CHRISTMAS is just around the corner and if you still have gifts to buy, you’ve come to the right place.

Whether it’s Secret Santa, stocking fillers for family members or gift sets for friends, finding the money for presents is trickier than ever this year. 

Fortunately, YouTuber Freya Farrington and Consumer Expert Tom Church have teamed up to provide their top tips for budget Christmas gifts that are sure to make people smile.

Tom, the Co-Founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, said: “With a little creativity and research, buying presents doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are the top tips Freya and I have come up with – I’ve used quite a few of them myself!”

Buy Scratch Cards – Exciting Gifts From Just £1

Freya Farrington, 30, from Greater Manchester who is a YouTuber and social media influencer, said: “The number one thing that I would always recommend in some kind of stocking, table place setting or even Christmas card is a scratch card, I absolutely love them. 

“It’s just that little bit of excitement for an affordable price point. You can get them from £1 up to £10 or even £20 I believe. You can get Christmassy ones at the moment to celebrate the festive season.”

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Tom added: “Scratch cards are an exciting way to feel the thrill of being in with a chance to win a huge prize, and you can share this with friends and family on Christmas Day. 

“Freya is right, they can cost as little as £1 and you can get festive ones which will fit in well with your stocking.

“Alternatively, you can put these scratch cards at the table so that each person has a fun activity at dinner time that’s a little change from the classic crackers. 

“These are also a good option to pop in the post for those who are living abroad or who can’t make it to yours for Christmas.”

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Personalise Your Sweets – Quality Street For A Fiver

If you are buying for someone with a sweet tooth, a personalised box of Quality Street would make a great gift.

Freya explained: “John Lewis did bespoke Quality Street last year. They’re doing it again, but a bit of a change up this year. 

“Last year I went for the luxury large tin that you could have personalised, so I did that for my partner and put his name on it. You could put whichever of the Quality Street you want on the inside, as well as a new flavour exclusive to John Lewis.

“This year they offer a cheaper cracker version at £5 rather than having to buy the tin. I think the personalised one was around about the £15 mark. 

“I decided to fill ours with our favourite flavour which is the orange crunch! Plus the new flavour for John Lewis which has honeycomb in it.”

Tom added: “If you don’t want to shell out for this Quality Street cracker multiple times, why not buy one large tin, use the Supermarket Comparison Tool to find the best price, and then divide the sweets up? 

“You can then give each friend or family member their own little gift bag of their favourite sweet. That way, you can fill multiple stockings from just one tin of sweets.”

Save On Sentimental Gifts By Going DIY

Sentimental gifts are always nice at Christmas, but don’t worry, they don’t have to be expensive. 

Freya advised: “This book is a very affordable but very sentimental gift idea. I actually got it for my partner one year for a Valentine’s gift. It’s a book called What I Love About You, and you can personalise it for your other half. It’s only four or five pounds. I found it online from Amazon.”

However, if you want to give a sentimental gift for even cheaper, Tom added: “If you don’t want to shell out for a book like this, or you don’t think it would arrive in time for Christmas, why not make your own at home for free? 

“With a little research, you can get inspiration for what to put on each page by clicking on similar items online and checking out the page previews. Plus, you can look up ideas on Google Images. 

“Then you could either design your own pages in Canva and print them off, or use a notebook to handwrite the pages.”

Get Creative With Gift Cards – Quick & Easy From Just £5

If you want to treat someone to a gift card, Freya and Tom have shared their simple tips. 

Freya continued: “If the person you’re gifting is always in Starbucks or Costa, why not get them a mug from that coffee shop and put a gift card in there? 

“They’ll buy a drink and think of you, plus they’ve got a mug they will use over and over again. 

“You can also send a gift card in the post or online to those who live further away. Amazon does good gift cards as well, and you can spend as little as £5 per person.”

Tom added: “If you’ve forgotten someone the night before Christmas, the joy of online gift cards is that they’ll be sent instantly. 

“You can personalise them with your own message, they come with festive images and best of all, they stay in people’s inboxes so they won’t be lost. 

“Plus, they won’t forget which person the gift came from – I know I am always forgetting who gave me what when I get around to thank you cards!”

Make Cheap Beauty Hampers With Sheet Masks and Perfume Samples

Finally, if you are looking for a gift for a beauty fan, Freya and Tom shared their top tips for keeping the costs low. 

Freya advised: “You can get plenty of supplies for beauty hampers on the cheap if you’re worried about being able to afford presents for all of your friends and family.

“For example, you can get individually wrapped face masks from supermarkets for 99p each. 

“Alternatively, you can get them wholesale and include a selection in each gift pack.”

Tom added: “Another nice gift to add to beauty hampers is perfume – but these can be expensive, so why not go for a selection of perfume samples instead? 

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“You can’t guarantee your giftee will like the perfume you get or that they’ll use it all, so why not introduce them to some new scents which will easily fit in their bags? 

“By going into department stores and simply asking, staff will often give out samples of their latest or best selling perfumes for free!”

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