Saving Money at Christmas

Dear users, dear authors,
how can you at Christmas save money and still enjoy the holiday? Do you have any tips?

I have a few free and affordable patterns for Christmas models to offer here. 
Free + affordable Christmas patterns: even on a small budget, you can make beautiful handmade items and have lots of fun with your Christmas preparations.

We’ve stopped exchanging gifts; only our youngest granddaughter gets something for Christmas, since she’s still in school. The other four grandchildren are adults and working, some already have their own households, and we don’t even need to talk about the expenses we’re all facing—unfortunately, that’s all too well known :-(((My youngest daughter also gets a small gift since we’re always at her place on Christmas Eve and she always goes to great lengths to make it special. During the holidays, my husband and I are usually on our own, but that doesn’t really bother us. Unfortunately, our pension isn’t big enough for us to still be able to afford that—it’s enough for us and we’re getting by just fine, but we also have to budget carefully and make sure we don’t end up in a tight spot. ONLY a very few people admit that things will be very tight this year—and next year, too. We’re heading into very difficult times, and no one really knows how it will all turn out in the end.

Love, Inge

The other day, I was forced to buy a package of gingerbread cookies at the supermarket for an unexpected coffee visit. 2.59 euros—really expensive for 6 gingerbread cookies. I had to buy them anyway. BUT you can also bake your own gingerbread cookies or other cookies and store them in airtight containers.

The same goes for Christmas dinner. In another thread, people were lamenting this year’s restaurant prices for Christmas dinner. You can make it yourself, too. Just start looking now for deals on the poultry of your choice, buy it, freeze it, and then cook it yourself. People used to always cook for themselves. It’s more work, but it’s cheaper.

Only the grandchildren get gifts. To everyone else, we give our time and attention.

Warm regards, Ina

Ina, in our family we never even considered going out to eat at Christmas; we’ve always cooked ourselves and then eaten together as a family. Now that, unfortunately, I can no longer manage that for health reasons, our youngest daughter has taken over. We also do our own Christmas baking; that’s my husband’s department. He loves baking and can really let himself go at it :-) My tins for cookies & co. are always washed thoroughly, stored away, and ready to use again next Christmas.

Best regards, Inge

Yes, Inge, that’s always been the way we’ve done things here, too. But there are also many people who want to treat themselves to something special at Christmas. Not standing in the kitchen, but simply sitting down at a beautifully set table and enjoying a perfect Christmas dinner in an atmospheric setting. Followed by a Christmas stroll. Anyone who can afford it is welcome to enjoy it. Back in the day, the decision was just easier to make because of the finances.

These days, people are probably cooking and baking more at home everywhere. That’s always been the case for us, and young people are just discovering it now, too. You know exactly what’s in it and can control the flavor. It’s not just work—it’s also fun and saves money.

Maybe we could start a separate thread on Christmas treats ? Maybe your husband will share one of his favorite recipes with us. I know it can’t be someone else’s recipe—from books, magazines, etc. But there are family recipes that are passed down from generation to generation. For example, we have a recipe like that for our speculoos, which my husband bakes every year. Let’s see what kind of response my suggestion gets here.

We do have a Baking Corner, but there’s so much of everything in there. Who wants to scroll through it all just to find a Christmas recipe?

Love, Ina

I created a thread here.
Christmas baking + Christmas dinner (No advertising)

You can create your own threads anytime if you’d like. 

Josefa, you’re quick! I know we can create our own thread at any time. I just wanted to test the waters here first to see if there’s any interest at all. But thanks anyway—I’ll go ahead and post our family’s much-loved speculoos recipe there.

Best regards, Ina

I think it’s great when you have nice conversations here in the forum and have fun doing so. 

Yeah, I think that’s nice, too. A little chat in the forum brightens up the day :-)

We’ve also partly stopped the pointless back-and-forth gift-giving.

