The 12 hacks of Christmas
We all want to enjoy Christmas without destroying our budget, right? Check out the Christmas hacks episodes where Glen, John and Shell share their tips, and here’s 12 Christmas hacks to ensure the festive season doesn’t knock you over:
1. No gifts for adults.
Let’s be real — we don’t need anything, right? Focus on spending time with friends and family instead, and don’t continue to fill your house with junk. Instead of gifts, write a really nice and thoughtful card outlining what you love about that person. Focus gift giving on the kids who still believe in Santa. Oh, um, wait he’s totally real cough.
But a note to those buying gifts for other people’s kids: talk to their parents about your gift ideas before locking it in. The parents may already be drowning in toys and prefer not to add to the chaos, or they might have a specific gift in mind. They might also have an experience they’re keen to give their kids, and perhaps you can contribute towards that? Just check in first.
2. Use Secret Santa or Dirty Santa to cut back on gifts.
So we know some families are reallllly focused on gifts, we get it. It’s become deeply entrenched in some family or friend cultures. It can feel impossible to turn that around, especially if you’re the one who earns less and struggles to keep up with the gift budgets others seem to be able to afford! But there are two ways you can begin to turn that culture around — with Secret Santa or Dirty Santa.
Secret Santa: this is a great activity to begin reducing the number of gifts your family delivers each Christmas. Give everyone one person to buy a gift for, and leave it there. Each person draws a name of family or friends out of a hat and finds a gift for that person. Keep it simple and gift things like books, plants or succulents, your own homemade hot chocolate mix or steak seasoning (YUM). Select how much is the maximum you’ll spend on the gift, and make it more about the act of giving than the monetary value of the gift.
Dirty Santa: this takes the fun to the next level and suits big gatherings. Of course, like any family and friend games, adjust the rules to your liking, but this gives you a basic idea of how the game works. Everyone brings a gift to add to a pile (you might choose a monetary value to keep it consistent for everyone). Everyone draws a number from a hat, from one to however many guests are present — this sets the order for who selects/opens a present first. Person #1 selects a gift, and opens it. Everyone oos and ahhhs over it. Then person #2 can select to either select a new gift from the pile, or ‘steal’ the gift from person #1. Then person #3 can go. This continues on with each successive person. If person #1 had their gift stolen, they can wait until everyone else has a gift, and then take their turn to take whatever gift is left, or whether they’d like to steal one, and keep it rolling. Each gift can only be stolen a maximum of three times. The stealing from other people is where the gold lies in this game — pretty soon you’ll realise you don’t care about what the gift is, and you care more about who you could be stealing from. It can get chaotic, but it’s fun!
Pro tip: wrap your gift deceptively. If it’s a small gift, for example, wrap it in a massive box to throw off people’s perceptions. Those kinds of gags add to the fun.
3. Set a boundary for travel.
Time to set some boundaries with family and friends! You don’t need to see every single person in your family every Christmas — you have permission to say no. Preserve your energy and finances during the Christmas season by setting clear boundaries around holiday travel. Define your limits by considering factors like distance, duration, and budget. Prioritise quality over quantity, focusing on meaningful experiences with loved ones over constant travel — and don’t underestimate the power of a simple phone call or FaceTime on Christmas Day. You'll conserve your energy, reduce stress, and avoid excessive expenses. By setting these boundaries, you can make the most of the holiday season without feeling overwhelmed by travel-related demands.
Parents: do not apologise for setting boundaries that support your kids too — their energy is very likely to be sapped jumping from gathering to gathering. Avoid the meltdowns and stick to what you know your kids can handle.
4. Manage your time + schedule in your own fun.
Start planning and budgeting earlier in the year, or wait until sales kick off post-Christmas. By being prepared with your time, you dodge the need to do the last minute, late night shop when every person and their dog is rifling through the shops for gifts. Set up a time in your calendar now to do some online shopping or visit stores to start preparing for gifts, or find the recipes you’re keen to make for Christmas lunch. Write down a list of what you need to buy, organise, who you need to call and anything else that relates to your Christmas plans. In the same way you’d be organised for a work project, be organised for your Christmas holidays. Another key way to manage your time, is to manage the time of others — delegate. Reduce the amount of your plate and share the load of organising Christmas with your friends and family.
It's also important to carve out time for planning some personal and enjoyable activities beyond the typical Christmas events. Whether it's a cozy night in with a favourite movie and popcorn, a leisurely walk to admire festive lights, or a crafting session to create handmade decorations, these moments help make your Christmas a fun, joy-filled and fulfilling one. By intentionally incorporating these activities into the holiday schedule, you can strike a balance between the traditional festivities and moments of relaxation and joy, allowing for a more holistic and memorable Christmas experience.
5. Use your skills and DIY.
What unique skill do you have that could be a gift to someone else — baking, sewing, building, painting, handcrafting, gardening, woodworking — whatever! Create a boutique gift that someone can’t buy anywhere. It also doesn’t have to be purely a hobby or craft item, consider things like:
spice blends: create your own spice blends for cooking, such as taco seasoning, barbecue rubs, or infused salts. Package them in small jars with personalised labels.
sweet treats: bake cookies, make jam, or create a hot chocolate mix to give as edible gifts. Decorate the packaging for an extra festive touch.
homebrewed beers: this one is a fun one! Check out a local homebrew shop and ask questions about the process. It can be pretty fun (and tasty).
ask your kids to get crafty! Give them some supplies to create drawings, sketches, paintings, tote bags or coasters that can be gifts to family or friends.
preserved or fermented food: one for the gardeners! Can you make kimchi, sauerkraut, salsa or pesto from items you grow or buy? Look at what you have access to and see what recipes, preserves or ferments could work.
