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20 ways to save money this Christmas - from preserving photos to using food apps

Christmas is one of the most expensive times of year, but there are plenty of money saving tips to help you save some cash over the festive period

[Sad woman holding her head over utility bills in Christmas eve.]

There a whole host of ways to save money this Christmas(Image: Getty Images)

With Christmas just a fortnight away, many Brits might be eyeing their bank balances with a touch of anxiety. As one of the priciest festive seasons in the UK, families nationwide could be seeking ways to cut expenses on everything from gifts to the Christmas feast.

Luckily, there's a plethora of strategies to save money throughout the Yuletide season while still managing to purchase all the presents for your loved ones. Consumer champion The Complaining Cow has spotlighted at least 20 tips, tricks, and methods to keep your purse strings tight just in time for Christmas.

While you may not need to heed every suggestion, each little saving can contribute towards making your Christmas slightly less taxing on your personal finances. Scroll down for 20 ways you could save money this Christmas....

Ways you can save money this Christmas

[Worried man calculating his expenses during christmas time and holding a receipt]

Savers can adopt av ariety of ways to save money on Christmas(Image: Getty Images)

1. Create gift bags and boxes for children

The delight for youngsters, who often have a fleeting attention span, is in unwrapping the present. So, excite them with multiple small gifts bundled up in one box, or engage them in a pass-the-parcel style game, using several layers of recycled paper.

2. Organise fundraiser with friends

Propose to your group of mates or family if they'd like to help organise a fundraising event or volunteer together, as an alternative to swapping gifts.

3. Register for free items

Numerous websites and services offer substantial discounts or even complimentary items, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas. The only drawback is that these sites tend to bombard you with follow-up emails and offers.

However, if these become bothersome, you can always unsubscribe when you're finished with them.

4. Advent calendar discount deals

Keep an eye out for beauty advent calendar markdowns as Christmas Day nears. These will be significantly discounted, making the individual products fantastic value for yourself or as presents for the following year.

5. Arrange a craft day

Assemble friends and family, along with art materials, food, crafting tools and the like, to exchange ideas and create gifts for everyone.

6. Utilise food apps

Numerous food apps available on both iOS and Android devices can provide substantially discounted, or sometimes even free, food items. If you collect enough items, you can arrange them into hamper gifts.

Alternatively, you might decide to use the discounted food for your own Christmas groceries.

7. Get the family involved with "help" vouchers

Children can design them and everyone can brainstorm ideas - tokens for doing the washing up, ironing, giving a massage, and so on.

8. Preserve photos of friends and family taken throughout the year

These can be turned into a homemade scrapbook, photo book, or calendar. Alternatively, refurbish a photo frame or picture from a charity shop.

Give it a fresh lick of paint or some embellishment, make it your own, and create a photo montage using your most treasured pictures.

9. Personalised video presents

If you typically give presents to youngsters you rarely see, think about recording yourself telling a tale. Make it special by weaving the child's name into the story throughout.

Post it on a platform such as YouTube with privacy settings enabled. Subsequently, share the link with the child.

For an added personal flourish, you might even craft your own tale.

10. Repurpose clean jars

[Woman looking at phone next to Christmas tree]

Your family and friends can pitch in to help save money this Christmas(Image: Getty Images)

You can give freshly washed jars a new lease of life by adorning the outside with glitter glue or pens, adding bespoke messages. Fill the container with heartfelt notes written on scraps of paper.

The person receiving it can then open the jar and read a message whenever they require encouragement. You might also add cherished mutual memories.

11. Offer your time and skills as Christmas gifts

If you're passionate about gardening or skilled at DIY tasks, commit your time to help launch some household renovation projects. Volunteer to declutter an attic, lend a hand with house moves or support someone establishing their new venture.

12. Keep an eye out for clearance sections and outlets online

Shops like Smyths, Argos and The Works maintain year-round sale sections on their websites. Conduct a swift online search using "outlet" alongside your preferred retailer to discover if they operate a clearance area.

Numerous major brands offer this, including ao.com, Marks & Spencer's, Currys and Tesco.

13. Find used or 'open-box' items

Countless retailers utilise eBay to offload clearance stock, whilst Amazon's Warehouse provides "used" or "open-box" products. The outlet section showcases new but overstocked merchandise.

Always examine the outlet before perusing the main online shop.

14. Explore marketplaces like Facebook and Gumtree for bargains

You're likely to save more as you can collect items locally, and there are fewer people viewing local sellers compared to other sites. You can also search for "collection only" items on eBay.

15. Take advantage of early sales

Many businesses launch their "Boxing Day" sales in advance, enabling you to secure some bargains before Christmas.

16. Scrap the workplace secret Santa

Consider having a discussion with your colleagues about abandoning the Secret Santa tradition, which often results in money being spent on novelty items that merely clutter up space or end up in the bin. Discuss alternatives that could be more meaningful, less wasteful and save everyone a bit of cash.

17. Gift potluck and family gatherings

It's not just a game, but also a brilliant way to save on gifts. Everyone brings a few presents - they can be nice, silly, fun, anything really, as long as they're free.

This could be an unwanted gift from the past, something from your home, plant seeds, etc. Place all the gifts in the centre of the table and distribute a pack of cards.

With another pack, reveal the top card and whoever has that card gets to pick a gift. Or, for added excitement, they can "steal" from someone else.

Once all the presents have been claimed, everyone can open them.

18. Propose a swap of unwanted or unused gifts among friends and family

By making it clear that you're giving, sharing and receiving second-hand items, you're promoting money-saving, recycling and reuse, which is environmentally friendly. This could include toys that are still in good condition but have been barely used (especially relevant where children are overwhelmed with gifts), or household items like vases or books.

19. Consider giving an IOU

If you're close to the person and want to give them a gift but can't afford something they'd really like, write an IOU promising to buy it in the January sales. Even if the item doesn't end up in the sale (you can always check), it helps spread the cost.

Plus, you can pick up festive items that you know will be heavily discounted from Boxing Day onwards. If you regularly exchange gifts with friends, this can turn into a fun game of who can save the most, adding a bit of entertainment between Christmas and New Year!

20. Customer rewards for returning packaging

This includes items that would otherwise be recycled, such as empty bottles and containers. Clear out your home of old clothes, beauty containers and bottles and convert them into vouchers for gifts.

For example, M&S, H&M, River Island and John Lewis all offer 5 vouchers when you donate unwanted clothes or textiles. Boots, Lush and John Lewis BeautyCycle provide rewards (Advantage points, credit or vouchers).

The Perfume Shop will give you 15% off a new fragrance, plus plant a tree, when you recycle any empty perfume bottle. Be sure to check the requirements for each scheme as they all operate differently!

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