Shopping

If the phrase ‘credit crunch Christmas’ gives you nightmares, do not fear. There are plenty of ways to save pennies on Christmas shopping without being bah humbug. We ask the experts how to spend next to nothing yet still have a very merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or even Wintertide.

Gifts
A homemade gift screams ‘I love you’ despite the lack of a price tag, so whether it’s a jar of fudge, photo album or CD mixtape, it’s time to get crafty this Christmas. London knitwear brand Weardowny hosts an open house from its Get Up boutique (9 Ashbridge St, NW8, 020 7725 9694/www.weardowny.com) from Dec 8-12 including free knitting and remake/remodel classes. Come along to learn how to make a string bag. ‘Knitted on big pins, it grows fast and takes only three balls of yarn,’ says Weardowny’s Gail Downey. ‘It gives the recipient a rosy glow every time they whip it out at the checkout because they’re not adding to landfill. And what’s more the pattern is free!’ Feature continues

Alternately make a tie belt. ‘Grab an old tie, trim the fat end down to match the slim and stitch the seams together neatly at the back. Buy yourself a snake clip (£1.50 from Kleins, www.kleins.co.uk) and sew it neatly in place. These look great with jeans,’ says Downey.

See our guide to 20 great gifts for under £20

Decorations
If you’re not the sort to have bought your Christmas decorations in the January sales (who are those people anyway?) then save money by creating your own. String popcorn to create chains, hang mistletoe from doorways and collect acorns, nuts and pinecones from your local park to fashion into garlands.

Harriet Vine, one half of jewellery brand Tatty Devine (www.tattydevine.com), does just this. ‘My favourite childhood memories are of walking in the woods collecting sacks of trailing ivy, holly and ferns. When we got our bounty home we tied it together in long fat lengths and strung it up around the house. Bringing the outside in ticks so many boxes. It’s free, there are no air miles, no storing it for the rest of the year and it looks amazing. Jazz up your freebies with PVA glue and sprinkle them with glitter.’

A trip to a local pound shop or B&Q will furnish you with the equipment you need. Raid the kitchen for dried fruit and cinnamon sticks to use too. And if you have a garden, extend some Christmas spirit to our feathered friends by threading monkey nuts on to a string and decorating an outdoor tree with them.

Cards etc
Charity Christmas cards are cheaper than average and, better still, in keeping with the spirit of Christmas. Cards For Good Causes (www.cardsforcharity.co.uk) has temporary shops in several churches around London where you can stock up knowing that at least 79p in every £1 goes to those in need. Post your cards early and use second-class stamps (last posting date Dec 18). Forget wrapping paper and recycle craft paper, wallpaper, fabric or maps instead. Even newspaper looks jolly tied up with colourful ribbon. Make tags from cutting up old Christmas cards or photos. And create Christmas crackers from toilet roll tubes wrapped in pages from glossy magazines with token gifts inside such as chocolate coins. You can buy cracker snaps on eBay.

TreesNo Christmas is complete without experiencing a tree. Kelty Caston from specialist retailer The Christmas Forest (www.christmasforest.co.uk) promises a freshly cut one can last for some time if you know which type to buy. ‘A Norway spruce, if kept watered and stood away from heat sources, lasts for four weeks indoors and will only shed a few needles,’ he says. ‘This year though, I think people may go for a smaller tree and resort to the traditional spruce as it’s cheapest of all (from £8.50). If looked after, it’s a good option.’ For long-term value for money, opt for a living, potted tree. ‘Make sure you ask whether it has been grown in the pot, rather than uprooted and re-potted as so many are. Smaller ones stand a better chance of surviving when transplanted to the garden.’

Alternatively, forego your own tree altogether in favour of visiting the Tate Britain tree by artist Bob and Roberta Smith (Dec 5-Jan 4 2009) for free. It’s made from recycled timber, bicycles and lamps. Or from Dec 4 Trafalgar Square receives a 20m-high Norwegian spruce. It’s been an annual gift from Norway since 1947.

