{"id":4353,"date":"2011-12-12T07:26:01","date_gmt":"2011-12-12T07:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwithkids.co.uk\/?p=4353"},"modified":"2019-01-04T09:52:24","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T09:52:24","slug":"how-to-have-a-merry-christmas-without-going-bust-in-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidstart.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-have-a-merry-christmas-without-going-bust-in-january\/","title":{"rendered":"How to have a Merry Christmas without going bust in January."},"content":{"rendered":"

The news that a third of us will go into debt<\/a> to pay for Christmas has made me determined not to go overboard this year. Normally around this time I don\u2019t exactly throw caution to the winds, but let\u2019s just say I\u2019m no stranger to the M & S foodhall. I used to kid myself that food shopping wasn\u2019t really extravagant, it was essential, even if it meant lobbing a box of ten ludicrous cheese straws in my basket for the best part of a fiver. And I also used to buy Christmas presents both randomly and at the last minute – which is the quickest way to spend a hundred pounds without noticing it I know – especially if you then have to ship it to Canada for the last post, doubling the price.<\/p>\r\n

But, no longer, this year I am a reformed woman! This year I will be the queen of lists. freebies, and great offers – so here are my top ten tips to make Christmas special without making January miserable<\/p>\r\n

1. Plan your Christmas meal and buy it as late as you dare – last year I was kicking myself at the discounts for yummy cheese selections and fresh cream puddings that I missed out on.<\/p>\r\n

2. Be canny when it comes to children\u2019s activities – a trip to the ice-rink at \u00a38 a child and \u00a312 for you or a tenner on gorgeous Christmas card bits and bobs from Baker Ross<\/a> and an afternoon of peace and joy and a pile of free gift tags? Tricky one.<\/p>\r\n

3. Double up where you can – tickets to the panto are a lovely present for in laws and cousins to open on Christmas Day and can be enjoyed all over again at the theatre when the holidays are dragging.<\/p>\r\n

4. Teenagers are tricky to buy for but cash seems too impersonal so dress it up by including a token gift from their favourite store or even a freebie from a cosmetics counter<\/p>\r\n

5. Christmas parties needn\u2019t break the bank – make one round of canapes yourself then switch to chilli and salad or do an Archer and make mass shepherd\u2019s pie – and don\u2019t forget to ask them to BaB- just like the old days.<\/p>\r\n

6. Don\u2019t be a last minute<\/a> dot commer – post those cards before the 18th and if you\u2019re ordering online do it now before you pay \u00a38 to guarantee Christmas delivery and need a double scotch for your nerves.<\/p>\r\n

7. Before you splurge on your children try to remember what you got them last year – if you can\u2019t remember, you over did it.<\/p>\r\n

8. Do a family Secret Santa with a fiver limit – it will get everyone involved and spread out the frantic present wrapping time on Christmas morning.<\/p>\r\n

9. Set a limit on cost and number of presents – otherwise you\u2019ll be playing catch up until Christmas Eve<\/p>\r\n

10. Plan your post Christmas eBay<\/a> and boot fair and declutter now. It means you will have space to enjoy the new toys, remind yourself what you already have, and create a box of things to sell in the New Year.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The news that a third of us will go into debt to pay for Christmas has made me determined not to go overboard this year. Normally around this time I don\u2019t exactly throw caution to the winds, but let\u2019s just say I\u2019m no stranger to the M & S foodhall. I used to kid myself","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3509,3349],"tags":[2492,2493,2494,2495,2496,2497,2498,2499],"class_list":["post-4353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-save-on-your-shopping-with-tips","category-household-savings-advice","tag-christmas-crafts","tag-christmas-debt","tag-entertaining-children-at-christmas","tag-panto","tag-saving-on-christmas","tag-splurging-in-the-food-hall","tag-top-tips-for-saving-money-at-christmas","tag-yougov"],"yoast_head":"\r\nHow to have a Merry Christmas without going bust in January. - KidStart Magazine<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidstart.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-have-a-merry-christmas-without-going-bust-in-january\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to have a Merry Christmas without going bust in January. - KidStart Magazine\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The news that a third of us will go into debt to pay for Christmas has made me determined not to go overboard this year. 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