'I’ve saved £300 on my Christmas shopping with cost-saving tips including making gifts'
EXCLUSIVE: The mum-of-two plans her gifts list well in advance of the big day and tells her family members what she wants.
A mum has shared her tips to reduce Christmas shopping costs after she has saved £300 so far on this year's festive gifts.
Mum-of-two Helen, from Buckinghamshire, encouraged people to plan ahead to get the best prices and to have a go at making presents rather then buying them.
She said she starts planning from the end of the summer and creates a list for each family member. She use shopping app Basket which saves an item she has viewed and tells her when the price has dropped, saving her £300 already this year.
She told Express.co.uk: "Getting started on bigger things as soon as possible, like bunk beds, which you don’t need immediately and can wait until you get a notification on price drops - or you can get them in the post Christmas sales.
"Don't forget to get your Christmas decorations for next year in the January sales."
She has also made some savings this year by making her own gifts, such as snow globes, rather than spending £20 to £60 on buying them from a shop.
To help out her loved ones in choosing presents, Helen tells friends and family what she wants so they don't waste their money or end up panic buying something just before the big day.
She said: "When family members like my sister-in-law ask me what the kids would like for Christmas, I usually have a think about what they have in common, like Lego, so they don’t have to buy two separate gifts for the kids.
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"Video games or board games are another options for kids with a bit more of an age difference."
Research from Basket found just over half of British parents have no plans to reduce their Christmas gift spending this year despite rising living costs.
Parents plan to spend on average £188 on each child while more than one in five parents will be splashing out £250 on each child.
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Lex Deak, CEO at Basket, said: "I think we can all agree that there is nothing better than giving the perfect gift, but that’s hard to get right, especially when it comes down to unique tastes or topping what you gifted last year.
"It’s also now more important than ever to ensure you’re not wasting money or time on something that is unwanted. Keeping an eye on any price drops for items you have your eye on will help you save some money on presents – so forget politeness, ask your loved ones what they would like ahead of time.
"And to avoid awkward unwanted gift exchanges, we’d encourage Brits to keep donating to their favourite charities, and shamelessly share their wish lists with loved ones, so they receive the items they truly want this Christmas."
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