50 Christmas Saving Tips From Our Readers
As part of our latest competition we asked our readers to share their top Christmas money saving tip with the rest of the SurveyCompare community.
There were so many fantastic responses that we decided to pick 50 of our favourite pieces of advice and create this article, which we’re sure will be a handy reference guide for many Christmases to come.
General Christmas Shopping Tips
1. "Don't start your shopping too early as you will buy more than you need." Angie Allen
2. "Buy through the year, getting items in the sales online and in the shops" Zoe Goulding
3. "I start buying early, use cashback websites & always check websites for discount codes. I've made it my mission never to pay full price for anything!" Kerry Adamowicz
4. "Don’t leave Xmas till the last minute! Start preparing in January, buy last year’s wrapping paper and cards cheap in the sale and buy presents throughout the year. Keep an eye on the eBay and Amazon daily deals as there are always a few bargains waiting to be snapped up!" Alison Sherwood
5. "Set a couple of boxes up just for Christmas where you can store the special bargains that sometimes come up in shops early and that way they are not in main food cupboard in temptations way to use." Tracey Ashburn
6. "Take cash with you when you shop both food shopping and Christmas gift shopping you will keep a much closer eye on what you are spending rather than just paying on a debit card." Michelle Ba Bamber
7. "Join a supermarket loyalty scheme. I shop with Tesco and save points all year on my purchases for the Christmas Exchange. You can add your own cash to it too which is optional. Whatever you buy, petrol to gadgets to household goods, you accumulate points which are then exchanged for vouchers. Say you save £100 all year - you can double these to £200 in the great exchange. Fantastic for shoppers who love to shop there." Kayleigh White
8. "Start early! Buy cards, gift wrap and tags in the January sales and keep an eye out throughout the year for deals, bargains and offer codes to bring down the cost. Just make sure you keep a note of what you have bought so that you don't over-purchase!" Rachie Green
9. "Go shopping with a plan and remember you don't have to go crazy it is the thought that should count not the price tag." Helena Hewett
10. "Always ask to see a manager and try to haggle the price down, it is completely legal and you may be surprised at the savings you can make!" Carl McWinter
11. "Use the internet to compare prices and see who has offers on for free delivery." Helen Talboys
Saving Money on Gifts
12. "Make a list of gifts and carry it around with you - tick things off as you buy them so you don't duplicate. Also, if you know exactly what you've bought people you won't overspend on additional surplus things you see while shopping. It's very easy to come across a whole stash of pressies in the upstairs cupboard which you forgot you had bought!" Tracy K Nixon
13. "If you have a large family then do a Secret Santa so you don't have to buy for everyone and set a maximum limit on your spending." Alison Wells
14. "Keep to just buying for your immediate family." Paul Martin
15. "Don't try to balance out what you spend on everyone, if it looks like a good present it is, no one need know if you had a bargain :)" Katie Evans
16. "Make your own gifts - nicer, more personal AND cheaper!" Penelope Friday
17. "Get presents throughout the year when they are on offer and research price online to find the cheapest retailer" Jane Middleton
18. "Limit all family and friends to £5 spend and make them be extra creative at Christmas, that way everyone is equal and you often get something interesting also." Kelly Martin
19. "It sounds very boring, but you can save so much money if you buy a selection of presents in the January and summer sales!" Anthea Holloway
20. "Don't buy a load of over-priced plastic tat - and manage your children's expectations." Deb Lonnon
Budgeting Tips
21. "Look online, write a list out and stick to a budget so you get what you need and know how much you’ve spent." Lorna Kennedy
22. "Always make a list as you will over buy and research for the cheapest deals." Lynn Ward
23. "I have a spreadsheet set up which I use each year, and I stick to it! I also start shopping from January, I like to buy unusual or unique gifts from places we visit or holiday at." Karen Barrett
24. "I save my coppers all year and use the Coinstar, I tend to be able to buy all the food I need for Christmas. Laura Oxley
25. "Put away £1 every day of the year and when it comes to Christmas you will have over £300 to put towards your shopping! And you won't miss £1 a day!!" Josh Dunn
26. "Around July I create standing order for £10 per week to go to my saving account, this way I get extra money to pay for Christmas." Monika Suchonska
27. "Keep hold of the pennies and the pounds will keep themselves :)" Anne
28. "Don't buy what you can't afford" Jambo Dave Prince
29. "Works out your budget first, and your shopping list second, and make sure you spread the cost over as many months as possible - nobody can pay for Christmas out of one or two months’ salary!" Jay Scales
30."Don't get in debt over Christmas. It's not worth it, family is what counts!" Natalie Crossan
Food
31. "I always spend too much money on food for over the Christmas period you would think I was buying for a family of twelve instead of just me and my partner. This year my money saving tip is to make a list and stick to it." Lynda Jones
32. "Pack left over food from dinner into small containers and use for meals at work, most can often be frozen too." Amanda Johnson
33. "Start shopping for food as early as possible, what I normally do is every time I go shopping I buy something for the cupboard upstairs, it’s amazing what you collect over the year." Emma Falvi
34. "Make your own pickles and preserves, tastier and cheaper than shop bought, also make good gifts." Becky John
35. "Spread the cost of the Xmas meal by asking your guests/family to bring a course starter - or dessert are easiest to transport or the wine / champagne. This way you can still all get together without breaking the bank!" Chris Bray
Cards & Decorations
36. "Buy decorations from a charity shop." Fran Tuck
37. "Buy next year’s Christmas cards and decorations in the post-Christmas sales - usually marked down to less than half price in supermarkets." Christine Andrews
38. "Post Christmas cards early using second class stamps." Linda Neilson
39. "I collect pine cones etc. on my dog walks and make my own decorations." Sarah Wells
40. "Don't buy your Christmas tree until the last week, that way you can get the house all sorted, and get a tree for less than half price!" Laraine Spiteri
41. "Don’t waste money on expensive wrapping paper and tags, its used for a few hours and then binned." John Lynch
42. "Use the same decorations year after year instead of buying new ones." Raych Bonness
Creative
43. "Use old Christmas cards as prezzie labels." Maureen Findley
44. "Upcycle old possessions into new gifts." Ali Krayve
45. "Decide it's become too commercial and model yourself after Ebenezer Scrooge." Jazz Blyth
46. "Keep all of your spare change in a jar" Susie Hall
47. "Don't buy things! You can have a great Christmas without having to spend an absolute fortune. Just a few carefully chosen things can be all you need for a great time. If you think about how many presents are given and received that are not really all that wanted, then you realise just how ridiculous the whole thing is! I'm not a scrooge, I love Christmas and I do buy presents, I'm just not pressured into the madness!" Hilda Wright
48. "If you have kids, get them to draw portraits of family & friends, then frame and gift wrap. Pick up frames from a charity shop/car boot. For added sentiment ask your child to write a few words about that person on the back." Sonia Vegas
49. "Have a homemade Christmas. Make the tags from old Christmas cards and use brown paper to wrap. Pick pine cones and crispy leaves to decorate too. Decorate sweet jars and fill with goodies as presents. Take a selection of photos and make a colleague and give as a gift. Buy all your presents online preloved from Ebay, Oxfam etc. You will be amazed at how many brand new things are sale at mark down costs." Kristy Smith
50. "Don't buy anyone anything!" Adam A Smith
To read all of the entries and find out who the three winners were head over to the competition page.