Christmas Day is not all about huge presents

When it comes to Christmas, I like to consider myself pretty MoneySaving.

I build up a steady stockpile of presents throughout the year, so I don’t have to buy too much in December, and I set myself a budget. Shopping around for the cheapest prices is easy thanks to the MegaShopBot, and I always check for discount codes before buying to see if I can get even bigger savings.

Very disciplined, I’m sure you’d agree.

However, for ultimate Christmas MoneySaving, my mum sets an even bigger, tinsel-covered, shining example.

Mum’s the word

Last Christmas, she wanted to buy my two brothers and I a special big present each. But come Christmas Day, there were no big presents under the tree.

Instead, she individually wrapped up three pieces of A4 paper, each inside a plastic wallet, showing a picture of what she was going to buy us for Christmas… but in the sales:

• Me, a pine dresser for my living room.
• Brother 1, a laptop.
• Brother 2, a games console.

As grown-up children, we understood why she’d done it, and didn’t mind that we didn’t have anything big to unwrap.

We all went out on the day after Boxing Day, and brother 1 chose a laptop from PC World that had a 20% saving.

Brother 2 got his Sony PlayStation3 from Currys, which was bundled with six games for £60 off. And then we ordered my pine dresser from Argos, at £100 off.

Though her purse was empty, my mum had saved about £250 and had three very happy children.

What do you think of her Christmas present cost-cutting idea? Have you ever done the same, or something similar? Join in the forum discussion or comment in the box below.

Previous posts by Becca Talbot

• Sharpen your elbows, it's the Boots 75% off sale - January 16th, 2013
• The death of the high street, and the rise of the £1 shop - December 21st, 2012
• Canning spam texts - October 8th, 2012
• 10 top tips for a successful car boot sale - September 10th, 2012
• The danger of eBay festival ticket buying - August 7th, 2012