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How to Afford Christmas on a Tight Budget

When you are short on funds but still need to get Christmas gifts for your family, friends, spouse and kids, you’ll need to get creative if you’re wondering how you’re going to afford Christmas. We all know that Christmas isn’t all about gifts, but you’ll still want to make sure that your nearest and dearest have something to open from you on Christmas morning. Affording Christmas when you can’t really afford Christmas is all about careful planning and making sure that you are taking advantage of all the resources available to you (if you are interested, have a look here!)

However, some ideas that you might want to consider are:

Consider a Short-term Loan

With this one, you’ll need to be very careful and make sure that you borrow responsibly so that you don’t end up landing yourself in further financial trouble. If you’ve been able to take overtime over the Christmas period and expect your January payslip to be higher than usual, for example, then you might want to consider a short-term, small loan that you can repay with the extra money you’ll receive in your next pay. These bad credit loans are available in small amounts that can help you cover the cost of some larger Christmas gifts, or getting food for Christmas Day, without setting you back too much in terms of repayments. Similarly, if you need to address urgent tasks like removing a hazardous tree before winter storms, a short-term loan could help manage these expenses without straining your budget. Hiring a tree removal company Red Deer (if that’s where you live) can enhance the safety of your property and create a more festive environment for your holiday decorations. This makes it an important consideration as part of your Christmas preparations.

DIY Christmas Gifts

Making your own Christmas gifts can be both a fun and thoughtful way to make it easier to afford Christmas. There is plenty to choose from, including gift baskets and hampers, artwork, knitted products, handmade jewellery, cross-stitch pictures, homemade soaps and candles, and scrapbooks, to name a few. If you’re a crafter, there are probably some of the things you’ll need to make homemade gifts in your home, but even if you’re not into crafts, you can pick up supplies for quite a few gifts very cheaply and there are many ideas that are easy to make.

Buy Second-Hand

Second-hand gifts might seem like a bit of a no-no, but in all honesty, you can pick up plenty of second-hand bargains – and if you manage to get them in the original box, your recipient might never know the difference. Technology gifts, for example, are pretty expensive to buy brand new, but if you shop around on sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist and Gumtree, you can often find popular items like games consoles, iPads, smartphones, and TVs at a bargain price and in full working order.

Find Coupons

Finally, if you’re shopping for Christmas gifts online, then be sure to check out as many coupon sites as you can to see how much you can save on various sites. If you’re a student, make sure that you take advantage of any student discount codes that you might be eligible for. And, shop as early as possible – the first week in December is known as ‘cyber week’ and you can often find plenty of sales and bargains on great gift items.

If you’re trying to afford Christmas on a small budget, keep these tips in mind to help your money stretch further over the festive season.