B2B with a Twist Publication - Work • Stay • Play October Edition Work • Stay • Play October 2016 Edition | Page 18

Frugal Christmas
There’s more to Christmas than attending the toy sales, drowning in wrapping
paper and finding somewhere that sells sticky tape for less than $10 a roll at 10pm
on Christmas Eve. While money isn’t everything, we all know that living within our
means makes for a happier new year than splurging beyond our budget and having a
fiscal hangover that hampers all that we want to achieve by the following Christmas.

The most wonderful Christmas memories I have are those
where I sat down and relaxed. Those Christmases were
orchestrated by my mother, who made it look so easy. My
mother’s Christmas advice is: “Don’t make it so hard for
yourself. Do it ahead of time - it’s your Christmas too”.
This year will be MY Christmas where I actually get to sit down
for Christmas lunch and not worry about what comes next,
what I’ve forgotten and whose drink is empty. I want to savour
my family, the occasion and the joy that Christmas is.
I’m going to get around to sending Christmas cards this year.
Not just writing them, but actually sending them too. I’m
going to wrap ahead of time. I’m going stick to my Christmas
budget and I’m going to make a Christmas feast that doesn’t
have me on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
I’m going to get into the craft, the socialising, I’m going to
teach my girls a few new Christmas carols this year.

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I’m going to do it without going broke, I’m going to be
organised - just like my Mum - I want to do this Christmas
RIGHT for me, and my family. And I want to do it without
breaking the bank and worrying that we won’t be able to
afford to get through January or February without living on
baked beans.
How to do Christmas without going broke
I find keeping a Christmas list can help you stay organised
but also allow you to feel like you’re not about to blow the
budget. Christmas can easily overwhelm us and by writing
things down, you’ll find yourself whistling a Christmas carol
whilst you tick items off and keep your finances under control.
This is what I call my ‘nine list’ - it’s the nine vital things we all
need to think about to ensure we allocate the right amount of
money - and time - to our Christmas plans.

Location

Where will you spend Christmas day?
• Will you be at home?
• Will you be travelling?
• Will you be sharing your time?
• Combination of the above?

Gifts

Sort your Christmas gift buying strategy by
thinking about:
• Budget - be realistic, have a figure in mind and stick to it - try to
avoid impulse buys
• Use the a gift planner to organise your gifts
• Research what to buy - what can you get that is suitable and
available at a competitive price?
• Wrapping, tags, cards - will you buy, make or dig out what you
already have?
• Making your own gifts - what, when and who will make them?
• If you will be travelling with the Christmas gifts , will you have
room in your luggage to pack them or will you send ahead?
• Research interstate and International postage deadlines and get
these out of the way first.

Menu

If you are cooking a Christmas meal:
• How many people are you cooking for?
• What time of the day?
• What needs to be refrigerated, cooked in an oven, microwaved
- how can you minimise the stress on the day?