6. Maximise post-Christmas sales.
Maximising post-Christmas sales is a strategy for both cost-conscious shoppers and those looking to prepare for the next season's festivities. As the holiday season winds down, retailers often offer substantial discounts on seasonal items, decorations, and even some gift items. By taking advantage of these sales, you can stock up on essentials for next year, from ornaments and wrapping paper to artificial Christmas trees, often at a fraction of their original cost. Plus, planning ahead means you can enjoy a stress-free and budget-friendly holiday season when it comes around again. Do future you a favour, and get some of the work done ahead of time.
7. Utilise supermarket rewards programs.
Supercharge your savings maximising supermarket rewards points. By regularly shopping for groceries and household essentials, you can accumulate significant points in the lead-up to the festivities. Then, when the holiday season arrives, you can redeem these points for a variety of benefits, from discounts on your Christmas meal ingredients to free or heavily discounted gift items. It's a smart way to make the most of your everyday spending, ensuring you have a well-stocked and budget-friendly Christmas celebration. So, as you prepare for the season of giving, remember to also embrace the joy of receiving through your accumulated rewards points. Make it a priority for next Christmas too! The more points you collect over time, the better.
8. Use layby for gifts.
Layby (paying for items in installments before taking possession of them) is a helpful strategy to prepare for Christmas gifts without resorting to buy-now-pay-later schemes. As much as we’d always encourage to save up and then buy what you need, we know that’s not possible for everyone, and perhaps the structure of layby works well for you. It enables you to spread the cost of your holiday shopping over several months, ensuring that you won't be burdened with a hefty bill all at once. By starting early and securing the gifts you want through layby, you not only have the luxury of choice but also the peace of mind knowing that you're staying within your budget. This method allows you to be more thoughtful in your gift selection and ensures that you'll have your presents ready well in advance of the holiday rush. So, by harnessing the power of layby, you can give the gift of a stress-free, budget-friendly Christmas, making the holiday season more about joyful giving and less about financial strain. Just be aware of the retailer you’re utilising and any service fees they may charge you for this ($3 is pretty standard).
9. Encourage everyone to bring a plate to gatherings.
To alleviate the holiday fuss and keep costs in check, a wonderful tradition to adopt is having everyone contribute by bringing a plate of food to Christmas lunch or dinner. This communal effort not only eases the burden on the host but also allows each guest to showcase their culinary skills and share their favorite dishes. Whether it's Aunt Susan's famous stuffing, Grandpa's secret pie recipe, or a friend's vegan side dish, this potluck-style approach adds a diverse and delightful array of flavours to the table while promoting a sense of togetherness. It's a perfect way to focus on the joy of sharing and savouring a meal together, without the stress of one person shouldering the entire holiday feast's preparation and cost.
10. Set aside money each pay cycle to pay for gifts.
Set up a gifts account (can include holidays and any other discretionary spending in this account too). Setting aside a portion of your income with each pay cycle is a financial habit that can work wonders. By consistently saving a little bit throughout the year, you create a dedicated fund to cover holiday expenses, from gifts and decorations to special meals and travel. This method not only prevents the financial stress that often accompanies the holiday season but also allows you to approach Christmas with a sense of confidence and security. It ensures that you can embrace the spirit of giving without worrying about the strain on your budget, making the holiday celebrations all the more enjoyable and meaningful.
11. Utilise cashback programs to build up cash for gifts.
Check out cash back programs like Shopback, Cashrewards and Honey. Every time you’re buying something online you can purchase the item through cashback programs where you get a few bucks built up — over a year of buying items you could have a sweet little pile of cash to buy Christmas presents! Every dollar counts when you’re coming into one of the most expensive times of year, ouch!
12. Buy second hand.
Opting for secondhand gifts during the Christmas season is a smart and sustainable choice that can significantly reduce both cost and waste. It not only allows you to find unique and budget-friendly presents but also plays a role in lessening the environmental impact of holiday consumption. By choosing pre-owned items, whether it's vintage clothing, books, or gently used electronics, you contribute to the circular economy, giving new life to items that would otherwise end up in landfills. This approach embodies the spirit of thoughtful giving and conscious consumerism, showing that meaningful, eco-friendly, and cost-effective gifts can be the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season.
And one more bonus tip hehe:
13. Limit how much you spend on gifts.
Set a gift ceiling and stick. to. it. If you have family or friends who go a bit OTT with gifts, communicate that you have a set ceiling so you don’t completely blow your budget. While it's natural to want to reciprocate generous gifts, it's essential to stay true to your own financial limits. By communicating your intentions with friends and family who might spend more, you can create a mutual understanding of the importance of thoughtful gestures over extravagant ones. This approach not only relieves financial pressure but also shifts the focus back to the genuine spirit of giving, where the thought and sentiment behind a gift matter most. It ensures that the holiday season remains about joy, togetherness, and cherished moments rather than the price tags on presents.
