The count down has already begun!

So the festive season is here! Whether you are a bit of a Scrooge or started counting down the days months before hand, Christmas is almost here!

Christmas is meant to be something that brings the family together, a season to be festive and giving. Christmas is probably the busiest months of the year- and for me some what stressful time getting presents together and meeting the family. So I just wanted to share some tips on reducing money on Christmas- I know that most people feel the weight of their wallets suddenly drop!

Just some key tips:

• Don't wait until the December months to start buying Christmas presents! I know many people reading this may think that this is a simple tip that everyone knows, but really be honest to yourself it is a learning curve getting the timings right. Don't go for the Christmas merchandise, just because it has a Christmasy little logo on the side of it are you really willing to spend extra? Check around for things that aren't aimed at just Christmas, it may also make the products more appealing in other months than Christmas! So always be on the look out for presents for people (especially close family members first) straight away. You never know you might find the perfect gift one day and the next it's gone!
• There are other ways of shopping; you can go online and search for the cheapest. This isn't meant to be an advertising site but I find Amazon is always good for DVDs and books. There is a section in Amazon which shows you the bargains and today's deal, which is cheaper, better quality and also saves hassle and money because it is delivered to your door! (But just make sure you check the postage rate, they can catch you out!)
• Get your hands on as many vouchers as you possibly can! I know you may feel like you are wasting your time searching the internet to only get £5 for every £50 (or something that small or ridiculous!), but it all adds up! From personal experience I have found O2 priority moments really useful, you have to be an O2  phone user for the better deals (I'm not sure if you can get any deals through O2 if you aren't a user, I haven't really tried!). I got a 25% EVERYTHING in one purchase at New Look, I saved myself over £15. Boom, Christmas now doesn't seem so daunting!
• You don't even need to rely on all these things above, you can personalise your Christmas presents by making them yourself! I know that brings a lot of worried faces when I mention this topic, but I don't think it's nearly as bad as it seems! You don't have to have a masters in art to make something special to you to give to someone else for Christmas. Just to through some ideas out there- drawings, letter (my friends seem to love this one- you can make a paragraph about how much this person means to you. Brings a smile to their face when they read it and all the stupid things we have gotten up to!), cooking, baking, jewellery  perfume, collage of pictures... The list is endless! I will add some links to some interesting ideas you can make your own at the end of this post, see if you can get inspired!
• This is probably the most important part. Forward planning. I want you to objectify the amount of money you are willing to spend on each individual and if you can stretch to make it work. Separate your money out and check you can afford it before you go out and spend and come up short. The idea of Christmas is not to make you bankrupt! So begin all this months before, start saving up- don't go shopping and buy a new dress for Christmas day before you get the presents. Treat yourself to the dress after you get the tedious bit done first! 

I hope this has all been helpful! And now for the bit everyone wants to get to, the tips to a cheaper Christmas interests and inspirations. Good luck shopping! And if anyone knows any ways to create a even cheaper Christmas don't be afraid to comment and help everyone out!

O2 priority moments:

http://www.o2priority.co.uk/moments

Love fashion sales- you sing up (it's free don't worry!) and you choose brands/shops that are on offer to you and you will get emails for when vouchers or products, that you are watching or fit the categories you chose, go on sale:

http://www.lovefashionsales.com/

This is more or a girly site for presents but Body Shop always seems to email me with so many different discounts! If you let them know your email they will keep you up to date, and you can get expensive pampering things for a low price!

http://www.lovefashionsales.com/

Inspiration for hand made presents:

Baking is something wonderful!...

Fudge?... http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Holidays-and-Events/Christmas/Candy/Fudge/Top.aspx?src=mer699

Brownies?...http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=Brownies

That site is well tested from me, so I recommend it. It's easy to search for different recipes just into the search bar! You can also see the amount of stars and comments other people give the recipe if you are unsure about it. Fudge and Brownies are just the start, why not try Christmas cake? Cookies? Cupcakes? The list is endless!

Making wanting to make a collage for a friend with all the pictures? Or just edit them to then stick them all together by hand? From personal experience I find Picnik a more user friendly online photo editing site than others (I did try aviary, but for me that was disappointing. But again if you have any better sites please feel free to comment!)

http://www.picnik.com/

If you want to make jewellery and you want it to look like you bought it from a professional jewellery maker as a one off. I advise getting some more expensive beads! I am a bit of a bead collector myself- you can't really have to many they are so useful for the old little jobs and rainy days! So I do have most of the equipment needed for the more fiddly detailed pieces. But if you want to start another hobby and create presents at the same time Bijoux beads are one of my favourites! Although this isn't exactly the cheapest form of jewellery making but it gives me so much entertainment of creating something for my friends I think it pays off! 

http://bijouxbeads.co.uk/

So this post may have been too late to help for this Christmas, but I hope it gave you some inspiration for the festive season! And Merry Christmas, good luck with your family get together's and shopping!

Ellie.