
So, let’s keep it wonderful by being open and honest with our family and friends, and how we’re feeling!
If you’re worried about money and not being able to spend as much on your family this year, tell them. Maybe you’re saving hard for your first home, trying to get on top of debt, or find yourself with less disposable cash on hand than usual for whatever reason (hello, cost-of-living crisis ????).
Maybe you can all agree on a spending limit or give that Secret Santa a go for the first time? And hey, they just might be feeling exactly the same as you. Cue multiple sighs of relief.
This goes for our friends too. All those Christmas catch ups can be really draining on the wallets (and um, the body), so if you need to go home early or send your apologies, don’t be afraid to say so.
6. Fun freebie-finding
We’ve got to our favourite part. The free stuff!
Because the real Christmas magic doesn’t cost a damn thing. Here’s 10 of the best:
- Blare the Christmas tunes or put on your favourite Christmas film (it’s Elf for me) and get that tree up! You don’t need new fancy ornaments, the more haphazard and homemade the better, in our humble opinion.
- Go for a drive to see the city’s best lights. Blaring more Christmas tunes on the way will really set the mood.
- Host a Christmas movie night. Pull out your comfiest PJs, grab the popcorn, make some hot cocoa (don’t worry, Milo does the trick) and we swear you’ll practically be able to see the snow falling outside your window, too.
- Make a gingerbread house (YUM). Set up a Christmas themed decorating table, get your Smarties, candy canes and icing sugar ready, and get messy! First go? The more lopsided and ‘authentic’ it looks, the better it tastes. It’s tradition to smash it to pieces before eating anyway.
- Search online or via your community’s Facebook group for free events happening near you. Everyone loves a Christmas market or night of carols in the park. Got kids? You’ll find plenty of Christmas craft activities to keep them occupied too.
- While we’re talking about crafts—it’s not just for kids. Get on Pinterest or Etsy and DIY your Christmas cards, decorations, hats, gifts, you name it. If you can buy it, you can make it.
- Go meet Santa and get a photo for the fridge! If the kids are too scared or you’re a bit old to sit on Santa’s knee yourself, get creative and create your own Christmas photo op at home.
- Who doesn’t love a good Christmas Eve tree ‘gram? Wrap up a bunch of empty boxes in a variety of sizes and you’ve nailed the aesthetic. If you’ve got kids, just make sure they know they’re empty to avoid any tantrums or better yet, encourage them to make their own gifts and put them inside. Finger paintings, sock puppets… let their creativity run wild.
- Nothing feels better at this time of year than giving. Christmas is a great time to go through an overflowing wardrobe, toy box, or kitchen and make a donation. If you can spare some pennies, you can also pop some extra canned goods or small toys in your trolley to donate.
- Last but not least… don’t forget about Rudolph! It doesn’t matter how old you are, leaving a few carrots out for Rudolph and friends will put you in the Christmas spirit immediately. A few cookies and a cuppa for the old man won’t hurt, either.
Bonnie’s wrap
Christmas is a wonderful time of year to spoil our loved ones, yes, but it’s also the perfect time to check in with our values and remind ourselves what is really important to us.
Is it important that someone knows you spent a certain amount of money on them?
Is it important that you give the biggest, greatest gift someone receives that year?
Probably not.
So, before you spend a cent on anyone, I want you to ask yourself: how do I want to feel this Christmas?
Once you’ve decided that, you can go about making the magic happen. And as we’ve just reminded you: you might find you don’t need to spend a cent after all.
