How To Do Christmas 2022 For Less
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How To Do Christmas 2022 For Less
Every year at Leeds Credit Union, we conduct a survey of our members to get a better idea of their financial circumstances and spending plans for the coming months. Regrettably, this year’s survey revealed that more than one-in-two Leeds residents have seen their financial situation worsen in 2022, with 48% predicting it to get much worse in 2023.
With the cost of living crisis showing no sign of stopping, it’s highly likely that a significant number of people outside of Yorkshire are in the same boat too, so we’ve compiled our top tips for making Christmas more affordable this year. Read on to find out more.
Gifts
Own brand perfume
Most perfumes are purchased in November and December so it’s no surprise that they’re among the most popular Christmas gifts.
With many big name brands selling their scents for more than £100 per bottle, finding cheaper alternatives can save you a packet.
The good news is that fragrances are technically recipes and so cannot be trademarked, meaning other perfumes can be made to smell like the more illustrious ones for a fraction of the price. Channel’s famous Coco Mademoiselle, for example, typically retails for around £120; Next’s Eau Nude, which smells almost identical, is just £14.99.
Vouchers
You can reduce your expenditure on presents this year by giving your nearest and dearest the greatest gift of all – you!
Homemade, practical IOU vouchers can be personalised for anyone on your ‘to buy for’ list, and could include offering to babysit, doing the school run, walking someone’s dog or doing some DIY. Best of all, they’re unlikely to cost you anything but your time.
Food
Turkey
Although all sorts of meat are popular at dinner time on Christmas day, turkey is still the bird of choice for most Brits. Most of us usually clamour to pick up a fresh turkey in the days immediately before Christmas but there is a more cost-effective option: frozen turkeys.
At £2.85 per kilo, frozen turkeys are almost exactly half the price of fresh ones and they’re likely to be tastier too, as the quality of fresh turkeys diminishes the longer they sit on supermarket shelves.
Salmon
In the UK, December is unofficially smoked salmon month, with shoppers spending twice as much on the fishy favourite in the run up to Christmas as we do in any other month.
However, rather than splashing out for a side of salmon or expensive fillets, keep an eye out for salmon trimmings. Taken from the edges of a main prime cut or an incomplete piece, trimmings are every bit as tasty but can be as much as 40% cheaper.
Entertainment
Free tickets
For many of us, a festive trip to the local pantomime is as essential to Christmas time as mistletoe and mince pies. But with ticket prices on the rise, why not apply for free tickets to one of the BBC’s numerous TV and radio shows this year instead?
A comprehensive list of available tickets can be found here – just remember to visit the website regularly as they tend to get snapped up quickly.
Staying in is the new going out
There are plenty of fun things for families to do at home that don’t cost the earth, such as:
- watching Christmas films. There are always plenty to choose from on TV throughout December so take it in turns to pick one, settle in on the sofa with a few treats and get cosy.
- having a scavenger hunt. Simply hide an inexpensive prize – such as some chocolate – then place some clues that will lead your family to it around the house. Perfect if it’s cold and wet outside…
- …but if you get lucky and it’s snowy outside, there’s no better time to get in the garden and build a snowman or instigate a snowball fight!
- playing games. Dust off your old Monopoly set if you want to get competitive; stick to charades if you’d rather keep it lighthearted.
We’re here to help
Most of us look forward to Christmas time but for those suffering financial hardship, December 25th can be the cause of sleepless nights. We offer affordable small loans of £250 to our members to help ensure no one needs to go into the red over the festive period – find out how to join here.
