How to celebrate a low-cost Christmas [with all the trimmings] for just £100

According to our latest research, 52% of consumers are consciously looking for ways to cut costs this Christmas.

In surveying 1,000 participants from across the UK, we also found that 50% of consumers haven’t been able to save funds for Christmas, with 39% concerned as to how they will pay for the festive season amidst the growing cost of living and energy crisis.

 Furthermore, 33% of consumers advised they are no longer planning to front the cost of travel to see family and friends, with 12% currently unsure.

So, with the Bank of England base interest rate now up to 3% and inflation costs continuing to soar, Ready Steady Store have pulled together a dedicated cost-saving guide across all the Christmas essentials, while demonstrating how a family of four can celebrate the festive season for under £100:

Plan your Food Shop

The average cost of Christmas Dinner in 2021 ranged from £27.38 [Aldi] to £42.17 [Waitrose], and comprised of 9 key items, including Turkey, Christmas Pudding and Brussel Sprouts.

Despite rising inflation, a family of four can still enjoy Christmas Dinner for just £25.49 if they opt to shop at Aldi and selected the following 9 items*:

• Medium Turkey Crown [Serves 5-6]
• Cranberry Sauce [200g]
• Stuffing [own brand, Christmas themed]
• Turkey Gravy [Granules]
• Christmas Pudding [400g]
• Roast Potatoes [Frozen]
• Brussel Sprouts [500 – 1000g]
• Peas [775 – 1000g]
• Carrots [1000g]

Comparatively, the same Christmas dinner would cost £46.85 when purchased from Marks and Spencer, amounting to a whopping £21.36 difference.

Other supermarkets which came in under the £30 mark include: Asda [£26.97], Tesco [£27.66] and Sainsbury’s [£29.15], with Morrisons closer to £35.

Out with the new, in with the old

35% of women and 31% of men spent up to £50 on new Christmas decorations during 2021, with 17% of women spending up to £100 and 18% spending up to £150.

It may come as a no brainer, but storing and repurposing existing Christmas decorations for an average of 3 years can deliver savings of between £150 – £450, while eliminating the cost of decorations from this year’s Christmas bill.

Opting to store and reuse Christmas decorations and other festive items long-term not only delivers cost-savings, but it also reduces environmental impact – with Christmas waste fifteen times higher than other celebration, amounting to over 688,000 tonnes in food, plastic, cardboard and aluminium, according to Packaging Online.

Christmas Tree, oh Christmas Tree

The British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) estimates around seven million trees are bought each year in the UK, with 80% being the traditional Nordmann Fir.

For those looking to purchase a real tree for Christmas 2022, the following retailers provide the best low-cost options:

The Range:

• £22.00 [5FT Nordmann Fir]
• [With the option to spread the cost by three when paying with Klarna]

B&Q:

• £34.00 [0.8 – 1.2 metres Nordmann Fir]
• £26.00 [0.8 – 1.2 metres Norway Spruce]

Wowcher:

• £29.99 [35 – 1.65 metres Nordmann Fir]
• [With the option to spread the cost by three when paying with Klarna – offer ends 21^st Nov 22]

Artificial Trees:

As artificial trees are predominantly made from plastics, they need to be used for up to nine years to have less environmental impact than opting for natural alternatives.

However, taking good care to restore and re-use artificial trees, will save significant costs in the long-term, amounting to an average of £260 when purchasing one of the below options:

Argos:

£15.00 [4FT artificial tree]

Raxter via Amazon:

£14.99 [4FT artificial tree with metal stand]

£19.99 [5FT artificial tree with metal stand]

Christmas Light Switch On

According to USwitch, the average family has their Christmas lights up from November 26th to January 6th and keeps them on for around 6 hours per night.

This equates to 252 hours, and at the average estimate of 18.9p per kWh [Ofgem] during 2021, this would have amounted to an additional of £12.70 for their electricity bill over the festive period if powering 200 fairy lights and a light-up reindeer**.

With the kWh cap now 34.0p per kWh for electricity, families can expect nearly double on the cost of Christmas lights. Although this isn’t a huge increase for some, the following tips will still prove helpful for reducing electricity usage and resulting costs this Christmas:

• Reduce time lights are on: Putting your Christmas lights on for just 2 – 3 hours per evening will effectively cut the cost of your electricity bill by more than half.
• Put up lights later in December: Putting Christmas lights up from the first weekend in December [3^rd] and taking them down on New Year’s Day reduces Christmas light usage to just 29 days instead of 42 – saving energy and associated costs.
• Using LED lights over non-LED lights: Switching to LED lights can help households cut Christmas costs – as LED lights use just 10% of the energy used by non-LED lights.

If you are looking for extra space and need to store old Christmas decorations or other items this festive season, you can now save 50% for up to 12 weeks with Ready Steady Store.

Contact your nearest self storage store today for more information.

*The costs for all 9 items were sourced from the 7 listed supermarkets at the end of October 2022 and may be subject to change.

**As reported by The Sun in 2021.