Planning for a Budget-Friendly Family Christmas

When you have a family, Christmas can be either the most enjoyable part of the year or the most stressful. We want to cherish the time with our kids, but what with buying gifts, organizing childcare over the holidays and stocking the pantry, stressing over money can easily get in the way of the fun.

If you have a big family, you’ll soon learn the importance of planning for the festive season. Not only will staying organized keep your stress levels to a minimum, but it will also help you save money, too. Here are some top tips for a budget-friendly family Christmas.

Start Early

It’s never too early to start planning for Christmas. If you’re guilty of leaving it to the last minute, set yourself a goal next year of saving just a little money every month. It’s always smart to hit the January sales, too. Wrapping paper, cards and gift items are usually reduced at the start of the year, so get stocked up.

The sooner you start, the more money you will save. That said, you could start right now and still have time to prepare, just check out this last minute checklist. You may not have a lot of money to spend, but if you can buy gifts and food items you can freeze, you won’t have so much to do come December. Make yourself a checklist and see if there’s anything you can tick off this month.

Buy Useful Gifts for Your Kids

Instead of filling your kids’ stockings with plastic junk they’ll be bored with by January, buy things they actually need. For babies who don’t understand about gifts yet, you can stock up on clothing and other essentials so they will have something to open. For preschoolers and above, puzzles and games are great gift ideas because they’re both fun and educational, plus, you can do them together as a family. For example, this foam floor puzzle is excellent value for money, and your young kids will love the eye-catching underwater design.

Limit Gifts for Friends and Family

If the purse strings are tight, settle on just one special gift per person rather than multiple items that the recipient might not want. It doesn’t have to be expensive either, as you can find gifts for under $30 online to suit every taste. If you can’t afford to buy gifts for friends and family because you’re focusing on your kids, then be honest about it – your loved-ones will understand.

Don’t Pretend It’s Not Happening

When you know Christmas is just around the corner, it’s tempting to shy away from it until the last possible minute – out of sight, out of mind, right? This mindset isn’t helpful, however, and it only makes the necessary planning and shopping more stressful as the day approaches.

Avoid those Christmas queues and get started now. Come Christmas Eve, and instead of doing a mad dash around the shops, you could be relaxing with a drink in hand, once the kids are in bed of course!