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‘TIS the season when many of us tend to overspend on food, drinks, socializing, and gifts – so while it can be magical, it can also strain your finances.
A resourceful mother, who has “next to nothing” in her bank account, still manages to provide a “proper” holiday for her family of three on just £4 a day for food. Now she’s sharing her secrets.
Stacey with her children Isabelle, eight, and Emily-Kate, 11Credit: Stacey Victoria Simpson
Stacey relies on yellow labels and freezing items in advance to afford everything for ChristmasCredit: Stacey Victoria Simpson
Stacey Victoria, 38, shared that she used to spend £900 on Christmas each year. However, after the impacts of Covid-19 on her family, she was left with a budget of just £1.33 per person per day.
The family, residing in Huddersfield, had to “massively cut back,” including during the holiday season.
Over the years, the stay-at-home mum has honed her ability to keep expenses low while still creating a magical Christmas for her family.
Last year, she managed to save £600 on holiday expenses by making smarter financial choices, spending only £300 on Christmas and £90 on gifts for her daughters, Isabelle and Emily-Kate, aged eight and 11.
Her strict budget of £1.33 allows her to keep enough funds available for gifts, bills, and any emergencies.
Here are her tips for keeping costs minimal during the festive season, without your children noticing a difference...
Affordable Gifts
She stated: “For Christmas, I always look for thrifted items! If I can purchase from a charity shop or a second-hand website, I will.”
“This way, I feel like I'm helping other families sell their unwanted items and charity shops raise funds for worthwhile causes.”
The mum also swears by platforms like Vinted, which she even used to buy their Christmas crackers.
While crackers typically range from £8 to £38 on the John Lewis website, she managed to find them for just £4.99 on Vinted.
Stacey emphasizes the importance of planning for the next Christmas as early as possible to help minimize expenses.
She remarked: “Even wrapping paper can be purchased during the January or Boxing Day sales, and charity shops often reduce these items once the holiday is over.”
Bargains for Christmas Dinner
Stacey is a firm believer in yellow labels and insists she would never spend more than 49p on Christmas vegetables.
She begins stocking up on reduced items in November and freezes them ahead of the big day.
Stacey, who enjoys batch cooking and using her freezer, said: “I will start buying reduced vegetables at least from the last week in November. Each day, the yellow reduced stickers in the aisles vary.”
She added: “Shop in this section and plan your Christmas Day menu around that. Writing everything down truly makes a difference.”
Stacey hopes to assist other struggling parents in cutting back while still enjoying a magical ChristmasCredit: Stacey Victoria Simpson
The mum, who shares her weekly tips on her Instagram page @home_with_stacey , advises anyone preparing Christmas dinner to make a list and “stick to it.” She added that visiting the supermarket later in the evening can often yield great results.
Stacey also mentions saving points earned in stores for Christmas time. She added: “You can still earn points with membership cards to save for upcoming celebrations the following year, which I always do.”
“I try to accumulate enough points on my Morrisons card for at least the meat on Christmas Day, which I always buy at a discount,” she explained.
The financially savvy mum also recommends making the most of leftovers during Christmas and creating your own desserts.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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