The festive season is on the way and the Christmas aisles are already in the supermarkets. What festivities have you got planned? With Christmas time, it can be easy to lose track of how much you are spending and beep your contactless card a few too many times. In order to save some cash there are a few things we can do. Let’s have a look at how you can save money on the Christmas shop.
Only Buy What You Need
Firstly, only buy what you need. It is all too easy to be taken in by delicious looking treats but do you really need them? We can get paranoid that we’ll run out of things when the shops are shut, but they are only closed for a day. Do you rally need to overbuy pints of milk and loaves of bread? So often we think we’ll eat more than we actually do. Figure out the food and drink that you actually need, make a list of it helps. By doing this you can save money on the Christmas shop.
Purchase Non Perishables Throughout The Year
By not leaving everything to the last minute you can save some money. Shops start selling Christmas stock early and often have some great discounts on things that will save for Christmas Day itself. If you can find non perishables that you can pop on top of the kitchen cupboards, you can tick them off your list early. We’re thinking jars of cranberry sauce, packets of stuffing and bottles of wine or soft drinks. You’ll also save some cash by getting them on offer and not need to worry about paying full or over inflated prices at the last minute to get your hands on what you need.
Set Up A Christmas Savings Account For Year Round Festive Planning
Downshift The Brand You Buy
Don’t get drawn in by the festive packaging. That’s just going to end up in the recycling! A lot of the time the actual food you are going to eat is pretty much exactly the same. Look at what is available on the shelf and go for a cheaper option, usually lower down from eye level. There might be a few luxuries you always buy at Christmas, however when it comes down to it, potatoes are potatoes. They’re still going to get roasted in oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper and rosemary. Downshifting your brand is a great way to save money on the Christmas shop.
Look For Discounts & Special Offers
All the supermarkets want your business at Christmas. It’s a huge opportunity for them to make their profits. In order to do this, they buy stock cheap and sell it on at a higher price. Every penny counts! However, to appeal to their customers and get them to part with their hard earned cash, they create special offers. For example, Christmas vegetables often get reduced right down to 20p a bag in the week before Christmas. Some undercut this by a penny at 19p a bag. The competition is real! The shops think that if they sell these at reduced prices, they’ll get customers through the door to do the rest of their shopping. Take advantage of these discounts and special offers to save cash on the Christmas shop.
Give Gifts Of Time Instead Of Buying Presents
When you are considering buying gifts whilst doing the Christmas shop, consider how much you are spending. What are you buying for someone and do they actually need it? Will they like it? Maybe it’s just sending money for the sake of giving someone a token gift. Talk to people and consider cutting out gift giving. If they are trying to save money too it could be a fantastic conversation. You could start to give gifts of time as presents instead. This could be pencilling in a coffee date with a friend, or organising a walk through the park with that Mum you know from the school run.
Shop Online
Utilise the ability to shop online. With more of us relying on the internet than ever before for work, we can also do our shopping on there too. When you shop online you aren’t tempted by other things quite as much as you are in a shop. Yes the companies have ways of trying to upsell you things, but it feels easier to ignore that compared to when you are in a physical shop. Make your list and only search for the things you need. You could leave them in your basket for a couple of days to see if the company sends you a reminder with a discount code. Don’t forget to shop via cashback sites and search for vouchers too for extra money off. You can save money on the Christmas shop when you buy online.
Remember It Is Only One Day
When you are at the Christmas shop, don’t forget that it is only one day. Christmas Day comes and goes every year and because we know when it will arrive, we should be able to plan properly for it. However so many of us overbuy and purchase things right up until the last minute. The season spent with family and friends is much more important than lavish food and expensive gifts. Don’t get yourself into debt over one day.
Christmas is indeed a time for giving and enjoying time together, but you don’t have to over spend in order to do so. Make yourself a budget and stick to your shopping list. You might even consider paying in cash this season, so you can’t pay more than what you have in your hand. Save money where you can on the Christmas shop and enjoy your festive season.
