Everyone loves Christmas but there are ways you can get through the festive season without crying at the sight of your first bank statement of the New Year. Here a few tips.
Use the Secret Santa system to buy gifts for friends and family
If you try and please everyone, from family to friends to work colleagues to complete strangers this festive season, you could end up having about 20 gifts to buy and no spare change left for what will probably be a hectic social calendar over the Christmas break.
Your folks, your better half and godchildren should be classed as definites when it comes to buying pressies, but where possible, with a group of close friends or with your siblings for example, employ the Secret Santa method, where you are randomly assigned one person to buy one present for and nobody knows (or at least shouldn’t know) the identity of the gift giver until it’s handed over.
Not only does it help save money all round, it normally ensures that the gift in question is actually a quite decent one, rather than you having to skimp on a few less desirable presents while trying to satisfy everyone.
Manage your nights out
By now, you’re probably giddily looking forward to seven or eight consecutive nights on the gargle from the weekend before Christmas onwards but sometime during the festive season you’ll no doubt be gagging for a breather. Going out all the time might be great craic but after a few days it can be hard work too.
Identify the major nights out (Stephen’s Night, New Year’s Eve etc.) and try and compromise on a few other nights by, for example, settling for a quiet night in, having one or two nights where you might be the designated driver or organising a gathering at home with a few friends to break up the routine of heading to the pub and saving yourself a few quid while you’re at it.
Make your own Christmas cards
Sending Christmas cards, particularly when it involves men sending them to their male friends, isn’t always the done thing and might be regarded as a bit of a soft practise by the more macho members of the species, but if you are going to do it, then at least try and be creative.
Men tend to be hoarders by nature, so make use of all those old cereal boxes that have been gathering dust in whatever area you have set aside for recycling and make a few Christmas cards out of the excess amounts of cardboard. They might not be Hallmark standard but they won’t cost you a cent and at least it shows that you put a bit of effort into it.
Leftovers are your friend
Everyone enjoys a few turkey or ham sandwiches after recovering from the food coma brought on by the huge Christmas dinner, but making use of the leftovers doesn’t have to stop on Christmas Day.
Traditionally, there are vast amounts of leftovers from the dinner itself, but if there isn’t enough for another turkey and ham meal in the following days, turkey curry always works a treat and there should be enough of the aforementioned sandwiches to fill many a lunchbox for days afterwards.
And, there can be no disputing this, trifle is the only dessert allowed until at least the second week of the New Year.
Buy in bulk with Buyersclub.ie
Shopping lists are always jam packed to cope with the Christmas period, but to save you the hassle of having to jostle with fellow customers for positions while packed like sardines into a supermarket, why not do all of your shopping from the comfort of your own couch while sipping on a nice glass of mulled wine with some Christmas music playing in the background.
Buyersclub.ie have everything you need to get you through the Christmas, they deliver to the door and offer great value discounts to customers and if you need any more convincing, just look at how they were carrying-on Stateside on Black Friday only a few days ago. Yikes!
BuyersClub is Ireland’s first online only supermarket. Offering up-to 65% off top brands delivered to every home in Ireland, including yours! From household cleaning products and toiletries, to non-perishable foods and Gluten-free products BuyersClub is ideal for customers who want to cut out the hassle of carrying heavy bulky products home. Save time and money on your household shopping and let BuyersClub deliver to your door.
New clearance stock is added to BuyersClub every week, so customers can save even more on their groceries, sometimes as much as 90%. Nappies and wipes, shampoo and deodorant, shower cleaning and washing powder, rice and pasta, coffee and tea – it’s all available. The brands you know for great prices. Also, everyone gets 10% off their first order when they sign up and delivery is free on every order over €50.
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