Family cutbacks continue as 82 per cent of mums will spend up to £40 less per child on Christmas presents this year.
According to a recent survey conducted by Organised Mum, 82% of mums are cutting down on the amount of money they spend on presents for their children this Christmas. With the credit crunch in full swing 22 per cent of those surveyed estimate that they will be cutting spend by much more than £40 per child. The majority of respondents are reducing spend by up to £40 per child.
The survey results paint an entirely different picture from recent years when December was always a frantic time with consumers descending on the shops in their masses to splash cash on expensive gifts for loved ones. This year with parents carefully watching the pennies, high street stores are doing all they can to get customers through their doors with numerous special offers and discounts.
Sarah Sadler at Organised Mum said;
“The events of the past year have led to families being extra cautious this Christmas by cutting back on luxuries in preparation for another year of uncertainty in 2009. But amidst this cloud of doom and gloom there has to be a silver lining doesn’t there? I think that aside from watching the pennies, the current climate could actually create the perfect platform for parents to introduce the real tradition and meaning of Christmas back into their homes and that can only be a positive thing.”
Sarah's Top Tips on cutting back this Christmas:
 Be strict with yourself and set a spending limit for Christmas gifts. Agree a guide price of £5 - £10 for friends and/or family, or even just agree to buy only for the children this year.
Arrange a family ‘Secret Santa’ – everyone draws and name from a hat and only buys one present for the person they have been allocated. Set a gift limit of £10.00 and you are set! Although this might not be feasible for the children in the family you can still use this formula for the adults instead of buying individual gifts for everyone which can be costly.
Do the bulk of your Christmas shopping online to avoid impulse buys. It also saves on fuel and relieves the pressure of trawling around dozens of crowded shops where you are more likely to buy the first thing you see no matter what the price just to avoid the chaos!
Offer gifts of planted bulbs and homemade biscuits to your child’s teachers this year, and get your child to help you. Presents that have taken more thought and effort always go down well – after all this is what Christmas is all about.
Use your supermarket or store card points to buy your family presents this year. It is helpful to let the points mount up to the year so that they can be used when you need them the most. Also look out for special offer discounts and money off coupons.
Instead of sending Christmas cards this year, go online and send an e-card instead. They are much cheaper, not to mention better for the environment.
Recycle Christmas wrapping paper and use for next year and re-use old Christmas cards from last year to create effective gift tags for your presents.
Organise a ‘toy swap’ evening with your friends – everyone brings along good condition toys that their child no longer needs or plays with and you can swap toys to save money on buying new ones (in some cases). This is great for young babies and toddlers toys.
December 2009 | 
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