Woman shares Christmas tips that saved her £300
Martin Lewis gives advice on Tesco's Christmas Saver scheme
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Many families will be worried about what they can buy their loved ones this Christmas however many could save by using their own skills. Express.co.uk spoke exclusively with Georgie Waterman, 24, about how she is using her physio skills as a way to save over £300 this December.
Georgie is a physiotherapist, who works for the NHS, but also privately as well.
As a result of the cost of living and rising bills, she has decided to increase her hours recently to keep up.
Georgie explained she is actively undertaking steps to cut costs such as meal prepping, making shopping lists before heading out, and not going shopping when she’s hungry.
She added: “That’s literally the worst thing you could do, go shopping when you’re hungry.”
The physiotherapist is now making a more conscious plan to buy foods that will last the week and are easily frozen.
Her family have reduced how much they go out, and have ordered less takeaways as way to preserve money.
Before finance became squeezed, Georgie was originally planning to take her family to the theatre for Christmas which would have cost £300 for the cheapest tickets.
When getting theatre tickets as a gift, Georgie realised she is buying a present for everyone as well as herself, making it more expensive.
However now she has decided to give her time instead of money to help cut costs.
She told Express.co.uk: “I’m giving my own time which isn’t an issue because it is free.
“My mum loves a sports massage and so does my dad as he just had a bike riding accident. They would benefit from a physio sports massage.
“So I’m helping my myself because I’m not paying much on presents, but I’m also helping them out as well. I’m saving £300.
“For my secret Santa gifts – I am using items from small businesses. My sister has a candle making business so I can gift that and help the family too.”
She recommended doing secret Santa with friends or colleagues as a way to save money on the run up to Christmas as this means only one present.
By putting a maximum spend on gifts can also help people budget.
Three tips to cut back for Christmas:
- Buy functional presents
Georgie said: “Last year, me and my sister were out of the house as we had both moved out of our home and our mum got us bleach and cleaning supples which was funny but helpful.
“Buying functional presents for people that they can actually use can save so much time and money.”
- Shop around
Georgie explained there are a myriad of options available, and people can often buy gifts cheaper if they really shop around.
She recommended people try second hand shops or charity shops or small businesses who are doing more personable things as a way find any bargains available.
- Set expectations
A crucial rule for the festive period is to set expectations with family and friends and let them know one’s financial situation she explained.
If individuals are open and honest about their budget and what they are hoping to do then it can save any feelings of guilt or shame and help people stick to their budget
With cost-of-living pressures squeezing household finances, research from St James’s Palace, has found that a third say they will buy less expensive gifts (34 percent) or fewer gifts (33 percent) as a result of the spending squeeze.
Women are seemingly impacted more than men, with four in ten planning to buy less expensive gifts (41 percent) as well as fewer gifts (40 percent), compared to a quarter of men (26 percent respectively).
Additionally, with living costs weighing on many people’s minds, nearly one in 10 (eight percent) say they would prefer to be gifted money this year rather than receive presents. Meanwhile, for a similar proportion (eight percent), gift giving is completely off the table, as they are unable to afford to buy anything at all.
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