Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it's up to you to help them out. A selection of answers appear in Saturday's paper, but you can add your twopenn'orth below.
This week's question:
Every year I organise the Christmas do for the 12 of us. We usually go to a restaurant and spend around £35 a head. What can I do to jazz it up a bit this year? What are the alternatives that actually work, without busting the bank?
Some of the best answers so far:
Go to a pantomime. Tickets to city-centre theatres are £25 or less, while amateur productions are even cheaper. Laugh at the mayhem, scream "oh yes she is", join in with the sing-songs and enjoy a tub of ice-cream at the interval. Finish the evening in a nearby bar to toast the festive season. Or find an outdoor ice-rink within reasonable distance and go skating - the maximum price no more than £7 for each adult. Wrapped up warm, a rosy glow in your cheeks and White Christmas belting out from the PA system, you will soon start to feel festive. Even colleagues short on balance and co-ordination will be able to relax if you emphasise it's about having a laugh, not dancing a perfect Bolero. Talk to a nearby bar in advance and persuade them to offer mulled wine and mince pies as a finale. You'll feel so Christmassy you'll be listening for sleigh bells on the way home!
Marie Brett, Northumberland
Have the bosses at the beck-and-call of the staff; they could be waiters for them. Provided it was all kept in good humour, it might well jazz up the proceedings, particularly if the staff were not anticipating the role reversal. The bosses, in pushing the boat out and indulging in a little self-mockery, would demonstrate appreciation of the efforts of the staff during the past year.
Paul Forrester, South Croydon
Take the department greyhound racing. For your £35 you will get a meal as good as most restaurants plus the excitement of the racing and maybe a successful flutter or two.
Lord Lipsey, House of Lords, Westminster
You may be refusing to acknowledge the fact that interest is beginning to wane - such events can lose their appeal over time - and also the possibility that some colleagues only continue to attend because they don't like to say no. Why not try a year without, and suggest everyone make a donation to a nominated charity.
Charles Boardman, Nottingham
So what are your tips for a Christmas blowout on a budget?
