My name is Amber Naeem, one of the King’s Student Money Mentors. As a fourth-year medical student and self-proclaimed “seasoned” Londoner, I’ve learned a lot about managing the festive season while juggling the demands of rent, travel, studies, and leisure. From overspending and stressing about gifts to searching for budget-friendly festive activities, I’ve experienced it all. With the holiday season just around the corner, I thought I’d share some of my top tips for enjoying Christmas on a budget, easing your worries and making the most of this magical time of year.
1. Christmas gifts
Regift with love
Regifting unwanted gifts is a great way to double the love and save money. It’s sustainable and stops unwanted items from being thrown away or cluttering up your home. There have been many times when I’ve regifted boxes of chocolates or beauty sets to friends and family who appreciated them far more than I would have done.
Get crafty
Another fantastic way to save money on gifts is by getting crafty with handmade cards and meaningful gifts. One of my favourites is making personalised memory scrapbooks for my friends, using the Freeprints website to print the images.
Use student discounts
Apps like Unidays and Student Beans always have additional offers available for students, ranging from 10-50% off your favourite brands.
2.Christmas activities
Go on a festive walk
Wrap up warm and head to the London Christmas markets - walk along Tower Bridge to Southbank, then across the river to Leicester Square for festive activities. If you are staying in London over Christmas, join King’s Winter Buddies to connect with new friends, enjoy holiday activities, and share a free Christmas meal.
Host a bring your own mug ‘BYOM’ craft night
A cute meet-up idea with your friends could be a BYOM hot chocolate night where everyone chips in for ingredients or a festive DIY decoration night - string up some fairy lights, make some paper chains instead of buying tinsel, and cut up snowflakes from wastepaper to cheer up your living area.
3. Finances
Track your savings and expenses
The Blackbullion is a great tool for budgeting during the winter season. With Christmas being a time when it's easy to overspend and having a trusty tool to help track your finances can go a long way.
Save with little everyday changes
Simple tricks like planning meals in advance, travelling a bit further to larger stores with lower prices, and buying frozen produce in bulk can also make a huge difference. One of my personal favourites is hunting for yellow label festive items at grocery stores 30 minutes before closing using the app Too Good To Go to grab leftover items at a discount.
Wait for the post-Christmas sales
I’ve found that some of the best sales happen at the end of January. Don’t feel too pressured to buy everything on Boxing Day - products you're eyeing will likely be discounted even more in the weeks that follow. I’ll be using discount sites like Vinted and Depop for my New Year wardrobe refresh. If I find something I really want, I write it down on a spreadsheet and revisit it a month later to see if I still want or need to buy it. This also helps stop me from making impulsive purchases.
Don’t be afraid to say no
I've definitely felt the pressure to say yes to activities I didn’t really want to do or that were out of my budget, leaving me feeling panicked a few days later after checking my bank account. To avoid this, I always set aside a 'backup fun fund' to compensate for times like this. But it's also okay to say no.
4. Reach out for advice
There will always be people there to support you – don’t be afraid to reach out to friends or family or contact King's support services if you have any concerns about the upcoming festive period or your finances.
King’s Money & Housing service (MHAS) offer advice to King’s students experiencing personal difficulties with living arrangements, housing options or financial security.
King’s Money Mentors are current and recently graduated students with a passion for helping their peers by ensuring they are well informed on how to save money in the long-term and get the best discounts and deals in London.