Christmas decorations, presents, festive fayre, a visit to a Christmas market…, the season to be jolly can be jolly expensive if you’re not careful. But how can you enjoy Christmas and New Year without being left with a financial hangover in January. The VRT’s consumer team has come up with 8 top tips to enjoy the festive season without breaking the bank.
1. Look for festive activities that are free of charge
Many municipal websites list Christmas and New Year related activities that are free or relatively cheap to participate in. You may have to register in advance, but it won’t cost you the earth. Those with and UiTPAS card can check out the UiTPAS website (In Dutch only) to see which winter activities they can get a discount on.
2. Collect Christmas decorations from your garden
You can turn your house into a winter wonderland simply be collecting things from your garden. Leaves, twigs, pinecones. You can paint them to make original, cheap and sustainable Christmas decorations. If you need some inspiration, take a look on Pinterest. What about your Christmas tree? Is it more economical to buy a real Christmas tree each year or buy a fake one that you can use timer and time again. Each option has its pros and cons.
3. Wrapping paper
But what about presents? You will need to wrap them and that can cost a pretty penny too. However, that doesn’t need to be the case if you are a little creative. Why not use paper from old newspapers or magazines or even outdated road maps? Not only does this enable you to save money, but it is also “greener” and it gives your gifts a unique, original touch.
4. Decide in advance what you intend to spend on presents
The festive season also means buying gifts for loved ones. You can keep the price down by organising a Secret Santa with your family, friends or colleagues. Everyone writes down their name and puts it into a jar. The participants then draw 1 name from the jar. The person whose name you drawn is the person for whom you have to buy a gift.
However, a Secret Santa can lead to discussions about budget for the gifts to be bought. The radio presenter and author of ‘Jouw Budgetplanner’ Kristel Verbeke advises that everyone taking part in the Secret Santa says (anonymously) how much they are prepared to spend and the lowest figure given is how much will be spent on gifts by each person taking part in the Secret Santa.
5. Prepare a festive meal using locally-produced ingredients that are in season
A feast is all part of the seasonal celebrations. However, a festive meal can be rather pricy as some ingredients are not grown or produced locally or are out of season.
‘The Messy Chef’ Jelle Beeckman, told VRT News that we should “Think about what ingredients you can replace with a cheaper alternative” We should also steer clear of things that weren’t in the shops at the beginning of December, but have appear there just before Christmas.
6. Keep an eye on how much electricity you are using
On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, it might be the case that you consume more electricity than on other days. Just think of your Christmas lights, your gourmet set or fondue set, a deep fat fryer or the oven... These appliances not only increase your energy consumption, but they also increase the risk of fire. Fire prevention consultant Tim Renders told VRT News that it is best to “Make sure your appliance is stable on the table and don't plug multiple appliances into the same plug socket. If you use an extension cable, make sure that you unwind it completely.
Furthermore, “It is best to turn your Christmas lights off when you go to sleep and if it’s a real tree to make sure that it gets enough water so that it is less dry. If a Christmas tree has no roots and is losing needles, it is a fire hazard.”
7. Look for special offers
Keeping the cost of your festive dinner down isn’t only dependent on what you buy but also when you do your shopping. These days, there are some great special offers running throughout December. This is because competition between the supermarkets is greater than ever.
Buying at the last minute, just before closing time on 24 or 31 December, is also a good way to pick up fresh produces at a knock-down price.
8. Be on the alert for online end-of-year scams
Scammers are active all year round, and of course they also capitalise on the festive season.
The VRT’s Tim Verheyden provides a few tips to prevent you falling victim to online and offline scams during the festive period. “Check the shops you plan to use online and maybe stick to the ones you know and trust. Above all, do not be fooled by slogans like ‘this promotion is valid for a few hours’, ‘only a few these items remain’ or ‘buy now, this offer is only valid today’. These are marketing tricks that are designed to put you under pressure to buy.
“When you receive an email, it is always best to check the sender. With emails, it's best to look at the sender. If in doubt, contact the company that has supposedly emailed you”.
What forms of offline scams typically crop up in December? “People posing as refuse collectors or postal workers asking for an end of year tip. Where I live we received a letter in our letterbox telling us what refuse collectors look like and warning us about scammers”, Tim Verheyden said.