Food and drink
What is it about Christmas that makes us feel compelled to buy enough food to see us through to February? Fiona Beckett, author of The Frugal Cook (Absolute Press, £7.25, thefrugalcook.blogspot.com), promises that you can halve your supermarket bill with a little forward planning. ‘I’d urge you to do a menu plan for Christmas and have a clear idea of how you’ll use leftovers,’ she says. ‘Look up what size turkey and Christmas pudding you need and ask yourself if you really want a whole Stilton or endless packets of nuts. Then make a list, take it with you to the shops and stick to it.’

Beckett recommends buying basic mincemeat and adding a small, finely chopped apple plus a tot of brandy. Swap fancy canapés for old-fashioned sausages on sticks and make cheese straws from what’s left of the cheese board. ‘You can also save money by buying sparkling wine instead of Champagne – Lindauer is a good brand. And make your own mulled wine instead of buying ready-bottled – use Sainsbury’s Corbieres, £3.19.’ Cheap stocking fillers include Lidl’s retro kitchen timer (£1.49), Ikea’s Kommers herb chopper (£5.99) or, best of all, home-baked cookies.

BeautyBeauty products make luxurious presents but the best brands don’t have to cost the earth if you look on the web, according to beauty journalist Eminé Ali Rushton. ‘The two most reliable online stores are uk.strawberrynet.com and www.feelunique.com. Both sell a huge range of premium brands with discounts of up to 5 per cent. Also www.hqhair.com has a regularly updated online ‘outlet store’ and it’s worth signing up to www.lynku.com where you can print off discount vouchers for London salons, spas and shops.’ To spruce up for the Christmas party season, Eminé recommends West One Beauty (www.westonebeauty.co.uk) where a full leg, bikini and underarm wax costs just £45. Cucumba (www.cucumba.co.uk) and Simple:Spa (www.simplespa.co.uk) both charge you for time, not chosen services. And at Space NK (www.spacenk.co.uk) makeovers are absolutely free.

Fashion
At Vivienne Westwood’s spring/summer 2009 Gold Label show in Paris, attendees were given a guide to ‘Do It Yourself’ fashion. Make ‘necklaces out of safety pins’ and shawls from ‘blankets, table cloths, curtains, towels, or a metre of fabric’. Not that handy? Then ‘style together with beautiful pieces from your wardrobe or that of your mother or husband’. Dame Vivienne concludes: ‘There is status in wearing your favourites over and over until they grow old or fall apart.’

If the urge to buy a new Christmas party outfit proves too strong however, try charity shops. Oxfam’s new boutiques are crammed with ‘loved for longer’ designer pieces alongside exclusive collections by London designers Richard Nichol and Bora Aksu. Luke Wohlgemuth-Brown from Stromboli’s Circus (1.5 Kingly Court, W1, 020 7734 1978/www.circusvintage.com) says retro lasts longer. ‘Buying vintage means that you can afford more expensive labels as well as classic looks that don’t date. The 1980s is the best decade to invest in as there is more available and it is very fashionable right now.’ Head to Stromboli’s during Carnaby Street’s Christmas shopping event on Nov 27. More than a hundred participating shops in the area are offering 20 per cent off that evening (www.carnaby.co.uk).

See our guide to cheap chic in London

Festive financeMartin Lewis from www.moneysavingexpert.com shares his top five tips for keeping an eye on your spending over the Christmas period.

1 ‘Get a cash-back credit card. Always set up a direct debt to pay the balance each month so you don’t pay interest.’

2 ‘I’m starting the NUP (No Unnecessary Presents) campaign. Too many of us receive gifts we never use and buy presents for the sake of it.So make a pact with your friends that you won’t buy for them if they don’t buy for you.’

3 ‘Delay Christmas. If you’re buying expensive things such as electronic goods that you know will have their prices slashed in January sales, then give an IOU note along with a small present bought with money you’ve saved by waiting.’

4 ‘Benchmark the price you pay by using shopbots such as kelkoo.co.uk, pricerunner.co.uk and shopping.com. These
price-comparison websites work out which retailer is cheapest.’

5 ‘This Christmas sees a huge rise in shops offering internet vouchers for up to 30 per cent off. Everyone from H&M to Tesco do it but vouchers usually only last for a week so you have to act fast.’

See www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/discount-voucher-codes for a list.