24 October 2023 , 12:33
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As households continue to grapple with the cost of living crisis, we're all looking for ways to save a little money and cut costs where we can. With that said, we still all want a little magic in our lives - especially at Christmas time.
As such, we might be tempted to splash a little extra cash around the holidays, in a bid to make the time a little more special for our loved ones. But is it really worth it?
According to one savvy spender, there are several items that we just don't need to buy as the festive season draws near, and if you avoid temptation, it could end up saving you hundreds of pounds. But her views have left other parents divided.
The mum, known as @budgetingmumofficial on Tikok, often shares money-saving tips for parents online and in one of her viral videos, she warned fellow mums and dads of three things she believes they shouldn't bother buying at Christmas. These included the matching sets of festive PJs that families often enjoy dressing up in on Christmas Eve or the big day.
She explained: "I know how easy it is to get sucked into these products thinking that it's gonna make a magical Christmas for your children, but I just wanted to say that it isn't. You don't need to spend £50 on matching pyjamas that you're only going to wear once."
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Next on her list of items we don't really need are those personalised Christmas Eve boxes some parents like to make up. The mum continued: "Your children don't need a personalised Christmas Eve box. In my experience, I just fill them with stuff that they don't even look at."
And the third and final item was fancy and expensive Christmas lights to decorate the outside of your home. She added: "You don't need to have all of these fancy lights outside your house, paying the electricity bills on them which cost a fortune. The magic of Christmas will be in the memories you make as a family."
In the video, she gave examples of the price of each of these three items, with festive family pyjamas for four costing £50 from Tu at Sainsbury's the previous year, personalised wooden Christmas Eve boxes from Not On The High Street priced at £24-£38 each, and a reindeer shaped lights from The Range which were a whopping £129.99. All of this suggested that parents could save hundreds if they simply decided not to buy these things.
Thousands of people liked the clip, with dozens replying to share their thoughts. One person said: "The Christmas Eve box trend is just ridiculous." Another wrote: "Totally agree on the Xmas PJs. There are some ridiculous prices." While a third proclaimed: "The amount of pressure on parents to do all of this is insane."
However, others weren't so sure, as one parent replied: "Agree but coming from a childhood where no effort was made, monetary or not I want to do it for my son." The Budgeting Mum responded to this, adding: "I get this! But don't lose sight on what's important in the process."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.