Best ways to save money and enjoy Christmas

Homemade Christmas presents like gingerbread biscuits are both thoughtful and budget-friendly. Photo: Getty.

How to save money on Christmas presents 

Get creative 

Handy with knitting needles or a hot shot in the kitchen? Maybe you’ve a lot of plants that could be propagated or you have the ability to paint someone their own portrait. Making someone a gift can save you money and is often more thoughtful than simply grabbing them a gift off the shelf. 

You might already have the ingredients in your pantry to make edible gifts. These recipes from the RACV Club kitchen will delight and surprise, including gingerbread biscuits, a gingerbread house, pavlova, vegan chocolate cake and rocky road.

Purchase gifts on a discount 

If you belong to a club or membership program, you might be eligible to purchase gifts at a discount. RACV Members, for example, save on tickets to movies, theatre shows and attractions, as well as on a range of other retail products.  

Regift in a thoughtful way

The rising popularity of second-hand and vintage goods means you can regift an unwanted present in a considerate way. Regifting is a budget-friendly and environmentally friendly option, so long as you follow a few rules. 

Keep note of who originally gave you the gift and do not gift it back to them, nor anyone within their immediate family or friend group. You should also conscientiously regift; make sure the present is going to someone you truly believe will enjoy it, and be sure to rewrap the item so that you’re still putting a personal touch on the present. 

You can also ‘regift’ gift cards in an indirect way – by using them to purchase new gifts for others.  

Organise a Secret Santa 

Secret Santa gifting arrangements aren’t just for office parties – they’re also a good way to reduce gifting costs for families and friends. 

If a Secret Santa is out of the question, you could discuss setting gift or gift price limits with guests to keep costs affordable. 

Save paper 

Do you hastily tear off wrapping paper, or do you carefully unfold it? There’s a good reason to opt for the latter, with gift wrap potentially able to be used several times across several years of gifting if you’re careful with it.  

Carefully unwrapping gifts can allow you to reuse the gift paper for future presents and save on wastage. Photo: Getty.

How to save money on Christmas decorations 

Look to nature 

The plants in your garden are a free and eco-friendly resource to decorate with come Christmas. Flowers are the obvious choice to spruce up your dinner table, but leaves and even gumnuts can be turned into beautiful decorations.  

Try spray painting gumnuts in silver or gold for some Australian festive flair, or scavenge pine cones for a more traditional look. If you start thinking about your décor now, you can even dry and press flowers to use as part of your decorations. 

Think like a kid 

It’s time to bring back some of the Christmas crafts from your preschool years. Lots of household products you might have otherwise thrown out can be repurposed into decorations, and it’s a great activity the whole family can get involved with. 

Cardboard toilet rolls can be segmented horizontally, painted, then turned into festive garlands, while you can use the cardboard from cereal boxes and other packaging to create Christmas bunting (simply cut into triangles and paint the plain side however you wish).  

Buy for next year 

You don’t have to dash to the Boxing Day sales to get a good deal. The weeks following Christmas often see a reduction on seasonal items like decorations, trees and bon bons. You'll also find lots of cheap Christmas decorations in charity shops. Restock your decoration supplies when you see a bargain and save money and time when the next holiday season arrives.