15 Thrifty Christmas Tips That Don’t Feel Cheap
Want to have a luxe Christmas without forking out luxury prices?
These thrifty Christmas tips are perfect for helping you have a festive season to remember without busting the budget.
Christmastime is one of the hardest periods of the year to stick with a budget. There are so many spending pressures – gifts, going out, food and decorations.
And with brands going out of their way to get you spending as much as possible, it can be really hard to steer clear of temptation.
If you want to have a Christmas to remember, that doesn’t end with a New Year spending hangover come January, then try these useful tips for having Christmas for less!
Need help sticking to a budget? Try this Christmas budget spreadsheet.
Best tips for a frugal Christmas on a budget
1. Set a budget and stick with it
Setting your budget in advance is the best place to start when it comes to avoiding overspending at Christmas.
Be clear on how much money you have before you spend on anything.
Don’t try to force the Christmas you want into the budget you have, as inevitably you’ll end up going beyond your means.
When setting your budget be sure to account for everyone you need to buy gifts for and then divide up your gift budget.
Then consider other factors such as whether you will be hosting Christmas this year.
Look at what you already have saved for Christmas and if you think you’re going to be short on funds, then look at ways to boost the budget. There are tips for making money for Christmas here.
Remember to prioritise your budget for the things that matter most to you, and to start with what money you have, not what you want to spend.
For example, let’s say I have a $1,000 budget for Christmas. Here is my budget:
- Food (I host every year so food is expensive) – $300
- Gifts for kids (I spend the most on my children) – $500
- Gifts for husband – $100
- Other gifts – $100
I do not have room in my budget for things like new decorations and we actually love embracing our old ones, it’s so nostalgic getting them out every year.
2. Consider a no-gifts agreement with adults
If you’re looking to save money on gifts then consider suggesting to adults in the family that you forego grown-up gifts and focus on just buying for the kids.
We have done this several times and it can save you well over £100, depending on how many adults you have to buy for typically.
When you have children in the family the focus for Christmas really is all about them any way.
We have often found ourselves buying for our parents or aunts and uncles just for the sake of getting something, rather than getting them anything they actually need.
Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones – that’s the greatest gift! Cheesy as that may sound.
3. List your priorities
It can be helpful to reframe Christmas in your mind by listing the priorities for the season in order of importance.
Number one is bound to be having your family and loved ones around you, with stuff you don’t really need probably not even factoring in.
Once you start focusing on Christmas as being about the people rather than the stuff then this can help you stay in control when it comes to spending.
4. Find creative twists on traditional recipes
Christmas food is going to be one of your biggest areas of expenditure if you are hosting guests either on the big day itself or in the run up.
One way of making your Christmas feel luxe without spending luxury prices on food is to look for creative twists on traditional recipes.
And making homemade treats that are real crowd-pleasers is also a great way of saving money – it’s far cheaper than paying over the odds for pre-made party food packs from the supermarket.
One example is cheese twists, made with a little puff party and grated cheese. Making these yourself works out far cheaper than buying pre-made oven cook nibbles from the supermarket.
Instead of buying Champagne to make a toast, get prosecco or cava and use them to mix up some posh cocktails using cordials, lemon juice and berries.
You could also try switching your Christmas turkey for a cheaper meat, such as a chicken or duck (a luxury meat but tends to work out cheaper than a turkey).
5. Go handmade with decorations
Making the house feel festive doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
Handmade stars and garlands can add colour, and if you have kids getting them to make something adds a lovely personal touch.
I’ve made my own front door wreath for a few years and this saves a huge amount of money. Christmas wreaths with fresh greenery can cost £20 to £60, depending on the size you need.
Instead you can forage for greenery to add to the wreath during a December walk with the family.
You can also try foraging for pine cones, spray them with some gold paint, and use these to form part of the wreath, or decorate your Christmas tree.
6. Save on Christmas food
Get smart with your spending in the supermarket around Christmas time.
There is more pressure than ever for you to buy beyond what is on your list – with offers and luxury branded foods pushing us to buy up whenever we enter the store.
So follow these tips to stick to your food budget:
- Figure out exactly how much food you need to serve the number of guests. Do not overbuy.
- Make a clear shopping list and stick with it.
- Do not give in to deals on food you do not need.
- Do take advantage of bulk deals when they come up – such as on party nibbles – but ensure you can freeze them if the use by date is before Christmas Day.
- Consider buying a frozen turkey instead of fresh, it’s cheaper!
- Live on the edge and wait until Christmas Eve to buy your food. Supermarkets are desperate to clear their stock at this stage because come Boxing Day no one wants Christmas dinner supplies. It’s nerve-wracking, but if you wait until the day before Christmas then you’re likely to find lots of yellow stickers marking down the price of key items for your festive meal.
