How to budget for Christmas
By Mr Bankruptcy
5th December 2022
Christmas is well known for being an expensive time of year but as many people are already struggling with the cost of living the extra cost burden of the holiday season will bring little joy. In fact, a recent report by Sky News suggested that two-thirds of adults are worried they won’t even be able to afford the Christmas dinner.
Christmas shouldn’t be the reason your financial situation spins out of control, so to help make ensure this isn’t the case, here are our budgeting tips for Christmas 2023.
Tips for a Christmas budget
- Before you start spending, work out how much you have to spend and stick to that limit. Knowing what you can afford means no surprises about spending too much, and it helps you to make some potentially difficult choices early on.
- Make a list of what you need so you don’t miss the essentials, but also be clear if you start buying extras outside your budget.
- Know your spending priorities. This helps you see what you can cut if you get close to your budget limit and to filter out anything that’s unnecessary. It also allows you to determine who you really want to buy for and where you can afford to be less generous.
- Agree with friends and family who you’re buying presents for. Agreeing to buy only for children or arranging a ‘secret Santa’ between family or friendship groups reduces the number of presents needed, and the cost. You could also be helping others to manage their own costs to by starting the conversation.
- Don’t be fooled by deals. Not all deals are as good as the appear, so shop around. Even if something is reduced, if you don’t really need it, you are still wasting money buying it.
- Keep track of what you are actually spending and don’t forget those regular monthly costs that will still keep coming out of your budget. This enables you to adjust your budget as you go, and know if more cut-backs are needed.
- Start saving for 2023 as soon as you can so you aren’t at risk of using up your credit to buy gifts which means they end up costing more, leaving you fewer reserves for New Year emergencies.
We tend to spend over the whole period leading up to Christmas and it’s easy to lose track, or you may even be burying your head in the sand about it. Talk to friends and family about your financial worries early on, because during these challenging times, everyone can help make a little Christmas cheer go further.
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