Consumer Corner: Nine tips for saving money on your Christmas gifts
Stick to a budget and you can’t go wrong.
The giving and receiving of Christmas presents can be a lovely thing but can also be very stressful and sometimes unnecessary.
Thanksgiving in the US is like Christmas but without the presents. It is about celebrating family and friends and getting together and there is a lot more focus on food than gift-giving. In a way, there is an argument to be made about banning Christmas presents entirely but then Christmas is a great way to also support local retailers and services. Gift-giving at Christmas is no doubt here to stay but in order to eliminate stress for yourself and your loved ones, we have our top tips on taking a sensible approach.
The idea of a Kris Kindle among family and friends is a fantastic way of both cutting costs and stress. There are many websites and apps that also allow you to manage the process and in the era of WhatsApp groups, it has never been easier to organise a Kris Kindle. Set a budget and do the draw and then people can add their wish lists to the group. That way people are getting something valuable and useful and it cuts down significantly on present buying.
You see something on Facebook or Instagram and think — I could do that. Well, maybe you can. Homemade gifts at Christmas are always a winner and often will be easier than you think. Investing in a few items could result in some really lovely creations. You could set aside an afternoon too before Christmas day to make your deliveries and drop them to people’s houses. A lovely way to say hello.
This can be especially important for children’s gifts. We can get carried away when it comes to buying for children, especially at Christmas but having a budget will keep you focused. Stick to the budget and you can’t go wrong.
Set up your Christmas Revolut Valut for Christmas 2023 in January and even if you put aside €20 a week you will have around €1,000 saved by Christmas 2023 for your presents. Often groups of family and friends will get together too to set up a ‘manage’ or a ‘Christmas Club’ where one person is in charge of collecting money throughout the year and it is returned to the savers in December, taking the sting out of Christmas shopping and spending. We know Christmas is coming each year so there is no harm in being prepared.
Again Whatsapp groups can be very useful here as can Revolut. Getting a group together for gifts for school teachers or dance teachers or sports coaches is a great way of buying something useful and also cutting down on the receiver getting ten sets of body creams they may never open.
Gifts that top lists of useless gifts include personalised mugs, bath bombs, gift vouchers you will never use and health-related items. Know your audience when you are gifting. If you know your brother has a few pairs of slippers he doesn’t use, don’t add to his collection or if your girlfriend has been talking about joining a gym for a year but never has then a gym subscription isn’t a good Christmas gift. Giving unwanted and useless gifts are not just a waste of time but it is also bad for the environment.
Stephen Harvey from SavvySpender.ie said a handy trick for comparing prices when you are online shopping is clicking on the 'shopping' tab in Google and search for the item you are looking for and Google will bring up various results which will help you to compare the price of the same item at various retailers. Which? money expert, Danielle Richardson said it’s always worth checking a few retailers to make sure you have the best price, as well as searching for discount codes. “You can often sign up to retailers’ mailing lists for exclusive offers. You could also see if the item you want to buy is available second-hand — it will often be the fraction of the price of buying brand new.”
We are spoiled for choice with an array of local retailers and service providers. Take a bit of time to check out what is on offer locally before dashing to the likes of Amazon and other big retailers. The Local Enterprise Offices are a great hub for having lists of local businesses and many will be doing something special for Christmas. You can check out Cork City’s local list here.
Watch out for attempts to defraud / phishing. If you are shopping at an online store for the first time, Mr Harvey said that Trust Pilot (ie.trustpilot.com) is a good place to sense-check whether a company is legitimate. Trust Pilot is where people who have previously used businesses can leave reviews of their experience.
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