Keen for Christmas but not for the hit on your bank balance? We hear you and we've got the budget-friendly tips you need!
It’s beginning to look a lot like…a pricey af Christmas.
And no surprises here, but 35% of the Flux fam said the expectations of gift-giving at Christmas time are stressful and expensive. Darn Uncle Glenn with his expectations of fancy whiskey!
But if it makes you feel any better, you’re definitely not alone feeling the pinch. In fact, 51% of Aussies say they’ll be spending less money this Christmas compared to last year.
Now, the festive season doesn’t need to be exxy to be jolly so here are 3 tried and Flux-fam-tested ways to manage your way through the Christmas period while reducing your financial stretch and emotional stress.
It can be way too easy to fall into financial peer pressure when it comes to gifts.
In fact, 17% of surveyed Flux Fam members said they feel pressured to spend more than they can in the holiday period.
An honest chat about gift giving can go a long way in helping you be more zen about the silly season.
Sit down with your friends, fam, coworkers-that-you’re-forced-to-act-like-you-care-about and chat about gift expectations. It’s likely that the giftee (yep, that’s the person receiving the gift) probably feels pretty stressed about shelling out for your present too. Have a casual chat to discuss how you can make the holidays special without breaking the bank.
You might set a budget, opt for a Secret Santa this Christmas or agree to all made presents by hand.
When it comes to Christmas time, waste is unfortunately the name of the game. - There’s food waste (no such thing as an under-catered Christmas). There’s present waste (the in-laws try their best but fail dismally each year) and of course time waste (the ripped jeans gag from Aunt Helga is a yearly occurrence) .
In fact, around 7.3 million Aussies will receive unwanted presents this Christmas. Yikes! Won’t somebody please think of the landfill?!
Really think about your gifts this year and how you can make them valuable.
Valuable doesn’t have to mean expensive, but it does mean you need to get a little crafty with how you put together the perfect prezzie.
It could be a homemade meal for your partner who loves your cooking or an IOU to babysit for your friends with the non-stop-crying-newborn.
There’s other ways to tone down the pressure of silly season spending too.
An epic present doesn’t need to have glossy wrapping paper and the perfect ribbon bow - that sh*t adds up.
Get scrappy and use old newspapers or brown paper bags - you can decorate them yourself too!
Happy shopping, you price-slashing legends!
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