Christmas is such an exciting time for kids. They’re thinking about all of the presents and the delicious food, but parents are often more focused on the cost of it all. Christmas is a huge source of stress for some people because they worry about their finances, which is a shame because you should be enjoying time with family and friends. But if you use these simple money savings hacks this year, you can enjoy a stress free Christmas. 

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DIY Decorations 

We all love decorating the house and making it look great for the holidays, but when you add up the cost of decorating every room, you’ll be surprised how expensive it is. However, you can save a lot of money if you make your own decorations with simple dollar store items and other bits that you can find around the home. There are so many super easy christmas decoration ideas you can find online and making your own decorations is a fun family activity to enjoy in the lead up to the holidays. You can also save a lot of money if you look after all of the decorations that you have and reuse them each year. 

Start Shopping Early 

Are you one of those people that always promises that this will be the year that you don’t leave your gift shopping until the last minute, only to find yourself rushing around a few days before Christmas trying to get the rest of your presents? Well, if you want to save money, starting early is one of the best Christmas shopping tips. When you start early, you have more time to shop around and find the best deals. You can even track prices on more expensive items and pick them up when the prices drop. With a bit of careful planning, you can save a lot of money on your presents this year. 

Cut Back On The Food 

The amazing food is one of the best things about Christmas, but there’s always way too much of it. We are all guilty of over-shopping around the holidays because we worry about not having enough, but this does mean that we waste a lot of money on food that never gets eaten. In fact, you might even have stuff left over from last year, so before you write your grocery list for Christmas, check what you already have hiding in the back of the cupboard. Then, you need to think about how many people are actually going to be eating and how much food you realistically need. It’s ok to get a little extra but don’t spend way more than you can afford on food that you don’t need.

Don’t Be Pressured Into Spending Too Much 

So many people spend more than they can afford at Christmas because they feel pressured. They worry about disappointing the kids if they don’t get enough presents and they feel obligated to enter into gift exchanges at work or with friends. But it doesn’t matter about how much money you spend, so don’t stress yourself out by living outside of your means just because it’s Christmas. 

If you follow these simple money saving tips this Christmas, you won’t have to stress about money and you can enjoy the holiday season a lot more.