Or rather, in some cases I’ve just completely done away with it myself by saying, “There won’t be any more gifts, and I don’t want any more either.” I’m sticking to that—even though some people have still been giving me things for years :D
But it’s a double win for me: 1. You save money. 2. Until a few years ago, I’d always be frantically rushing through the stores before Christmas because I still needed a gift for everyone and their dog… Something other than the usual classics like mugs, shower gels, etc.—just anything at all. Totally silly, really.
So you save time, money, and stress :D
Of course, the kids still get presents :) But those come from the Christ Child or Santa Claus, not from us!

We haven’t gone out to eat the last few years (though that was more because of COVID than money)—and probably won’t this year either.
  Sometimes we have guests over. But to be honest, I don’t skimp on food then. At Christmas, we serve whatever we’re in the mood for, and we focus more on quality than on the cost.
We can save money again afterward :) 

We never went to a restaurant on the holidays themselves, but we’d sometimes go out for roast goose in December. Since my husband can’t do that anymore, that’s no longer an option anyway, but I do miss it.
It’s exactly that—sitting down at a table beautifully set by others, eating something different that you might not be able to cook or don’t like at home, and not having to clear the table yourself.
Once a month I go out to eat with a friend; I’d have loved to include goose on the menu then, but thanks to the prices, many restaurants have dropped that option.
Oh well, I’ll just make goose legs myself—that’ll save money, too.
We “old folks” don’t give each other gifts anymore—we haven’t for a long time. Only my niece and her husband still get something. On Christmas Day, we all sit together (sounds like a lot, but there are only six of us) at home enjoying a cozy raclette; otherwise, we’re on our own and don’t cook anything special.
We don’t travel anymore, we don’t go out at all (except for my once-a-month restaurant visit); I drove less than 3,000 km by car last year, and we’re not heating the house yet (since it’s still relatively mild in Cologne), so there isn’t much potential for savings left.

For one thing, I’m skipping the Christmas tree.
I can still decorate the apartment for Christmas by setting up my tea light village and placing Christmas ornaments in various spots around the living room or hanging them on the wall.
Since we both have very different tastes, we’ll each make our own meal.
I’ll probably make rice with vegetable curry and mock duck.

If I have time, I’ll bake a few cookies.

Maybe I’ll manage to finish Lisa’s scarf in time.

That’s right—we haven’t had a Christmas tree in years either; just reusable decorations.
We don’t bake anything, and we don’t buy anything pre-made either. He has diabetes, and I’m not such a big fan of sweets that it would be worth it.

Here are two candy junkies ;)
Of course, things look quite different when you have diabetes.

Well, gifts here are only very small ones, just a little something for the sake of unwrapping. My nephew is pretty much the only one who gets a gift... although every year things get so completely “out of hand” at their place that the little one is really just overwhelmed and by the next day actually doesn’t even know anymore what all he unpacked....  My sister is always glad when I don’t come by until the second day of Christmas.... Then I do crafts or paint with Alex. Depending on what I’ve wrapped and prepared. He thinks it’s great.
We basically don’t go out to eat at Christmas (we’d have to book in advance, and since my husband is a chronic pain patient and it’s almost impossible to plan anything, that was quickly off the table...) We cook at home, preferably ahead of time (goulash or something), then freeze it  and just like that Christmas is totally relaxed. Okay, then I only spend an hour in the kitchen and not the whole morning 🙈
On Christmas Eve the three of us sit together cozily for dinner. 
I’ll be baking cookies and the like again this year too. When I’m shopping now, one thing or another already ends up in the cart, then it’s not so noticeable 🙈 I know roughly what I need for “my” cookies. I
The Christmas tree 🤔 I actually didn’t want one last year already... but only actually. Whether I’ll manage it this year???? No idea. I’ll try...

Are you successful at saving money before Christmas?

All the money you saved last year is now being eaten up by rising food prices.

... kind of, I guess... though not “by choice”
I’m not “allowed” to visit my mom and sister this year. My brother-in-law tested positive, and some residents at the nursing home where my sister works have also tested positive... She’s trying to protect herself as best she can....
  Which is difficult, though, with dementia patients.
On Christmas Eve, we’re invited over to my son’s place for dinner ☺️ I’m really curious to see what he’ll whip up. He can cook. He wanted to become a chef once, but quit after just under three years. No one can take away the basics he learned, though 😊