Heading into the festive season this year, many of us are watching our pennies and worrying about how we are going to afford Christmas. We're still in the grip of a cost of living crisis, which has seen prices soar and rents increase.

As a result, all of our ingredients for a fun festive season have also got more expensive. But fear not, there are cheaper ways to have a good celebration. Remember that the most important part of the holidays is spending quality time with friends and family, being silly, having fun and laughing.

Plus, you don't need to buy loads of presents for people, just agree a budget for gifts and stick to it. It's only one day of the year, so it doesn't matter if you do cut back a bit, it's not worth getting into debt just so you can splash out.

Keep your menu simple too, your guests won't need to be constantly snacking – and neither will you, so plan your meals thoroughly!

Here, we've had a chat with Angellica Bell, host of Shop Smart, Save Money, to find out even more tips to save cash and still have an enjoyable Christmas.

She insists that being savvy and aware of all of the good deals out there is one of the best ways to make the festive season cheaper…

Food & drink

• If you have an air fryer, use it often to save electricity.

• Use frozen or canned food wherever possible.

• Look out for special offers – my local butcher already has a great price on meat so buy when you see a deal, then freeze.

• Batch cook to use every last bit of meat and veg. I love turkey soup or Christmas leftover hash.

Décor

• Buy cards and wrapping paper in the January sales for the following Christmas.

• Go reusable – pretty gift bags can be recycled every year.

• Make it traditional – bring out the same decorations year after year.

• Get crafting. There are brilliant ideas online.

• Put aside spare change all year for a Christmas décor fund.

Gifts

• Don’t wait for Black Friday – there are always deals to be found.

• Homemade gifts are the best. People love a thoughtful, personal present.

• Consider your store points for gifts.

• Buy secondhand – Vinted, eBay and Etsy offer great preloved gifts.

• Don’t shy away from regifting.

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