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I love saving money
I hate buying anything full price!
So when it comes to buying Christmas presents every year, I really do my best to be frugal and be creative. There is always an added pressure to spend lots of money on gifts but I think something from the heart, which shows you know what a person is interested in, is much more special.
I normally start thinking about Christmas presents in October and start buying little bits from then. It is always best to spread the cost over 3 or 4 pay packets as if you left it all to December, it would seem a whole lot more!
I have recently started using websites such as Groupon to buy some presents which I think is an excellent way of saving money especially if you are looking for something like an experience day, however they sell products too. Every month or so I also get sent a '£5 off' anything' voucher to use on their site and I have used two vouchers so far to get practically free pressies! Instant money saved.
Also when I first think of gifts to get, I'll always have a nosey on Ebay first to see if I can get it any cheaper on there. Bidding with 20 seconds to go (and I always put in the very maximum I can afford) I have got some great savings on new-ish items. Ebay is also great for nice personalised gifts and often a lot cheaper than the shops-for example if you wanted a personalised mug, Ebay would be the place to search (although you need patience to look through all the listings!)
Making gifts yourself if you have a bit of craftiness about you is also a great way to save money. Anything from bracelets to food hampers can be done on the cheap if you buy the items gradually from September-December. If you are making a food hamper for someone (or it could be a special pamper box) doing it yourself and making it pretty with some ribbon etc can be a lot cheaper than buying the £40+ hampers you see in shops and online.
I also always keep a list of what I buy for people and what they cost so I can keep a track of what I am spending and set a little budget each month. It might sound obvious but then you can really see where your money is going.
Top shops for cheap pressies
99p store and Poundland (if you sift through the rubbish, they have some really nice things-especially cards from the 99p store-why spend £4 on one?!)
Card Factory I love this shop for its cheap cards and gifts and the quality is very good-great for stocking up on wrapping paper/gift tags etc.
BHS They have a great christmas gift range but don't get their gifts straight away. A week or so before Christmas they take about 25-30% off it all and you'll be annoyed that you paid full price!
Boots I tend to think their gifts are a bit expensive but it's worth it when they do their 3 for 2 campaign!
Body Shop They sell perfect gifts for people who love a bit of pampering-especially their chocolate products range and they always have some kind of sale going on-very recently they had 40% off on their website and in store and I stocked up on some great pressies and stocking fillers.
xoxo
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