- Take advantage of offers and cashback. You can use apps such as JamDoughnut to get cashback on gift cards for lots of the major supermarkets.
- Don’t forget to use your points. If you have accrued loyalty points through schemes such as Clubcard and Nectar then use them on your Christmas shop.
You may also find my guide to the cheapest Christmas dinner – where I help you figure out the best place to get your festive food shop is for the best prices.
7. Shop secondhand
There’s an amazing selection of secondhand bargains to be found on online auction sites – some of them have never even been used!
Vinted is a great place to find make-up and beauty products (you can only sell such items on there if they are unopened).
It’s also good for bargain clothes, and you’ll find some big names on there for adults and kids.
Facebook Marketplace is also a great place to bag a bargain, with some local Facebook buy and sell groups even featuring free items.
Some secondhand items may need cleaning and upcycling, for example an old dollhouse, but plan ahead and you could save yourself hundreds of pounds on toys and other gifts.
8. Always shop around & use cashback
Before you buy anything it’s wise to pause and double check you are getting the absolute best price.
The price of so many products fluctuates wildly throughout the year and depending on where you buy it from, so always do your research.
And it’s wise to always take advantage of cashback wherever you can. Many of the big online retailers are signed up to big cashback sites like TopCashback and Quidco.
9. Shop the sales
Plan what you need to buy for Christmas with a clear list of gift ideas for your loved ones and then wait for the big sales in the run-up to Christmas.
Watch out for Black Friday on November 24 and Cyber Monday on November 27 for deals. But remember the previous tip when doing this!
Always research the prices on items you are looking to buy to ensure the deal you are getting is truly a bargain. Even when it’s in a sale, sometimes you can find it cheaper elsewhere.
10. Take a tour of local Christmas lights
Save on expensive Christmas experiences, such as visiting light shows and Santa’s grottos, by seeking out free festive fun instead.
Lots of people make a huge amount of effort with their Christmas light displays at their own homes.
So take a walking tour around your local neighbourhood or a nearby estate where lots of homes are decorated.
When I was younger my parents would drive us through London’s Oxford Street every year to see the Christmas lights! It’s a memory that always sticks out in my mind.
The local library or your local school may offer a cheap or free Santa’s grotto experience that’s far less expensive than the luxury experiences some venues hold every year.
11. Don’t leave it until the last-minute
Many of us overspend on gifts when we purchase for the sake of it, in a blind panic just a few days before Christmas.
So always aim to get it all wrapped up in time for Christmas in plenty of time. That gives you breathing room to decide on what to buy for people, with a focus on ensuring those gifts fit in with your budget.
I also think experiences can be so much more valuable than stuff, so maybe agree to a joint family day trip that you can all contribute to financially in the New Year rather than lots of gifts.
12. Make Christmas gifts
Going homemade with Christmas presents is a great way to save money, and that personal touch is always well received!
One year I made Christmas chutney for everyone and this saved over £100 in gifts, and because I added personal labels to the jars it was a lovely gift.
You could also make your own Christmas hampers filled with your loved one’s favourite items, such as sweet treats, wine and sauces.
13. Have a family secret Santa
Another way to save money on gifts is to pledge to only buy one gift each among the adults in your family.
Put everyone’s name into a bowl and take turns to pick one out. Or get someone to allocate who gets whom for secret Santa.
It adds an extra dimension of fun to Christmas Day as well!
14. Get kids to make wrapping paper
Homemade wrapping paper is a lovely personal touch that is bound to get compliments but you can make it without breaking the bank. It’s way cheaper than expensive rolls of luxury paper.
Get some cheap brown parcel wrapping paper and challenge your kids to do their best festive decorating. They could cover it with Christmas-themed doodles using pens.
Or they could do Christmas stamps – this could be done with a set of stamps featuring stars and Christmas characters.
Alternatively get a potato, cut it in half and make a star or Christmas tree design on there. Then get the kids to dip it in red paint and stamp it onto the paper to make a pattern.
15. Make a plan for leftovers
When the big day is over it’s likely you will have a fridge heaving with leftover food. Try to make that last as long as possible so you can make the most of your big Christmas shop.
Some of my favourite Christmas leftovers ideas you can try include:
- Turkey soup from the turkey carcass
- Turkey curry with leftover meat
- Fried potatoes using leftover roast potatoes
- Veggie curry using leftover veg
- Omelette with leftover veggies
- Sandwiches using cold cuts
- Turkey pie
- Smoothies using leftover fruit
- Banana bread using any leftover bananas
Final thoughts
I hope you have plenty of inspiration for ways you can save money for a frugal Christmas without compromising on all the fun the season has to offer!
You might also like this article about how much to spend on Christmas gifts and these frugal living tips.
If you do overspend at Christmas then check out these tips for a no buy January to save money.
