With Christmas and the summer holidays around the corner; your spending starts to becomes more frequent and often, money seems to be coming out of your savings more than it coming in. Am I right?
When applying for a loan it is a requirement that your saving account is continuously being topped up and have no money coming out of it. So with the kids of school wanting to do activities, Christmas presents and food as well as the additional socialising that happens around this time of year, how can you ensure your savings isn’t missing out?
Here are our top tips.
- Be creative, creative creative!! Make your Christmas presents, cook your treats. This can also be a win-win situation by getting your children involved. You can save money on both Christmas presents and activities, as you are doing both at the same time!!!
Here are some great links to handmade Christmas presents that don’t cost an arm and a leg, yet still come across thoughtful- my personal favourite is the beeswax ‘clingwrap’.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/956638/chocolate-brownie-mix-in-a-jar
https://www.spelldesigns.com/blog/inspiration/diy-beeswax-wraps/
http://downtimeupcycle.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-ornament-exchange.html
https://thekrazycouponlady.com/tips/diy/18-easy-homemade-gifts-under-10
- Get outdoors, explore. It’s free! When your children are getting bored and frustrated it is so easy to go and do an activity that costs money. But it’s just as easy to grab a ball, make some lunch, go for a drive and find a new park or beach and there you have a full day of your children running around, being active and having great fun for little to no cost.
- Buy smartly- Remember the true meaning of Christmas “family” not thousands of dollars in presents, less can be more. Buy objects when on special, not the week before when everything is full price. This goes for food as well, anything that that can be stored over time buy early. The later you leave it, higher you panic (obvious right?) so the more you tend to overspend. Most importantly do not use your credit card to buy for Christmas, leave it at home!
- Send E-cards instead of hard copy Christmas cards- Reduce costs where possible (this is one) It’s free, quicker and gives the same meaning. You can send them via email, text message or on Facebook. This is a great way to save money on postage and printing.
Two great online programs to produce E-cards on include:
https://www.canva.com/design/DADKyDGrQVk/N5_U4QhNfh6sA-wCP1gfrQ/edit?category=tACVL2ns1Zw
- Learn to say no! This time of year can be so overwhelming with commitments, there is often a dinner every single week. I know far too well myself that this is where I personally go over budget. Just because it’s Summer doesn’t mean you should justify all the extra dinners, lunches etc. Set a limit to yourself on how much you can spend over the summer break on dinners or how many you can go to. But in saying this you shouldn’t have to miss out. Organise instead of going out to a restaurant to have gatherings at each-others houses or at a park where everyone can bring a dish each and you cannot over spend.
- Secret Santa! This is a great way to not over spend if you cannot afford a present for every family member, set up a family secrete Santa, put everyone’s name in a hat, set a set budget that everyone can justify. Everyone still gets a great present to unwrap and no one is out of pocket, this is a great idea especially with adults at Christmas time.
Remember the Christmas/holiday session isn’t about spending money and breaking the bank, it’s about family, fun and love.
