Christmas comes but once a year, which – at the risk of sounding grinchy – is something we can all be grateful for.
While for many of us it’s a joyful time, it can also be challenging from a financial point of view, particularly when we’re already dealing with cost-of-living pressures.
Buying gifts for multiple people, along with decorations, festive fare and everything else that defines Christmas can make celebrating an expensive exercise.
Luckily, a little planning, some creative thinking and a dash of DIY can help cut costs. Here are some ideas for celebrations with more dash than cash.
Prepare your sale strategy
Rather than heading to crowded shopping centres at the last minute to work through a gift list, start putting presents together earlier in the year.
Many retailers offer significant discounts at the start of December in Black Friday or Cyber Week sales, so being organised can pay off.
It’s a good idea to research the items you’re buying beforehand to check that you really are getting a great deal, and if you’re purchasing presents online, make sure that your order will arrive in time for the big day.
Want to avoid regular retail spending altogether? There are plenty of DIY alternatives, most of which are cheaper than ready-made gifts and will have more meaning for both you and the recipient.
Cook up festive treats
If you’re handy in the kitchen, why not cook up jams, preserves or chutneys, bake a batch of cookies that will keep for a few weeks or even make some fancy granola?
These can all be presented in recycled jars, tins or containers – they’re easily decorated with ribbon, scrap fabric or pretty paper.
Perhaps your recipes are legendary, in which case you could write up a few and illustrate them with your own drawings or photographs of the dishes or memorable meals. Who knows, your recipe book may become a treasured family heirloom one day.
The gift of greenery
Green thumbs often have cuttings and seedlings on the go all year round. When relatively established and transferred into an attractive pot or container, these make great gifts.
Be sure to consider the recipient’s living situation to decide on the right kind of plant for them: do they have a large garden or are they limited to a tiny apartment; are they often away or will they be able to care for the plant regularly?
If it’s going to be difficult for them to transport a plant home after the Christmas gathering, maybe an assortment of seeds from your garden would be more appropriate? Whatever you decide, include the name of the plant and how to care for it as part of the present.
Pass on your craft
Many of us have established hobbies and enjoy making presents for loved ones. If you’re short on time, though, it’s easy to put together craft starter kits from odds and ends left over from past projects.
For example, if you’ve been sewing for years, you’ll no doubt have fabric remnants, thread, jars of buttons and needles that could be presented in a bag or basket for a would-be sewist.
Woodworkers might gather tools and timber offcuts in a box to get future carpenters started; artists can fill a case with paint, pastels a sketchpad and a book on drawing.
Add a homemade voucher for lessons (given by you, of course), personalise the box or bag by adding the recipient’s name, and the gift is complete.
Preloved presents
While you may not have considered looking for Christmas presents at op shops, they are often a source of unopened or as-new items at much cheaper prices than regular retail outlets.
Op shops and other second-hand outlets such as fleamarkets and vintage stores also present the opportunity to put together thoughtful gifts with unique character.
You might team a set of cocktail glasses with a vintage book on entertaining etiquette; pair a picnic basket and outdoor game set or sporting equipment; or fill a tote bag with balls of wool, knitting needles and a pattern book, for instance – all for just a few dollars. It may take a bit more creative thinking and rummaging than a trip to the shopping centre, but the finding is half the fun.
Pictures are worth a thousand words
Remember when people used to print out photos for each other? Digital cameras and smartphones have all but put a stop to that, which is why a photo book can make such a thoughtful present.
If you’ve taken a trip with a friend or spent many memorable moments with them throughout the year, collate your digital photos and create a book online or at outlets such as Kmart and Officeworks.
For old-school appeal, print out the photos and stick them into a scrapbook with other mementoes such as tickets, magazine cuttings and so on.
Creating the book will bring back happy memories for you, and your friend will enjoy the gift on Christmas Day and in the years to come.
What are your Christmas gift savings ideas? Why not share them in the comments section below?
Also read: The perfect Christmas pudding
