Just buy one – and make it count!

Christmas is always a financial headache but this year, and for possibly for a few more, we have to mind our pennies like never before. We all love a present, but it gets expensive when you have to buy for extended family and friends, and it almost overshadows the whole spirit of Christmas, which is about getting together and enjoying the festive time together. One of our colleagues told us of her money-saving-at-Christmas hack that she started a couple of years ago when the present-buying palaver got too much, and the family all love it. It’s not new, and it’s usually an ‘office thing’… it’s Secret Santa. Most of you know how it works… each of you is allocated one person to buy for (‘who’ was sorted by picking out a name from a hat, but you can do it online now), there’s a set sum of money to spend on the present and the recipient doesn’t know who bought the present. That’s it. End of. Done. No more presents to buy! Now, it’s different with your kids, because you probably do want to buy for them, but with Secret Santa you just don’t have to buy for Uncle Tom Cobbly and all anymore. Our colleague set a sum of £25 and everyone had to stick to it. As some of her family are not nearby, the name allocation was down to an online app. She uses elster.com but there are others. Get on it now and get rid of that headache!