It’s November, which means that the world is already talking about Christmas and the ‘holidays.’ Hurrah! There’s just one issue… This time of year is seriously costly. When you’re trying to save money, the sound of sleigh bells ringing may as well be the sound of someone emptying your bank account. Yikes. Still, there are ways in which you can save yourself some money. Here are just 10 things that you don’t need to buy this year.
1. Christmas cards
Let’s be honest here. There are few people out there who actively save their Christmas cards to look back at. What would be the point? Most of the time, these things end up right in the bin. What that means is that you hard-earned cash gets thrown away. It’s a waste. There’s no beating around the bush here. There’s no decent reason that you should be sending cards to people. At least, not if you value your time and money.
Still, if you want to avoid annoying many of the people in your life, you will need to think of an alternative. Luckily, the internet has a little something called e-cards. You can send these virtual cards to everyone (so long as you have their email addresses). It takes minutes to do and you look like you’re super tech savvy. Well, not really, but it is free.
Check out: Free e-cards
2. New decorations
Do you buy new decorations every single year? Do you think that it’s important to have a brand new angel on top of your tree? Do you spend a fortune on all things sparkly and glittery? If the answer to all of the above is yes, something has to change… and it has to change now. The sooner you stop wasting money on decorations that you only use once a year, the happier both you and your bank account will be. Cut it out.
Of course, if you do want to freshen up your festive decorations, there’s an easy and cost-effective way to do just that. Why not make your own? You don’t have to go overboard here. Just try a few small DIY projects and see where you end up. You can find loads of tutorials online that are sure to help you along the way.
3. Crackers
Most crackers are absolutely pointless. There I said it. The truth of the matter is that unless you’re willing to spend a fortune on these things, you will end up very disappointed. Personally, there’s nothing I hate more than having to deal with a rubbish cracker toy. Whether it’s a ‘fortune telling fish’ or a small hairclip, it’s not something I want or something that I will ever need. For once and for all, can we just stop buying these silly things?
Again, if you absolutely must have crackers when you’re eating Christmas dinner, there’s an option that you may wish to try. Again, you can make your own. Yes, this will be a tad fiddly, but there’s a huge bonus that you may be overlooking. You will be able to put anything you happy to fancy inside them. Yes. Hello, alcoholic minis crackers.
4. Exercise equipment
Is 2018 going to be the year you get fit and healthy? If so, that’s great news. However, don’t go rushing out to buy exercise equipment ahead of Christmas day. Doing so is the equivalent of throwing your money right down the drain. For one thing, before the big day, this stuff will cost an absolute fortune as the prices get hiked more than you could know. Also, you’re much better off finding cheap ways to keep fit than investing way too much money in a gadget that you will likely never use. Remember that and you will go far.
Read: 10 Ways To Get Fit Without Spending A Penny
4. Calendars
Every single year, I get a calendar for Christmas and every single year I wonder what is wrong with people. Around November, you see stores and makeshift stalls popping up around every city selling these things. Whether it’s a calendar of One Direction (Are they still together? Who cares?) or one with cute cats on it, it’s something that no one in their right mind needs.
We live in the modern world of technology, which means that you absolutely do not need to spend £9.99 on a calendar for someone. You just don’t. It’s that simple. Most people, if they use calendars at all, tend to use an app on their phone or laptop. I know that I do. If you’re obsessed with gettings someone one of these things, wait until January, when they will be half the price.
6. Excessive amounts of food
‘Tis the season… to overeat? No. The fact of the matter is that so many people out there buy more food than they actually need. It may be that you panic that you won’t have enough for your relatives to enjoy. It may be that you worry that you’ll run out of sustenance what with the shops having limited opening hours. You won’t. In truth, the worst thing you can do is overspend when it comes to the food you get this year.
When it comes to buying festive food, you should remember that many supermarkets will seriously rip you off. If you get premade, pre-prepared dishes for your Christmas dinner, you will be charged an absolute fortune. You can mash the potato yourself, roast the side of veg, and stuff the turkey (if that happens to be your thing!). That means that you don’t need to pay someone else for that job.
7. ‘Gift’ presents
We’re all guilty of this cardinal sin now and then. When you just don’t know what to give someone and you panic, the logical option may be to buy a typical ‘gift.’ You know what I’m talking about — all the rubbish you find in the special Christmas section of a shop. These things can range of soap gift sets to beer glasses, but they all have one thing in common. They are all rather terrible presents and few people will thank you for getting them.
When you’re really stuck for a gift idea, it may be better not to bother at all or give something homemade. After all, you can’t know this person all that well if you can’t figure out what they actually like. If you don’t have a clue what to get someone, perhaps that says more about how well you relate to them, i.e. not very.
8. Novelty jumpers
When is novelty jumper day again? Oh, that’s right… Never. Just because it’s the ‘festive season,’ that doesn’t mean that you get a free pass to wear ludicrous things. Sorry. You don’t. All a Christmas jumper tells people is that you have a lack of imagination and humour and that you think this makes you interesting. Stop. It.
Plus, novelty jumpers can be seriously expensive. You can pay more than you would for a regular (i.e. wearable in public) piece of clothing. You know that it makes no sense. Somewhere, deep down inside you, you do know that, right? Stop buying these things. Oh, and if your work insists on a festive-themed day, just wear something plain and red. Say you’re going for the ‘minimal’ look. No one will care.
9. Useless gadgets
When Christmas rolls around, rather than looking for things that people actually need, we often try to find things that we think they will need. Gadgets are a prime example of that. I don’t mean your tablets and smartphones. No, I mean the gadgets that are just pointless. Many of these things fall into the kitchen category. You may get someone a toastie maker or an ice cream maker. These are things that they will use once and then store away in the cupboard for years to come. What a waste!
Before you rush out and spend a whole load of money on these things, take the time to consider how useful they actually are. That way, you won’t make the mistake of forking out a small fortune for something that no one wants nor needs.
10. Lights for your house
Think of your electricity bill before you go ahead and buy loads of new lights for your home. Lighting up your house like a Christmas tree is not only tacky (sorry, not sorry) but it also costs a whole load of money. For one thing, you have to buy the actual lights themselves. Unsurprisingly, these things don’t come cheap. Of course, they don’t. Then, you need to pay for the cost of keeping them going throughout the festive season. All that electricity adds up and it could well cost you a pretty penny.
