Christmas is the most expensive time of the year, with families spending hundreds of pounds on gifts, food and drink.
However, you don’t have to break the bank to ensure the festive period is one to remember. Co-founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, Tom Church, has found ways for us all to save money this Christmas by making seven simple swaps.
Tom said: “UK inflation is reported to have hit 5%. That’s a whack in our pockets. Christmas dinner is more expensive, Christmas presents are more expensive, Christmas travel - getting home and petrol prices - are more expensive, everything's coming together to hurt our finances. So how can you make Christmas cheaper and still enjoy it?
READ MORE: Exact times Asda, Aldi, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons reduce food
“There are seven easy swaps you can do at Christmas which can save you thousands over the years. From swapping turkey to chicken, to swapping the day of Christmas itself. These are the swaps I’ve tried to help have a Christmas on a budget.”
1. Swap £40 turkey for £5 chicken
According to Tom, Christmas turkey costs between £2 and £5 per kilogram if frozen and between £4 and £8 per kilogram if fresh. If you're serving between six and eight people at Christmas dinner, the turkey can cost between £11 and £40. However, you could buy a whole chicken that weighs a minimum of 1.35kg for an average of just over £3.
2. Swap supermarket
Research from LatestDeals.co.uk’s supermarket price comparison tool found Aldi was the cheapest supermarket for Christmas dinner. From December 16, bags of carrots, potatoes, brussels, parsnip and swede are all 19p.
3. Swap Champagne for Prosecco
No Christmas celebration is complete without a glass of bubbly, but on average you can pay between £19 and £43 for a bottle of Champagne. Swap it for a bottle of Prosecco instead which is usually around £6, or a cheaper bottle of wine.
If you want to go alcohol-free, Tom recommends Belle & Co’s which is just £3 on Amazon with Prime delivery.
4. Swap Christmas Day to Boxing Day
This is probably Tom’s most controversial tip, but if you celebrate Christmas on a later date, supermarkets drop prices on Christmas Eve allowing you to buy festive food and drink at a reduced price.
Christmas decorations and presents are also all reduced-to-clear too, plus there are Christmas and Boxing Day sales.
5. Swap a real Christmas tree for an artificial one
Artificial trees will be cheaper in the long run if they’re properly maintained. The average price for a budget-friendly artificial or real tree is around £20, so by getting a reusable artificial one you avoid making this spend every year.
If you keep an artificial tree for 10 years, it also works out better for the environment than cutting down real trees. Tom recommends buying one after Christmas when they’re in the sale ready for the following year.
6. Swap shops for those with free delivery
There are a few online shops that offer free delivery, including eBay. If you sign up for a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can enjoy free two-day delivery. Amazon also offers free click and collect at thousands of Amazon Lockers too.
Look out for free delivery voucher codes from stores, too!
7. Swap 'gift guilt' for creative favours
Tom says some people experience ‘gift guilt’ where you feel you have to get someone a present because they got you one. Tom said: “The unspoken biggest cost of Christmas is gift guilt. They gave me a present so I have to give them one. This is especially true of friends, colleagues and extended family. It can be too hard to say no. So here’s a fun alternative which a friend once did for me.
“Grab some Post-it notes and write down a bunch of favours you can give them. For example, ‘I will make you a tea’, ‘I will help you with this or that’... You can give as many as you like. If it’s for a loved one, you can do some naughty favours. Best of all, they can all be free. Better than a costly present, and it creates lots of memories. Plus, you’ve broken that annual cycle of having to give each other presents. Over the years you might save a thousand pounds with this.”
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