Grab your jingle bells this week's Thrifty Thursday instalment is all about... Christmas! It's not even Halloween yet and already most stores (and a few homes!) are decked in garish Christmas decor and we are reminded of a daunting (or for some exciting) truth - Christmas is closer than you think.
So my first tip to you, lovely readers, is to start now. Drop what you're doing, grab your purse and head to the shops. Okay, well maybe not right this second, but in the very near future. The sooner it gets to Christmas the more shops deem it fit to charge you a high price for any item which could be perceived as a gift.
Think outside the box - literally. No one really wants to receive a gift set which took all of three seconds of thought. But this doesn't mean you can't buy a couple anyway and mix and match the items for individual presents.
Secret Santa is your friend. Flatmates, work colleagues, friends can you imagine if you had to buy each group separate presents? You'd be up to your eyeballs in debt! Admittedly most people don't do Secret Santa amongst their families, but among friends it's definitely a great way to save those precious pennies.
Stock up! I've noticed recently H&M doing these cute little body butters for just £1! If you see a great deal take advantage of it and get a few, The Body Shop are also having an incredible sale at the moment and are selling some of their most popular body butters for only £6.50 and seem to always be doing deals on their online site! And don't forget to utilise your student discount if you have one!
If your quite the dab hand with arts and crafts another great way to save money is to make your own Christmas presents. If done well it gives a lovely personal touch to your gifts and cuts your spending drastically! If you're stuck for ideas here, here and here are some to help you get started.
Not just at Christmas, but for any occasion which requires wrapping gifts, I just cannot bear to spend as much as the gifts themselves on wrapping paper! In the past I've made my own gift wrap out of old magazines and you can make your own too. Use newspapers and tie with colourful ribbon to offset the monochrome, retain gift bags from your own birthday and reuse these and use tissue paper to give presents a delicate look! For my eighteenth I even received one present wrapped in tin foil! At the end of the day, the paper is going to be discarded so theres no need to create extra waste or spend extra money on expensive shop made wrapping.
So there you have it! What about you guys? What are your tips for saving money over Christmas? Let me know!
Psst! Read the last weeks Thrifty Thursday here!
