The best gift you can give your family and friends this Christmas is honesty, according to one of the country’s top money saving experts. Jane Hawkes, known as Lady Janey, believes that we need to “open up our conversations” about our financial situations, and whether we can afford to send each other presents this year.
The consumer champion shares her top tips for thinking outside of the box when it comes to Christmas gifts on ‘Christmas on a Budget’, a new podcast from the Manchester Evening News.
Speaking to host Karyn Fleeting, aka Miss Thrifty, Jane explains that it’s “not too late to have those conversations and be honest about your situation Does it really matter? You know, really, when you look at the bigger scheme of things, you know, does it really matter,” she tells the podcast.
“And I think in the pandemic we really reassessed our priorities: those things that we held dear to us. We couldn't see our family and friends, whereas this year we can.
"And so at the end of day, what's going to be the most important thing for them? Is it getting a gift from you? Or are you the gift as in you actually being there, and then having your company? I think we put an awful lot of pressure on ourselves.”
Lady Janey offers suggestions for showing our loved ones how much we care without spending a penny, including the best websites to find freebies, competitions to enter, and the appeal of DIY gifts. She also suggests swapping skills with your friends and families, exchanging your time and talents rather than splashing out.
She said: “I've done a fair bit of skill swapping. So for example, for my own social media skills and marketing skills, then I've swapped those with a friend who I know and she said to me, ‘I can't afford Christmas presents this year, but what I can do is if you help me with my business website, I will provide you with chocolates and fudge.’
“So of course I'm very happy to be provided with chocolates and fudge because that means that I don't have to put the outlay out to buy it for other people for Christmas.”
The award-winning blogger adds: “Maybe you can make cards and maybe you're someone that can create gifts of one type or another. And therefore you can share those in your little circle of friends.
“It doesn't necessarily need to be something that you're going to have to pay out money for. You can also do little tokens: you'll do X, Y, and Z for maybe some paid babysitting for three nights, or something. Money saving doesn't need to be boring or horrible - it can be quite fun.”
You can listen to the full interview with Lady Janey on the ‘Christmas on a Budget’ podcast. Other episodes of the money-saving podcast, hosted by Miss Thrifty, include advice on budgeting, Christmas dinner, treats for kids, and preparing for the holidays next year.
