December can be an EXPENSIVE month and for those on a low income it can be even more challenging. However, it doesn’t have to be expensive if we are creative with our social calendar. Meeting up with friends and family does not have to be epic. It doesn’t have to involve a 3-course meal and an expensive round of drinks. It can be lower key and often I have more fun at these types of events too!
I’ve come up with some ideas below to help you gather some inspiration! I hope you find this useful!
Activities
- Craft Afternoon – Wreath making can be great fun or making homemade gift tags together.
- Baking – all the yummy Christmas recipes!
- Winter Walks – this is free!
- Clothes swap party – Why not swap last year’s Christmas dresses with your friends so you don’t have to buy new dresses!
- Mulled wine and cheese evening.
- Meet someone in the day time for a festive hot chocolate or coffee at a cute café (instead of expensive meals out).
- Film night with snacks – friends all contribute to snacks and DVDs.
- Board games evening.
- Decorate your Christmas tree together in groups of friends – it will get done quicker and it is fun to have lots of people involved.
- Festive gift-wrapping party – make sure to invite friends to wrap family’s presents and family to wrap friends’ presents, so they don’t know what they are getting!
- Mince pie taste test – each person brings a different brand of mince pies to heat up and taste test!
- Do a charitable activity whether it is donating some time to a deserving cause or holding a bake sale.
- Play some music – if you play an instrument why not get out the Christmas duets!
- Attend a carol service.
- Hold a “nibbles” party where every guest brings their own contribution.
- Do your Christmas shopping with a friend – you are being productive and catching up with your friends all at the same time.
- Have a pizza party where you all make your own pizza bases and put on different toppings.
- Have a “leftovers” evening where you and your friends make a meal from things you each have in your fridge and kitchen cupboards! This is a great idea just before Christmas too when people tend to waste for when they are going away to visit relatives!
- Have a jigsaw evening.
Do you have any more budget ideas of activities over the festive season?
