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Top pre-Christmas budgeting tips
Author Elizabeth Goodyear
- Shirley Woodrow, Director, Dunedin Budget Advice Service.
"The Christmas season is a great time for families to get together, but financial stresses can take the shine off," says Shirley Woodrow, Director of the Dunedin Budget Advice Service.
Shirley has been working with Dunedin families for 24 years and offers the following tips to help make Christmas a happy family occasion. She says that one of the best things you can do is to plan and prepare in advance.
1. Steer clear of hamper companies. A much better option is to buy supermarket Christmas Club vouchers, which work out to be around 25 percent cheaper. If you have already signed up for a hamper scheme, you should be able to cancel at any time and either get your money back - you may lose 10 percent of what you've paid - or if you decide to keep your money in the scheme, you can still use it to buy some goods at Christmas time.
2. Plan ahead for Christmas. What sort of meal do you want? A traditional Christmas dinner or a BBQ? If you are hosting the dinner for extended family, how about making it pot luck?
3. Make a list of presents or food to buy and the jobs that need doing.
4. Start buying some things now (little gifts and food that will keep) and put them aside.
5. Be creative. Can you make gifts? Encourage the children to make presents and cards.
6. Make it fun for the children and then it will be easier on the parents.
7. Talk to your family. Decide on a limit for how much you should spend on each present. Talk to your extended family about not buying for everyone - introduce the "Secret Santa" idea where a ballot is drawn and each person buys for only one other person.
8. Don't borrow for Christmas, and make sure you still pay your regular bills like rent and electricity.
9. Create your own traditions. You don't have to do what everybody else does.
10. Give the gift of time. How about making a voucher that promises you will mow the lawns, babysit or bake a cake?
What's your best family tradition?
The ones that cost nothing and make our spines tingle. Tell us in less than 20 words and go into the draw for a $50 Warehouse voucher.
Write your entry on a separate sheet, and cut out, complete and attach the form at the bottom of this page. Address your entry to:
Close to Home
Family Tradition Competition
Freepost 143385
Housing New Zealand Corporation
PO Box 2628, Wellington 6140
Entries must be received no later than Friday 30 October 2009.
Click here to download the "Close to Home Family Tradition Competition Form" (PDF Document, 488kb)
