Christmas on a budget

I for one am not one to usually budget. I have been known for using the phrase 'go hard or go home' when it comes to spending. But not this year! This is the year I've been Money Saving Maya. In the past I would blame my spending on the fact that I love buying gifts for people but no excuses this December - I had a plan and I was sticking to it. To my surprise, following a few small tips has saved me a lot of money this year... 

 

• Make a list (and check it twice) for all the people you need to buy gifts for. This will help you budget in advance. We all know impulse shopping is dangerous. Set a spending limit for gifts and stick to it. 
• Secret Santa is your friend. If you're one to have big groups of friends, Christmastime can often mean having to buy everyone a present. And when there's 15 in your friendship group, that's a lot of presents. 
• Plan ahead. The end of November (Black Friday) is the perfect time to snap up some 'bargains'. In fact if you're super prepared, buy your Christmas gifts in the Boxing Day sales - tips for next year. 
• Ban unnecessary presents. If someone doesn't remember your Christmas gift a couple of months later then what you bought wasn't good. Avoid buying for buying sake. 
• Fund charity gifts such as; lifesaving vaccines for kids. Christmas is about giving , but who wants to give a gift that's going to be wasted. There are so many great Charity Gifts out there and it's so good to see how much goes to a charitable cause. One in three calls to Samaritans on Christmas Day are from people who feel lonely and isolated. So this Christmas, why not give the gift of time and listening. Samaritans.org offer great packages as part of the #givethegift campaign. You can set up to have a “a phone call with me, anytime”, “a box set evening and a good old catch up” or other options with the one in three individuals that call the charity due to loneliness every year. 

• For the romantics out there, give the The 12 Dates of Christmas. Plan 12 dates for each month of the next year, no matter how big or small the dates are, give them to your loved one on Christmas Day. 
• Designer outlets are your second best friend (secret Santa is the first). Bicester and York Designer Outlet are some of the country's best! 
• Cut those postage costs. Use the web to cut delivery costs of packages more than 2kg using a discount web courier instead of Royal Mail – just be weary of last delivery days. 
• According to YouGov the average family spent £751 on Christmas in 2017 - that's a pair of Louboutins FYI. That January struggle is one that everyone experiences so instead of feeling blue in January, save for the year ahead. Small sacrifices add up. For example, if you stop buying a £2.85 pret (soy caramel ) latte between 1st January and Christmas Eve, that's £1037.40 - more than enough for Christmas and those Louboutins. 

And on that note, happy Christmas (on a budget)

Outfit details

Blazer - Nasty Gal

Jumper Dress - H&M (similar)

Boots - Similar

Mx