Moneymagpie Group
18th Nov 2025
Studying Time: 5 minutes
Christmas might be an costly time of 12 months. When you begin spending cash, it may be simple to get caught up within the festive spirit and lose monitor of expenditure! You possibly can fall into debt or get your self into additional debt. By not prioritising, you could find your self with out cash to purchase what you actually need, whether or not that’s one thing like a vacation or extra Christmas objects.
Client champion Helen Dewdney, often known as The Complaining Cow, frequently empowers customers concerning their client rights and saving cash. In her newest ebook 465 Methods to Save Cash on Christmas All through the Yr she supplies assist with budgeting, prioritising, saving, spending and making ready otherwise. Chapters embody setting a price range and saving cash on playing cards, presents, garments, festivities, journey, holidays and leisure. With so many ideas to select from there may be a lot that can be new to readers.
Right here at MoneyMagpie, founder Jasmine Birtles says:
“Anybody who’s struggling to make ends meet proper now ought to learn this ebook and put into apply what it says. As ordinary, Helen 
has give you all the sensible recommendation you must unfold the price of Christmas simply over the 12 months and reduce out the burden and confusion of paying for a cheerful festive season. There are price range calculators you possibly can fill in, issues to do every day and intelligent concepts for saving and making a living by the 12 months to place apart for Christmas. One in every of my favourites is her recommendation on make cash from garbage which you’ll be able to then put in direction of your Christmas financial savings pile. “This ebook is a fast and straightforward learn, filled with fab concepts, hints, ideas and smart client recommendation. Even when you couldn’t give two hoots for Christmas itself, it’s value studying this ebook simply to choose up the numerous and numerous methods to avoid wasting day-to-day.”
Helen supplied to share among the extra uncommon Christmas cash saving ideas from the ebook:
Budgeting for Christmas
1) Organise your Christmas expenditure into classes, corresponding to meals, presents, journey, decorations and festivities, and so forth. Set a price range and persist with it. Don’t be swayed by so-called “bargains”. This may assist stop impulse shopping for.
2) Prioritise. Make a want checklist of all the pieces you’d like to purchase. Then, utilizing your price range, rank all the pieces so as of significance. This may cease you shopping for “bargains” which can be the least necessary till you get to that a part of the checklist.
Saving cash typically
3) Be part of Fb teams and “like” pages that share bargains. Set to get notifications so that you’ll all the time be notified when a contemporary discount comes up. Typically members get to listen to early about dates for presents or have low cost codes.
4) A displayed price ticket isn’t essentially the ultimate value. No contract has been fashioned till cash has modified palms. And the worst that may occur is just being informed “No!” Haggling doesn’t simply need to be on the cellphone. You possibly can negotiate costs by way of on-line chat on web sites, by cellphone or e-mail.
5) Bank cards typically have hidden advantages. Test yours to see if it contains vacation presents, factors to make use of in opposition to journeys, reductions or cashback.
Saving cash on toys
6) Search for toys which have been discounted resulting from broken packing containers, beauty scratches, and so forth., corresponding to at Amazon Warehouse and eBay. Journey Toys promote discounted Little Tikes returns. Marthill Worldwide sells pallets of mail order returns made up of field broken, bag broken, defective objects and change-of-mind returns. They are often discounted by as much as 85%, so you possibly can promote some on and/or cut up the price with mates.
7) Look out for clearance and shops on-line. For instance, Smyths, Argos and The Works have clearance sections on their websites that run all 12 months spherical. Do an web search on the phrase “outlet” and any retailer you prefer to see if they’ve an outlet. There are numerous massive names that do that. ao.com, Marks & Spencer’s, Currys and Tesco are only a few.
8) Cash Saving Central predicts and offers dates for gross sales at on-line shops and supermarkets. (For instance: right here)
Saving cash on presents
9) Recommend as a gaggle of mates or household that you simply placed on a fundraising occasion or volunteer to do one thing collectively, as an alternative of giving presents.
10) When you usually purchase presents for kids whom you don’t see fairly often, movie your self studying a narrative. Personalise it through the use of the kid’s identify all through the story. Add to a platform like YouTube and set it to personal. Ship the kid that hyperlink. You would, after all, additionally write your personal story which might be even higher!
11) Reuse clear jars and on the surface, utilizing a glitter glue stick or pen, write one thing like “Appreciation jar” or “Why I’m cherished”. Then write out private messages on a number of items of paper. The recipient can open the jar and take out a notice at any time when they really feel they should. You may also write down favorite recollections of time spent collectively.
Saving cash on different areas of Christmas
12) Take a look at market locations, corresponding to Fb and Gumtree, for bargains. You might be more likely to save extra as you possibly can gather regionally and there are fewer eyeballs on native sellers than different websites. You may also lookup “assortment solely” objects on eBay.
13) You would swap garments on a bigger and extra everlasting scale by working or attending a “swishing social gathering”. Right here, individuals take the garments they now not need and change them for tokens which can be utilized to purchase different objects. That is splendid for bagging that Christmassy quantity!
14) Create your personal creation calendars. Youngsters might help make them utilizing card and pens, or making packing containers and envelopes or utilizing materials and stitching on pockets. Fill the pockets with goodies or treats or reusable toys you could deliver out yearly. You may also repurpose previous Christmas playing cards. This would possibly develop into a part of your Christmas actions and traditions.
15) Take a look at the “World Meals” grocery store aisle. Pack sizes are generally larger and you’ll typically save some huge cash on merchandise that you simply purchase from different aisles. For instance, nuts, lentils, beans, coconut milk and spices.
16) Take the carol singing one step additional. Organise a Midnight carol flash-mob: Coordinate with mates to sing a single carol at an agreed spot one night for no value and plenty of ambiance. Promote as a lot as you want!
17) Be sure you know your client rights when shopping for services or products. The primary legislation you must perceive is the Client Rights Act 2015. This entitles you to items which can be of passable high quality, match the outline, match for goal, final an affordable size of time and be free from defects. For objects which can be in breach, as much as 30 days from buy, you might be entitled to a full refund and after this time a restore or substitute.
For extra in your client rights see The Complaining Cow web site and Helen’s first ebook Complain: The Important Client Information to Getting Refunds, Redress and Outcomes!
With somewhat ahead planning and Helen’s savvy recommendation, you possibly can preserve management of your spending, keep away from festive debt and nonetheless take pleasure in a Christmas that feels really particular.
Helen’s ebook 456 Methods to Save Cash on Christmas All through the Yr will provide help to to make financial savings all 12 months lengthy, now and into 2026.
