Christmas on a Budget

As a student, I'm no stranger to having to set myself a rather tight budget - and, with hoards of extended family, that's not always an easy job.

This is why I've decided to share some of my tips with anyone else who's finding this festive season particularly hard to get through.

So, with out further ado, I'll begin!

Making Your Own Gifts
No, that doesn't mean you need to start paper-macheing balloons, or bending wire coat hangers - there are plenty of simple ways to make amazing homemade gifts, that won't cost the earth.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to cook your own gifts - buy some nice jam jars and soak some olives in an olive oil and chili marinade for a unique, delicatessen-style gift, or, alternatively, if you've got kids, get them involved by making some festive cookies, and sending them out to friends and family. Just be sure to let everyone know who made them!

Another good idea is to make your own gift hampers - you can buy some cheap baskets and gift boxes from most wholesalers or department stores, and at this time of year, there's always some cheap bath and shower sets floating around - I usually buy a set with about five bubble baths in for about $7.00, over the internet, as well as a jumbo bag of sweets and chocolates for about $2 - then split them up accordingly, sit them in their baskets, wrap in a nice bit of tissue paper / cellophane, and I'm done - gifts that only cost about $3 each!

Making The Decorations
No, the crafting doesn't stop at presents - why not get creative and get making your decorations, too?

Again, if you have kids, don't hesitate to get them involved - Christmas should be a time for family, and there's no reason why being on a budget should take away the fun element from Christmas.

There are many different ways to make your own decorations, from painting and cutting out card shapes to hang on the tree, as opposed to expensive glass decorations, and making bows out of pipe-cleaners (which you can buy in a pack of thirty for about $1.50).

Don't forget to store all your decorations for next year, too - not all of them will last , but you're bound to get a good few that do survive the damp in the attic, or the dry rot in the storing cupboard!

Setting The Table
Now, a lot of people tend to have a pre-conceived idea on how to set the table for this particular occasion - center pieces, name places and crackers - and there's no reason why you can't have this, even if you are a little short of cash!

Okay, so, let's start with the center pieces - they don't have to be large, extravagant arrangements, with even larger, more expensive flowers - they can actually cost you as little as $5, and can last you about two weeks - all you need is some gold spray paint and old pears. Yes, you read that right! Head over to your local supermarket, or grocers, and ask them for their old pears - they'll probably be glad to be rid of them!

Now, I say pears, because they'll keep, without smelling, or going too moldy for a good few weeks, but you're free to use apples if you're only using them for a short while. Alternatively, you could use plastic fruit, as this will keep all year round, but it's gonna be a bit more expensive.
Now, simply spray the pears, and place them in a bowl.

Feel free to curl some gold pipe-cleaners in a bowl with them!

Now, for the name places - these don't have to be stiff card that costs about $400 a piece (an exaggeration, I'm sure), and with gold gild round the rims - you're fine to just buy a calligraphy pen and some nice paper, and a length of ribbon to tie it up with - much cheaper, and it looks pretty good, too. If your calligraphy skills aren't up to much, try using a glitter gel pen, instead - just be sure to let it dry before rolling it up!

Finally, Christmas crackers, and yeah, you guessed it, we're making our own.

You can buy kits or stencils, costing around $5 each, and you can just buy some little stocking-filler type gifts to fill them up with, all for under $10, online - just be careful to keep all gifts unisex and impersonal, you don't know who's going to get what!

Okay, so, those are my tips for Christmas on a budget - I hope it helped!