Very few adults can remember what they unwrapped at the age of seven. What tends to stick is the smell of mince pies in the oven, being far too excited to sleep on Christmas Eve and watching the same film every year in pyjamas. That’s worth remembering if money’s tight this year, because the bits kids treasure usually cost very little.
And for a lot of families money really is tight. Food prices are still well above where they were a few years ago and the energy price cap went up again in October, so nobody wants to spend January staring at a credit card statement. The good news is that most of what’s below is cheap or free.
Traditions don’t have to cost much to stick either. In plenty of houses Boxing Day is as much about the football as the cold turkey sandwiches, with everyone crammed on the sofa shouting at the telly. By Christmas the title race is usually heating up nicely and UK bookmakers are busy shuffling the favourites. Many grown-ups love a good chat about football betting odds for the Premier League winner over the cheeseboard. The kids can play a free prediction game instead by writing their score guesses on bits of paper, and whoever gets closest picks the film that night.
Set Your Christmas Budget First
It sounds dull, but sitting down with a cuppa and working out what you can actually afford makes the biggest difference of all. Once there’s a number on paper for presents, food, days out and decorations, it’s much easier to walk past the impulse buys by the tills.
If you’ve never done a proper budget before, the free MoneyHelper budget planner is a good place to start because it shows what’s left once the regular bills have gone out.
Start Low-Cost Family Traditions
The traditions kids ask for every year are hardly ever the pricey ones. Pop some new pyjamas, a hot chocolate sachet and a festive film into an old shoebox and you’ve got a Christmas Eve box you’ll be reusing for years, and somehow it ends up being the bit they get most excited about. A lights walk after tea is another winner if you take a flask and let the kids score every house out of ten, which gets surprisingly competitive.
Chocolate advent calendars often don’t last long anyway, so a homemade one with a small job behind each door can be more fun, whether that’s baking gingerbread, cutting out paper snowflakes or writing to Father Christmas.
Save Up for One Big Day Out
Small festive outings add up fast and a few weeks later they all blur into one anyway. Lots of families find it works better to pick one big day out, save for it properly and keep the rest of December free or close to it. If you’re thinking about something really special, this Lapland UK Manchester review gives an honest idea of what a visit there is like with kids.
If that’s too much this year, have a look at what your local garden centre or community centre is doing, as their grottos are often a fraction of the price.
Free and Cheap Festive Days Out
Christmas markets cost nothing to wander round, and giving each child £3 to £5 to spend turns it into a sneaky lesson in budgeting. You’d be amazed how long a six-year-old will deliberate over one gingerbread man.
Carol concerts and nativities at local churches and schools are usually free too, while a crisp walk in the woods collecting pine cones to paint later is about as cheap as a day out gets.
Gifts That Mean More Than They Cost
Lots of parents now stick to four gifts per child (one thing they want, one they need, one to wear and one to read) and find the kids rarely notice the smaller pile. For the wider family, a Secret Santa with a £10 cap saves a fortune.
Nan and Grandad usually get more joy from homemade shortbread or a calendar of grandkid photos than anything shop bought.
Keep Christmas Dinner Under Control
Food is the part of Christmas that eats the budget, quite literally. A meal plan stops the trolley filling up with food nobody eats, and few guests will notice own-brand crackers or mince pies.
The stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce can go in the freezer in early December too, spreading the cost and leaving less to juggle once the turkey’s in.
What Kids Really Remember
In twenty years your kids won’t remember what you spent this Christmas. They’ll remember the lopsided gingerbread men, the scoring of the neighbours’ lights and the dreadful cracker jokes around the table.
Pick a few of these ideas, enjoy the season and save yourself the January dread.