Countdown to Christmas – 6 Money Saving Days to Go

I know a lot of people have had decorations up for a month or so now, but not me, oh no! I like to wait until at least a week before Christmas day, otherwise you get used to them and they don’t sparkle any more at the right time.

So today I’ve been up in the loft and found them all out, the kids love to unpack them all and decorate the tree.

We keep all our old fragile Christmas bauble decorations in old cardboard egg boxes, perfect to stop them smashing in to each other and breaking.

If you haven’t got any, start keeping the boxes you get for the next few weeks and you should have enough to do the same.

Countdown to Christmas – 7 Money Saving Days to Go

If you plan to have a real Christmas tree this year, get one with a thickish, sturdy trunk.

Then when you are finished with it after the new year, chop off all the side branches, give it a quick rub down with a bit of sand paper to take off any sharp bits and what you are left with is a very useful post, or plant support for the new garden season next year, best recycling there is.

Countdown to Christmas – 8 Money Saving Days to Go

Remember the cake we marzipanned on the 7th December?

Well, a bit later than originally planned, but today we put the icing on the cake, a lot of elbow grease to get the icing right but well worth it..

For the size of cake (8 ½ inches in diameter) and the satisfaction you get from making it all from scratch it really does work out a lot cheaper and is great fun.

(Sorry but my camera’s broke and I’m waiting for the sales to buy a new one).

Countdown to Christmas – 9 Money Saving Days to Go

If you have any large beaded jewellery items lying around you don’t want anymore, either break them up and re thread them on to long pieces of thread or string, or simply use as they are to hang on the Christmas tree.

If you don’t have anything, there are lots of charity shops and jumble sales that always have boxes of mixed jewellery items with odd bits and pieces that can easily be turned into fantastic Christmas tree decorations.

Countdown to Christmas – 10 Money Saving Days to Go

Get a free Christmas dinner!

Volunteer some of your time over the festive season at an old people’s home, a homeless hostel, drop in centre, food kitchen etc, and you’ll be fed with the rest of the crew.

All for giving a couple of hours of your time.

Organisations are on the look out now for people to help them out at such a busy time of year.

Countdown to Christmas – 11 Money Saving Days to Go

If you have friends or relatives that you want to buy a present for, but don’t really have any ideas – then give them an IOU!

An IOU for your free time, some time to do odd jobs for them, or just visit more often, sit and chat, read a book to a sick or elderly person.

Or make a batch of mince pies, people will love them and admire your culinary skills too.

They’ll love it far more than some tacky plastic stuff that didn’t take much thought to buy or anything they really wanted anyway.

And you’ll not have to spend any cash – great!

Countdown to Christmas – 12 Money Saving Days to Go

Do you have things in your cupboards you never use? I do!

Things that were given to you as gifts but you didn’t really want or need? I do!

Can you remember who gave them to you? Some I do and some I don’t!

If the answer is yes you do have things and yes you can remember who gave them to you then you’re safe to ‘recycle’ the gifts by giving them out as presents yourself!

Only not to the people who gave them to you! Pays to have a good memory.

It’s a great way to clean out the cupboards and save masses of cash in to the bargain.