How could you do Christmas on a budget?

Are you all ready for the big day? Or are you a last-minute present buyer? Whichever category you fit in to, we’re sure that shopping on a budget, whilst making sure you buy the best presents for those you love, is still super important!

Here at Sugarhouse HQ, we’ve come up with a few handy ideas to keep your Christmas shopping manageable and enjoyable, whilst not blowing your budget!!

Create yourself a realistic budget

Before you even start think about hitting the shops or the internet, it’s important to think realistically about what you’re able to afford! Take a look at your finances, and work out alongside the rest of your outgoings for the month, what you think you’re able to afford, along with how many people you need to buy for, so that you can decide how much you’ll spend on each person, that way, you’ll know you’ve got enough to cover everyone!

 

Try introducing a Secret Santa concept

Whether it’s to share with your housemates, or your family and friends, this is a great way to reduce costs over Christmas! Particularly if there is a large group of you, rather than spending lots of money buying individually for everyone, by introducing Secret Santa, you’ll only need to buy for one person – Result! We do a Secret Santa each year at Sugarhouse within the office, and it’s always a great chance for a pre-christmas gift exchange!

 

Making your own homemade gifts

There’s a lot to be said for a handmade gift! With so many ideas, from sweet treats, to clothing, there are loads of ways to create a gift for your friends and family, without having to spend a fortune! Pinterest and Instagram have loads of great ideas for things you can make, including baking kits, home decorations, food gifts and more – check it out for some ideas, and get making!

 

Agree to not buy for each other this year

This year’s been tough on everyone, and has been financially difficult for a lot of people, so perhaps agreeing to not buy presents for each other, but do something festive together instead, would be a great idea to take the pressure off! Definitely a great suggestion to make to your housemates, as the chances are, they’re probably all feeling the same way too! If you don’t want to go completely cold turkey, you could always suggest meeting for a festive drink (When the restrictions allow!) instead!

 

Watch out for the sales!

Whether you got swept up in the Black Friday madness or not, you’ll often find that most online and high street retailers offer some pretty generous discounts and sales before Christmas – particularly this year! So make the most of it, and choose your gifts carefully to make sure you can get them cheaper than normal! Spending a few extra minutes searching can save you a few pounds!

 

Hopefully these ideas might save you a few pounds, but more than anything, we hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas, whatever your plans may be!