How To Save Money For Next Christmas

This is a collaborative post

Feeling the pinch this Christmas? You are not alone. After all who ever envisaged a global pandemic that would last for 2 years, then Russia invaded Ukraine and caused prices to hike up even more. With people having to decide to choose between food and energy, there is little left behind for special occasions like birthdays and Christmas. So all though it might be too late to start saving money for this Christmas. I wanted to write this blog post to help you to save money for next Christmas.

Your journey of saving should ideally start in the new year. Getting a good start to the year always takes a lot of the pressure off you and your family. It also means you are more prepared and less likely to resort to a short-term borrowing solution.

Shopping In The Sales

If like me you live payday to payday, then it is so hard to find the money at Christmas to buy the gifts that you want to buy. Sometimes you end up needing a little help and that’s okay. Because we all do the best we can to provide the most awesome gifts at Christmas.

Our first suggestion for saving money for next Christmas is to shop in the after-Christmas sales. Although this might seem like a silly idea to you, it will actually save so much money. Retailers want to get rid of the Christmas stock. So they reduce it to half price. Sometimes the sales even start a week before Christmas. So you possibly have time to do it this year too.

But saving 50% in sales is a huge saving for gifts for next Christmas. In fact, you can buy your Christmas wrap and cards too. Some retailers then slash their prices even more in the middle of January to get rid of the excessive stock quicker. Eventually, Boots reduce their Christmas gifts to 90% off in January. Some shops like Superdrug will reduce all of their Christmas stock in the summer to silly prices like 49p or £1. These are great times to buy make-up and skincare.

Pennies In A Jar

Think of all of those coins we hate having in our purses. The pennies, the 2p’s, and the 5p’s weigh us down and they just seem to be worthless these days. But they won’t be worthless to you if you grab yourself an old jar and start emptying your purse of them every night.

One day you might only put 3p in the jar. But the next day 52p might go in the jar. So over the year, the money adds up. Even if you only save £50 over a year, it is money that you never would have had otherwise.

Instead of a jar, you can buy a tin from most £1 shops. you put your loose coins in there and you cannot get it out until it is full. Then count it up and bank it. I have done this before with pound coins and saved hundreds of pounds over the year. But you do need to be strong-willed to do this. You need to be focused on not opening it before Christmas.

Sell The Things You Don’t Need

We all have too much stuff. And the worse thing is that we don’t always need this stuff. This year if you get something you won’t use, pop it on eBay. There is nothing wrong in doing this and in the long run, it will help you for next year. It is better to make some money from it than it is hidden in your house and nothing happens to it.

When you have had your new gifts this year, get rid of some old ones. You know that old saying, someone’s trash is another person’s treasure? Well, it is true! You can always get a few quid for your old items. You can sell on so many platforms now too. There is eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted are just a few to mention.

Fill In Surveys For Money For Next Christmas

This is a good way to get some money for next Christmas, but it can be a slow way to make money too. If you travel to work on the train or the bus, get your phone out and fill in some surveys. The companies normally give you Amazon vouchers or other retail vouchers as compensation. You can save these up and spend them all at Christmas when you want to go shopping. Or you can use these vouchers to buy gifts on Amazon Prime days or in the sales when you will get so much more for your money.

Surveys are specific to certain genders and ages, so you need to find the ones that fit you perfectly. Some surveys pay more than others, and there are usually Facebook groups where people share surveys in. You also get to meet like-minded people. Hopefully next year will be easier for you, and these tips help. You can find more tips here to help too.