Hi! I’m Natalie from the UK and I am a 2^nd year Graphic Design student. As we approach Christmas day, I’m sure a lot of people have been thinking about buying gifts and hosting festive celebrations and meals. And although Christmas time is wonderful, for some the thought of gift giving and hosting parties and meals might be quite difficult due to the current cost of living crisis.  But I want to let you know that it does not have to be this way. Hopefully the tips I share with you today will help you find ways to host celebrations and give gifts on a budget. 

Tip 1: Lean into your creativity–   If you are somebody who enjoys making creative things in their spare time, the Christmas time is a great time to showcase this. I personally enjoy crocheting, and using this skill I have made scrunchies, coasters, hats and a blanket which have made for great gifts in the past. You could also create a scrapbook for your friends and family filled with wonderful memories you had with them. If you are into photography, you could give your friends or family a framed picture you have taken of them. You could also create and paint pottery to give as gifts, knit something or embryoid something to give as a gift and even create a painting or drawing as well. The list goes on.  

Tip 2: Get people involved- Hosting a celebration does not mean you must do everything yourself. Potlucks are a great way to get people involved and add more fun to celebrations. Ask your friends and family to bring in one of their favourite dishes, drinks or snacks. Potlucks allow new social connections and cultures to be shared between communities. Not only are Potlucks a wonderful time, but it also takes the pressure off having to buy ingredients and make dishes by yourself which can be expensive and difficult especially as a student. 

Tip 3: Stay on the lookout for deals- In addition to using your student discount to get discounts on items, I would also recommend you stay on the lookout for good deals during this Christmas period. Stores like Aldi, Tesco and Lidl have many good deals and offers around this time of year, especially on Christmas food. Not only are they affordable, but these stores also have a great range of Christmas food. Lidl in particular have great weekly deals on many kinds of products that hopefully can be appealing to many people during this period. Another thing to be on the lookout for is reduced items. During the evening time the prices of products get reduced, and you can find some fantastic bargains in many different stores. 

I hope these tips can be of use to you this Christmas. 

 I just briefly wanted to share my experience with celebrating on a budget during the Christmas time. Something my church has always done is share the responsibilities of who is bringing what to celebrations. This helps people to not feel overwhelmed during the Christmas season and it allowed me and others to try different foods from different cultures and backgrounds. We had people bring in their favourite rice dishes, we had some people who baked cakes and other sweet goods. Others brought meat pies, and my family brought the drinks and snacks. It was so heartwarming to be able to share food with others and just socialise with friends and family. And to end off, I just want to remind you that you are not alone in this when it comes to the difficulty of managing expenses around Christmas. I too have experienced this, but I always found it was easier to be honest with friends and family about this and use the tips I have mentioned above.  

I hope this post has helped you discover ways of gift giving and holding a celebration event on a budget. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!