It’s easy to overspend at Christmas. If you’re looking to tighten the belt, here’s some simple ways to save money and turn the post-festive blues into a lovely shade of green.
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Give to charity shops or hospitals
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Unfortunately we all usually receive at least one unwanted gift at Christmas. Instead of throwing them into a cupboard and leaving them to gather dust, why not swap them for something you do want? There’s lots of websites that let you recycle gifts. Some are simple trade-ins – one DVD for another, clothes swaps etc. Others give you cash for your unwanted gifts. Here are a few of our favourites:
Eswapit.com
You need to register, but it’s free and once you’ve logged in there’s a wide range of products available for trade-in. Everything is categorised so it’s easy to browse toys, jewellery, clothes, electrical goods or whatever takes your fancy.
Nigel’s Eco Store forum
There’s no registration and you can even post ‘gifts wanted’ as well as ‘gifts offered’.
Recycleagift.com
This lets you turn unwanted DVDs, CDs, games and books into cash. Simply type in the details and your unwanted gifts will be sold on play.com
If you don’t want to go through the process of swapping unwanted gifts, why not give them away? Hospitals and hospices will appreciate donations of toiletries and toys to give to patients. Charity shops always welcome donations of both new and old items. If you’re having a closet clear out before hitting the January sales, your local charity shop will be delighted to receive your old clothes. You could even make it your New Year’s resolution to give one old item away for every new one you buy or receive.
Last year there was 976,000 Christmas trees bought in London alone. It was estimated that most of these would be simply thrown away rather than being composted. To combat this, more and more councils are offering Christmas tree recycling schemes. Contact yours to find your nearest composting site or go to www.letsrecycle.com for more information.
Extend the life of your Christmas cards and wrapping paper by turning them into gift tags or new cards for next year. Ehow.co.uk has some great instructions on how to make gift tags. While Activity Village lists 10 creative uses for Christmas cards – including using them to make Christmas boxes, cards games and more.
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Don’t throw away what you can recycle! Cards, wrapping paper, gift boxes, packaging, Christmas trees and bottles can all be recycled. Contact your local council for more information. |
Bubble and squeak
This is a boxing day favourite in our house and so easy to make. Just take all the leftover veggies and mix them in a bowl with some mashed-up roast potatoes and bit of seasoning. The fry it all up and serve with cold meats and pickles.
Turkey, mango and lime salad
Forget the usual cold meat sandwiches and try this fruity salad that uses up the leftover turkey and ham. Perfect with baked potatoes on Boxing Day.
Turkey, ham and leek pie
This creamy pie is a tasty way to use up the last of the turkey and ham. You can substitute the leek for any vegetable you have spare or leftover.
Christmas pudding ice cream
This recipe is great as it uses all the leftover Christmas pud, custard and cream and turns into a new delicious dessert. It’s absolutely yummy served with brandy, Baileys or rum.
Get more Christmas leftover recipes
Gift swaps
Swap unwanted gifts >
See gifts wanted and gifts offered >
Exchange gifts for cash
Recycling
British recycling information >
Turn Christmas cards into gift tags >
Get 10 creative uses for old cards >
Recipes
Bubble and squeak >
Turkey, mango and lime salad >
Turkey, ham and leek pie >
Christmas pudding ice cream >
Get more Christmas leftover recipes >
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