{"id":14469,"date":"2022-11-29T13:30:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T13:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/?p=14469"},"modified":"2025-02-18T09:38:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T09:38:50","slug":"5-best-budgeting-tips-for-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2022\/11\/29\/5-best-budgeting-tips-for-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"5 best budgeting tips for Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s nearly that time of year again when we indulge in presents and overload on food, but the festivities do mean that our bank balances take a hit, especially with gifts, parties and the Christmas food shop!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With that in mind, we\u2019ve got some handy budgeting tips and tricks to help you enjoy the festive season without worrying about your pocket.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep reading to find out the best ways you can budget your spending this Christmas!<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">In this blog:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#Work-out-what-you-can-afford\">Work out what you can afford\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Buy-a-cheaper-turkey-or-alternative\">Buy a cheaper turkey or alternative\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Buy-refurbished-tech\">Buy refurbished tech<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Be-smart-about-delivery-costs\">Be smart about delivery costs\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Resist-impulse-buying\">Resist impulse buying\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"Work-out-what-you-can-afford\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Work out what you can afford<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/josh-appel-NeTPASr-bmQ-unsplash-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13362 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/josh-appel-NeTPASr-bmQ-unsplash-1.jpg\" alt=\"Jar with coins \" width=\"666\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/josh-appel-NeTPASr-bmQ-unsplash-1.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/josh-appel-NeTPASr-bmQ-unsplash-1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s far too easy to lose track of spending once the Christmas spirit has well and truly set in, especially with deals popping up all over the place!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you head to the shops or start your online shopping, make a list on a notepad or your phone of everything you\u2019re looking to buy and start crunching those numbers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve worked out how much you plan to spend, identify where you can cut back or find cheaper alternatives. You\u2019ll discover that making small changes to your list can make a big difference!<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"Buy-a-cheaper-turkey-or-alternative\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Buy a cheaper turkey or alternative<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you order your turkey from the local butchers or are planning on heading down to the local supermarket, keep in mind that you don\u2019t have to buy the most expensive turkey or alternative that you can get your hands on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buying a cheaper turkey doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll be losing out on taste and you don\u2019t need to shop at higher-end supermarkets just because it\u2019s Christmas. You can get better value by shopping at supermarkets such as Iceland, Aldi, Asda and many more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus, to reduce your waste this Christmas, buy a turkey or turkey alternative that\u2019s the right size for however many people you are hosting. You can even buy a Turkey Crown to reduce the price or choose something else that\u2019s cheaper.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"Buy-refurbished-tech\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Buy refurbished tech<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Apple-watch-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12000 size-large aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Apple-watch-2-1024x870.jpg\" alt=\"Apple Watch\" width=\"1024\" height=\"870\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Apple-watch-2-1024x870.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Apple-watch-2-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Apple-watch-2-768x653.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Apple-watch-2-1536x1305.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Apple-watch-2.jpg 1802w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to cut the cost of presents this Christmas, especially tech gifts, then going refurbished is the answer. You\u2019ll get the same exact features as new, but for a much lower price!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll not only save when buying refurbished, but it is a sustainable way to help the planet. Shopping refurbished helps keep products in circulation for longer and reduces e-waste.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information about refurbished tech, check out our post <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2022\/09\/21\/what-is-refurbished-tech\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018What is refurbished tech?<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you buy <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/tech\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">refurbished tech<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/mobile-phones\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">buy refurbished phones<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at musicMagpie, we\u2019ll give you a free 12-month warranty on all tech orders and free delivery too.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"Be-smart-about-delivery-costs\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Be smart about delivery costs<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though shopping online for Christmas is more convenient than getting stuck in supermarket queues, delivery costs can really add up! Especially if you prefer to pay for next-day delivery, which can set you back a couple of pounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, there are a few different ways to get around delivery charges whether it\u2019s for food or presents:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look out for delivery offers &#8211; you\u2019ll find retailers do deals such as 99p or \u00a31.99 next-day delivery around Christmas\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check the Christmas delivery cut-off &#8211; you don\u2019t want to pay for delivery and your item arrives after the big day\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buy yearly delivery &#8211; if you shop with the same retailers quite often throughout the year, buying yearly delivery rather than paying each time will help you get more for your money\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get a free trial &#8211; If you\u2019re shopping on Amazon, sign up for a 30-day trial for Amazon Prime\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buy a delivery pass &#8211; ordering your food shop can work out cheaper if you buy a delivery pass from the supermarket<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"Resist-impulse-buying\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Resist impulse buying<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/lucrezia-carnelos-wQ9VuP_Njr4-unsplash-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14480 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/lucrezia-carnelos-wQ9VuP_Njr4-unsplash-2.jpg\" alt=\"Shopping bag \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/lucrezia-carnelos-wQ9VuP_Njr4-unsplash-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/lucrezia-carnelos-wQ9VuP_Njr4-unsplash-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/lucrezia-carnelos-wQ9VuP_Njr4-unsplash-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try not to fixate too much on deals when shopping for Christmas gifts! Look at it this way, if you were going to buy an item anyway and it\u2019s half price, you\u2019ve saved yourself 50%. But if you weren\u2019t planning on buying it in the first place, but do because it says half price, you\u2019ve wasted 100%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s very easy to get distracted by last-minute Christmas offers, but before you know it you\u2019ve spent way too much.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only buy what you need this Christmas, your bank balance will thank you for it in the long run! <\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find the perfect Christmas gift at great prices on the musicMagpie Store with our huge range of refurbished tech, including <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/games\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">refurbished consoles<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/ipads-and-tablets\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">refurbished tablets<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/apple-iphone-store\">used iPhone<\/a> models, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/ipads-and-tablets\/apple\/\" data-di-id=\"di-id-3c659d2c-e92fa3a8\">refurbished iPad<\/a> devices and so much more!<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <i>We have plenty of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/mobile-phones\/apple\/\" data-di-id=\"di-id-1a25fbc2-91db9d42\">cheap iPhone<\/a> models to choose from, including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/mobile-phones\/apple\/iphone-11\/\">cheap iPhone 11<\/a>, \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/mobile-phones\/apple\/iphone-12\/\">refurbished iPhone 12<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/store\/category\/mobile-phones\/apple\/iphone-13\/\" data-di-id=\"di-id-f5cefc99-d2037627\">refurbished iPhone 13<\/a>\u00a0models.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Looking to save even more money this Christmas? Trade in your unwanted tech for quick cash to put toward your Christmas gifts! <i>We offer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/sell-mobile-phones\/sell-my-iphone\/\">iPhone trade in<\/a> and Samsung trade-in options, along with trade-in options for a whole range of other tech items. So if you&#8217;re wondering <\/i><i>\u201cwhere can I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/sell-mobile-phones\/\">sell my phone<\/a> for quick cash?\u201d, look no further than musicMagpie!\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s nearly that time of year again when we indulge in presents and overload on food, but the festivities do mean that our bank balances take a hit, especially with gifts, parties and the Christmas food shop!\u00a0 With that in mind, we\u2019ve got some handy budgeting tips and tricks to &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":14482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2154,2220],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14469"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14469"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18104,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14469\/revisions\/18104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}