How I save money while being green at Christmas – and you can too

With Christmas fast approaching, the festive season often brings a mix of excitement and financial stress, as managing finances becomes a priority. Adding to the Office of National Statistics, nearly a quarter of British adults, including myself, are increasingly concerned about the impact of climate change, making it a time to reflect not just on spending but also on sustainability.

Christmas is one of those times of the year when, despite not being one to hop around singing festive jingles, I often feel particularly down about the climate crisis due to the overconsumption it brings. But not all hope is lost in Who-ville! I’ve several tips and tricks — some I already practice and others I’m planning to try — that help me feel a bit better during the holidays by saving money while also being a little bit greener.

If you’re anything like me, you probably tend to compartmentalise each costly component of Christmas: presents, food, wrapping paper, Christmas cards and decorations. So I’m going to go through each one with some money saving tips and tricks for each while showing how it positively impacts the environment.

Presents

As Martin Lewis has said before, it’s time to agree to ban unnecessary Christmas presents (see below). Not only does this create an unfair obligation on others, but it also means spending money on things that often go unused. According to packaging manufacturers, GWP, the average UK adult spends £300 on Christmas presents, yet after six months, only 1% of those gifts are still being used.

Since everyone in my family is an adult (my 5-year-old niece will still receive a present—hopefully one she’ll treasure for a long time), we’ve all agreed to do Secret Santa. It’s a great way to cut spending and avoid waste. Plus, it allows you to put more time and thought into a special gift for one person. 

Last year, my family decided on a rule: gifts could only be secondhand or non-tangible. Here are some examples of how you can embrace this idea: 

• Adopt an animal (make a small monthly donation). 

• Buy something from a charity shop. 

• Shop secondhand on platforms like eBay, Vinted or Depop. 

• Donate to a charity that’s meaningful to the person receiving the gift. 

• Gift an experience, like a handwritten coupon inviting someone to a home cooked dinner, or taking someone to museum, this can be a money saving and thoughtful gift. You could even use these free Christmas gift cheques to write out your specific gift idea.

If none of these tickles your fancy, you could think about how to do good at Christmas, as a gift. In this guide you can read about plenty of ways to give charity gifts, including supporting the homeless by gifting a Christmas dinner, donating blankets to animal shelters or even giving blood.

Food

The most exciting bit about Christmas for me is the food, but it’s also a massive contributor of carbon emissions. The UK throws away 54 million platefuls of food, which releases methane gas when it goes to landfill. It’s also spending more money on food than we typically need too. So, let’s start with some simple things you can do over the Christmas period to save some pennies while having a positive impact on reducing waste.

My top tip is to add your favourite eateries to your list of favourites in the app so you can keep an eye on when they have deals available.

A Turkey alternative...

When it comes to cooking a Christmas dinner, there are several steps you can take to make the whole process less stressful, cheaper, and greener. This will be my fifth year enjoying a vegetarian Christmas dinner, and as long as I’m eating a Yorkshire pudding, I don’t miss the turkey or the pigs in blankets. Although some people may be set on having meat over Christmas, opting for a vegetarian meal can save money and help you feel good about being a little greener.

This may sound simple, but planning ahead, and not panic buying, is a big winner when it comes to saving money and reducing waste. You could even cook some of the meal in advance, such as a cauliflower cheese, freeze it and defrost and cook it in the oven when needs be. 

Wrapping paper and Christmas cards

If you’re buying presents, you’ll probably need some wrapping paper. For those that enjoy putting in more effort there are green, MoneySaving ways to do this

A method that MSE Jenny and Forumite 'Jwil', is to use potatoes as a stencil and stamp onto plain (recyclable) paper. This is a good one to do with kids as a Christmassy activity too! There are plenty of tutorials online but this is worth checking out.

If you fancy elevating your designs as well as being even more green, you could stamp onto a newspaper to get a stylish looking wrapping paper, if you're not convinced have a look at this reel on Instagram. If you're looking to add Christmas tags to your presents, you don't have to buy them! Either use old Christmas cards (see MSE Jenny's below), old Christmas crackers you may have, or save the used wrapping paper and attach small pieces of card to some wrapping paper to create your own tags.

If that’s not enough arts and crafts for you, Forumite ‘Glad’ suggests using oranges and lemons, drying them on the radiator (or cooking them in the oven) and attaching them to presents.

For those that enjoy putting in more effort there are green, MoneySaving ways to do this. Ex MSE Rhiannon has written a helpful blog on ways to save wrapping paper, including furoshiki wrapping – a quirky way to wrap presents using fabric (which if you don’t already have at home could purchase in the charity shop).

If you’re not so worried about aesthetics, something I like to do is keep the brown paper packaging that often comes with parcels over the year. Using that to wrap presents is a nice minimalistic finish, especially if you seal it shut with string instead of tape – stick a dried orange slice with it and you’re away!

Sending Christmas cards is becoming less common each year, but if you still love the tradition, consider sending an e-card. With Friends of the Earth, you can send up to 10 for free! You're given the option to add a small donation to the charity, but it's not compulsory. There are plenty of options to choose from but take a look at a few of them below. This one is not just something to do at Christmas, are e-cards for every occasion if you fancy jumping on the e-card bandwagon.

If you're set on sending a physical card, why not make one yourself? Have a look at what you can do here, or even get those potatoes out again and start stamping. 

Decorations

Christmas decorations are huge part of the festive magic, and there can be pressure to splash the cash.

The tree: Every year the big question is, ‘what do we do about the tree?’. If you want to keep the same tree for at least ten years, buying an artificial tree is the best option. But if you prefer a real tree, look for a locally grown tree. While this may not be the most MoneySaving at first, if you buy a potted tree you can plant it in your garden and keep it growing each year. See a picture below of my brother’s Christmas tree that he bought and keeps planted in his garden.

If planting isn’t an option, then you can find ways to recycle your Christmas tree via Gardeners World, including making a bug hotel or making mulch – this prevents landfill and gives your tree a new life. Or you could even make a Christmas tree yourself.

For some gardening tips and tricks, have a look at MSE Jenny's ways to save money whatever size your plot.

Homemade decorations: Making your own decorations is great way to spend quality time with loved ones while creating special decorations. Read MSE Laura’s homemade Christmas decorations blog to get up to date on what you can do yourself, including homemade Christmas trees and snowflakes. 

Christmas lights: If you’ve ever wondered how much Christmas lights cost to run you can use our brand new tool to see what the cheapest way to add some sparkle to your house. Solar lights are another energy-saving option to consider. 

If you're still looking for ways to save money over Christmas, have a look at these 48 Christmas MoneySaving tips to make your Christmas a little less financially stressful and finally, if you're not going to be home for Christmas, don't forget to turn the heating off!