How to save money at Christmas: 16 genius tips to cut Christmas costs

Mark your calendars and set your alarm for Amazon Prime Big Deals Days. In 2024, they're on 8th and 9th October. You can plan in advance and keep an eye on Mother&Baby's Amazon Prime deals pages, especially if you're on the lookout for beauty bargains or Amazon devices for the kids.

Black Friday 2024 starts on November 29th and carries on until Cyber Monday on the 2nd December. This is the time of year that shops slash their prices. Whether you're shopping online or on the high street, it’s an amazing opportunity to buy your Christmas presents for less. Planning who you’re buying for, what you’re buying, and where you're buying will help you shop more efficiently, both for your time and money.

Cashback credit cards use a rewards system where whenever you spend money on their card they give you a percentage of the money back to you. This only works if you pay off your card in full each month. This is a brilliant way of saving some money for Christmas.

It’s so easy to over spend on food over Christmas but you really don’t have to. If you meal plan for the Christmas period you can save so much more money than if you just walk into the shop without a list. Look on the supermarkets website to see if there are any deals on before you go and plan how much you will want to spend.

Throughout the year you have probably been saving up loads of points on your loyalty cards. Well now is the time to use them. We guarantee you will save so much money on the points you probably don’t even realise you have saved up. Those Boots Advantage Card Points and Tesco Clubcard Vouchers can come in handy at Christmas so plan in advance to find out where you can get points and save them up throughout the year whenever you shop.

Sign up to websites like Groupon and Voucher Codes. They are websites which will find you deals on dining, spa weekends, and experience days. These sites often have deals that are exclusive to them so why not take advantage and save a little.

Why not send your Christmas cards second-class post? It will cost you £25 less than first class post to send 50 cards. Make sure if you do this that you send any second-class post before December 18th and any first-class post from December 20th. Even better, design an e-card with Canva or send one from a site like Moonpig. You could also save money on the cards themselves making handmade Christmas cards

We know you love your friends and family and want to spoil them rotten but the amount of money you spend on someone doesn’t equal the amount of love you have for them. Some of the most thoughtful gifts don’t actually cost that much money at all. Why not having a go at making your own presents? Homemade Christmas gifts are so personal and will probably mean more to your loved ones.

Booking your train tickets as far in advance as you possibly can will save you money if you're travelling over the festive season. If you know the time and date you're travelling, booking Advance Tickets will save you money and be much less stressful in the long run. Have a look at National Railcards too as they will save you money on future trips.

There are celebrations all throughout the year and most of the times you will receive presents in gift bags or wrapping. If you save up these bags all throughout the year when it comes to Christmas you will be all ready to go when it comes to wrapping your family and friend's presents. Or for a fun family activity, buy cheap rolls of brown parcel paper, grab some stamps and the kids, and make your own wrapping paper! Not only is it more sustainable, it's cheap and keeps the kids entertained... win, win, win.

We all have that draw in the kitchen full of shopping bags from the supermarket that we paid for but always forget to use. This Christmas, take those bags out of the drawer. While 10p and 20p doesn’t sound like a lot of money, it all adds up. Consider buying a resuable bag and use it every time to save money.

If you have a big group of friends or a big family and you know it would cost a lot to buy presents for the family individually, get the whole group involved in a Secret Santa. Put everyone’s name in a hat and each person can draw out the name of someone to buy for. Then you only have to buy for one person rather than everyone, which will save so much money.

It is never too early to start shopping. January sales? Why not! Post-summer sales? Get shopping. Before you know it, you'll have a cupboard full of gifts that have cost you less, and you'll have more time in the run-up to the holidays to relax and spend time with family.

Be organised right from this start. Write down all the names of the people you want to buy for and what they like. This will give you an indication straight away of how much you’re going to spend. Have a look online to see if you can get any of the presents for a good deal and work out a rough estimate of how much you want to spend and stay below this.

If you're wondering how to save money on Christmas dinner, which is arguably the most lavish meal of the year, we've got some money saving tips. Keep an eye out for discounted bits in the run up that you can pop in the freezer - cranberries, veg and even meats can be bought when they're reduced and popped in the freezer until you're ready for them. Also, plan ahead. It's easy to buy too much and waste food, so have a plan and an idea of how many people you're feeding.

Don’t forget this is the most wonderful time of the year and you don’t want to forget the real meaning of the holiday. Spend time with your family and friends. They will love you regardless of the gift you give so enjoy the holiday and have fun with the people you love.