Enjoy Christmas On A Budget

If Christmas is a time of year when you've just got your head above the water after last year, then it's about time someone told you the secrets to having a truly happy festive season. Christmas is not about maxing out your credit cards, and by writing a list, you will have a less expensive, and less stressful Christmas!

Writing a list will save you the headache of trying to remember who you want to get gifts for, how and where you are going to get them and how much you are going to spend. It will help stop impulse buying and keep your spending under control.

Before you even THINK about looking at gifts in shops, write the list of people you want to buy gifts for. Make sure you include everyone you want to buy a gift for family, friends, neighbours, colleagues. Now you can decide how much you want to spend on each person.

With the current financial climate, don't fool yourself into thinking that you're the only one who is struggling with Christmas this year. Take the pressure off your friends and family by explaining to them that this year you are going to focus more on thoughtful, suitable presents, rather than spending a lot of money, they will probably feel relieved to know that you are not expecting extravagant presents in return.

Be realistic. Look carefully at your finances and make sure you don't spend more than you can afford. Christmas should be a time of fun, not a time for getting into debt. Don't become a victim of our materialistic society. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the more you spend on someone the more they will love you.

If you struggle with overspending on gifts, try to go shopping with another person, someone who is objective. If you can't find a volunteer to do this, avoid doing your Christmas shopping at peak times when the shops are crowed and you can get caught up in the frenzy. Aim not to buy anything unless you are certain that it is exactly what you want to buy for the person, you don't have to purchase today - you can always come back again tomorrow.

A piece of advice on impulse shopping is to check the refund policy of each shop, and keep all your receipts; this way if you do have second thoughts on that present you bought, you can take it back with your receipt for either an exchange, credit note, or refund. Don't be embarrassed to do this - shops refund and exchange items all the time, a lot of larger shops have a 14 day money-back guarantee policy for just this reason.

By sitting back and writing a list, you will focus your mind on what you can afford to spend at Christmas without breaking the bank. If you've struggled all year to repay last Christmas, maybe it's time to refocus on the true meaning of Christmas and sharing the festive season with loved ones.

This Christmas, we will all be feeling the pinch of the credit crunch. A Secret Santa is a great way of giving presents amongst a group of people, and a great money saver in today's difficult times. Instead of everyone in the group buying everyone else in the group a present, each person just gives and receives one gift.

The idea of a secret Santa is that the name of each of the participants is put into a hat. Each person draws out one name - which they keep hidden from the rest of the group. You then become that person's secret Santa and have to get them a present. The group as a whole decides what price limit to set on the gifts and each person has to stick to it. The date for the present giving is also chosen.

This is the perfect solution to finding and paying for gifts in a large family, where there may be several brothers, sisters, and brothers and sisters-in-laws. It's not necessary to include younger children in this; however older children might be interested in joining in.

Once it's time to give the gifts, there are two possibilities. Each Secret Santa can personally give their gift to the recipient, or all the presents can be placed together with each person finding their own present. If your group decide to use the second method, your Secret Santa can really stay a secret - although I defy anyone not to admit to being the giver when they see how delighted the recipient is with their gift.

This present exchange could be made into a nice event for everyone involved. You will have saved a lot of money not having to buy several presents for each other, so why not put some of this money towards a meal out together, or better still (and more economically) hold the exchange at one persons' house and ask everyone to contribute to food and drinks.

This one evening where everyone exchanges their one gift, instead of having to find, wrap, buy and meet each person separately to give them their gift could become a highlight of your family's Christmas. Now, you don't have the stress of trying to figure out what to buy your three sister-in-laws for Christmas - you only need to concentrate on getting something for one. See, beating the credit crunch doesn't have to be stressful!

He's making his list, and he checks it twice, but when it comes to you deciding on what to get for your nearest and dearest - do you write a list?

Old Saint Nick really did have the right idea; a list can help solve a whole host of problems that many people encounter when trying to do their Christmas shopping. Perhaps, you, like me, have gone out Christmas shopping only to realise that you've bought gifts for one person twice. Maybe you've found the perfect gift for someone, bought it, and the day later seen it in another shop, cheaper. Or maybe you've bought presents successfully for most of the people on your list - only now you've ran out of money and the rest of the list still needs gifts.

By writing a list long before even starting to shop, you can price up your ideas for what type of present each person might like. This will help you keep your spending under control, instead of being persuaded by the assistant, flashy lights, and point of sale in shops that encourage you to believe that this is THE present of the year regardless of the cost.

Most people find it easier to get gifts for some people on their list than for others. For example, you might find it easier to buy presents for little girls. So all your nieces have been bought for, but three days before Christmas you still have no idea what to get your Uncle Bob. Last minute panic and the crowds in the shopping malls won't help either.

A list will help ground you and concentrate your thoughts. It will help you make that extra effort needed to find the perfect present for even the most difficult person on your list.,

If you're really struggling to think of a present for someone, write down the person's hobbies. Take that list with you and venture into shops that cater for those hobbies. Keep focused on your price limit, and don't be pressurised into buying anything, If you need help don't be afraid to but ask the shop assistant for some advice on suitable gifts in your price range. Do NOT buy there and then, but thank them for their help, and leave the shop making sure to write down the suggested gift. Think it over, shop around, and don't go back and buy that gift until at least a few hours later so you can mull it over with out the sales hype.

Obviously, the earlier you start your list, the more time you can mull over the harder to choose gifts, but no matter how late you leave it - don't let yourself run away with the sales pitches you're more than likely to hear, and, try to enjoy the fact that you've regained some control over the mayhem of Christmas shopping.