Feeling the pressure to please loved ones and to give children that perfect Christmas? You aren’t the only one! Christmas can be a costly time of the year: presents, food, days out are just the tip of the iceberg, making it really difficult to stick to a Christmas budget. Here are our tips and tricks to help you save money without missing out.

Spread the cost

It might seem totally silly to store presents away in the middle of the year, but paying a little bit every so often is often the easiest way on your bank balance then buying everything at once and being left with hefty winter bills. If you’re super savvy you could even start your Christmas shopping in the January sales for things like wrapping paper!

Homemade presents

As well as looking beautiful, the thought that goes into a gorgeous handmade gift means they are really extra special. They are easy to make and with loads of ideas on Pinterest it can save you a lot of money. A great way to get your children involved in some crafting or baking, for treasured memories and festive keepsakes. Why not try this hot chocolate snow globe – perfect presents for a chocolate lover.

 Ask guests to chip in for Christmas dinner

The cost of Christmas dinner can mount up so quickly even with our top tips for planning your Christmas dinner, so it may be a good idea to ask guests to help out this year. You could allocate a different part of the meal to each guest if you’re having a large group over – so one person can bring drinks round, where another could bring the pudding

Stock up on plain wrapping paper

It’s easy to get carried away with buying all those festive wrapping papers, for it to only go unused for most of the year, getting seriously crumpled along the way. Why not buy paper with no occasion-specific writing or images on it, so that it can be used at any time of the year and will never go to waste. You could always add a bit of lace or ribbon to make it stand out.

Framed photos

A sure hit with everyone in the family; grandparents, new parents, or those who don’t see the family that much. With major supermarkets, such as Tesco and Asda photo printing services are incredibly cheap and quick to do. Pop your freshly printed photo into a frame and that’s already one personalised present done! Also many large photo developer shops will convert your photos into all kinds of things – family calendars, mugs, mouse mats etc. You can’t get more personalised than that!