Christmas really is my favourite time of the year! No matter how old I get, I relish the cosy evenings indoors. I love the beautiful lights adorning the streets. I enjoy getting a glimpse of other people’s trees as I walk past their homes. I treasure the chance to indulge a little in some of life’s guilty pleasures. Hint: lots of chocolate and mulled wine! Having young children, I hope to make their Christmas a magical time as well.

But like many people, I am feeling the pinch. The cost of living crisis has left a lot of us noticing how much less our money seems to buy. My ability to work full-time has been limited by my illnesses and more recently becoming a mother. The struggle is real! Maternity allowance isn’t much to live on and the UK only recently introduced limited free childcare hours for younger children.

I see a lot of great ideas on limiting gifts and spending. A good one is the four gift rule. It consists of something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. I may adopt this when my children are a bit older. My toddler has a personalised Santa sack with her name on. My current rule is that if the toys don’t fit into the sack, she has too much. I make exceptions for one or two main gifts.

From a health perspective, planning for big occasions like Christmas with limited energy and help is challenging. According to my own cognitive function tests, I have executive order difficulties. This means I have problems with tasks that involve planning and organising. Not ideal when planning events like Christmas for a young family.

I try to stay ahead of the game to limit stress and worry. I have things bought and ready before December. Last-minute panic buying seems silly to me and not leaving plenty of time to resolve issues like non-deliveries.

So here are ten ways I’m organising and paying for Christmas this year as a mother with a limited budget:

1. Keep a running list of ideas throughout the year. I have notes in my iPhone for each key person I buy gifts for. Any time I see something they may enjoy, I take a photo. I add it into the relevant note with the name of the brand and price. Each time there’s an occasion, I have a ready-made list of ideas so I’m not caught out.
2. Use existing subscriptions as your main gifts – As mentioned in a previous post, I do subscribe to Lovevery. I put away a little each month to cover the cost of the play kits. I only give the play kit toys on special occasions (such as a birthday, Christmas or Easter) to justify the cost. This year, my daughter is on the The Investigator play kit which will make up the majority of her gifts.
3. Sell second-hand items – You can sell unused or unwanted items on Vinted, eBay or Facebook marketplace. This is a good way to make extra cash for special occasions. Over the years, my daughter has received gifts that are duplicates of what we already have. In one year alone, she was gifted four xylophones. She does not need four of the same thing. She has also received gifts that really don’t fit our parenting philosophy. This has meant we’ve had unopened toys that another family will enjoy. We can sell them at a cheaper price than the shops providing a win-win for all involved. I follow the same system for the better quality preloved clothes we no longer need and donate the rest. We use that money to get whatever we need for the next season.
4. Buy pre-loved items – Whilst you can use these platforms to sell pre-loved or unused items, there is nothing to stop you finding some real bargains as well. For instance, you could search for wooden toys. If you then filter the condition as “new” either with or without tags, you can find some wonderful gifts at a fraction of the retail price.

5. Re-gift unused items – As previously mentioned, my toddler has received duplicate gifts such as xylophones or wooden activity cubes. She doesn’t need four of the same thing and we don’t have the space here anyway. However, they would make lovely gifts for any cousins or friends around the same age. They would get enjoyment out of them. In that case, I would rewrap them and give them away. Obviously, do not give them back to the original buyers! The same goes for us adults. I’ve been gifted beautiful beauty sets from shops like Rituals. However, I know I have an allergy to some of the products. In that case, I’ve been able to re-gift to a loved one who can really indulge and enjoy them.

6. Find the cheapest price for the item. If you are going to buy new, shop around for the best price. You could simply use Google Shopping results for this or use a site such as PriceRunner. Remember to factor in the delivery cost when making a decision to buy online. Even better, check if you can collect it locally for free.

7. Get cashback on the money you’ve chosen to spend – I don’t believe in buying products just because they are on sale. The deal might look too good to miss. However, I do think maximising money on what you’re spending anyway is a smart idea. One way to do this is to click through to a qualifying site from the likes of Top Cashback. This way a small percentage of your purchase will come back to you. This is a great way to make some extra money and they often offer top ups if you cash out using gift vouchers instead of cash. However, the cashback can take weeks or months to become payable. On occasions, the retailer might also decline to pay it as well.

If you want instant cashback, one option is to use apps such as Cheddar*, Swiipi or Everup. If the retailer you want to buy from is a partner firm, you purchase a gift card from the app and use that to pay rather than paying the store directly. The money will then be available for you to withdraw from the app directly.

*Feel free to use my referral code FTIUVVZ for a £5 bonus with Cheddar when you sign up.

8. Use your loyalty points – Many stores have loyalty schemes that enable you to earn spendable points. The other day I discovered £22 on my Boots card that I had no idea about, which will be put towards things we need. These schemes include supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Some people like to collect their points throughout the year to spend at Christmas on food, clothes or gifts. And why not, if its money back from what you’ve already spent?

9. Scan your receipts for extra vouchers – The last thing I do is to scan or forward my receipts to an app like Shoppix. When you reach a certain number of points you can cash them out for vouchers or cash via paypal. It takes time for the points to build up. I have had around £100 worth of Amazon vouchers in total. Most of these have been spent on my toddler’s book collection. Other voucher options include Ikea, Love to Shop, Argos and various cafes and food stores.

10. Ask for what you actually want or need. Here in Britain, the standard response to “What would you like for Christmas?” is usually “Oh, don’t waste your money on me” or “I don’t need anything,” and so on and so forth. It’s all awfully polite and British. If it’s close family, and you know they will definitely buy something, why not just tell them? Let them know what you need or want. For instance, my daughter’s Aunt was asking, so I asked for a copy of “Where’s Spot?”. It’s a classic board book my toddler will enjoy and it costs less than £5. This way you actually get gifts that you know your family will love. As long as you’re not asking for anything expensive, I don’t see a problem with this. I often ask for clothes in a certain size or vouchers to places where we can buy children’s clothes if anyone is unsure.

I also think it’s more socially acceptable now to agree to no gifts in advance. If people know that you are saving for a house deposit or have just suffered a job loss or other financial hit, there’s no reason for any ill feeling about your budget not stretching to them. This is especially true for people outside of your immediate family. Or perhaps bring a token gift for the whole family rather than one for everyone. A box of chocolates or biscuits won’t break the bank.

So that’s it for my round-up of ten ways I’m finding the extra cash to cover Christmas this year as a mother with chronic illnesses living on a budget. What about you? Do you have any other tips?