Ideas for a CHEAP & GREEN Christmas 2007
I can hear you already saying, ‘why are you talking about Christmas in April?’. Well if you think about it early then you can plan more carefully, spend less, spread the cost, AND because you are taking your time over things, you can be much greener in how you do things too!
Here are a few ideas I’d like to share with you that I’ve come up with over the years, for ways to have a greener, cheaper Christmas:
Christmas Cards:
Use Card fronts from last year to send ‘Christmas Postcards’ i.e. use just the front of the old card and write it out postcard style to send.
Make them yourself using recycled card cutouts etc.
Re-use old ones with a paper printout glued inside over old writing saying ‘recycled’ and a poem inside it so people know why you’re re-using an old card.
Wrap cards in with presents rather than sending separately so you don’t need to use envelopes or extra postage!
Gift Wrap:
Make drawstring gift bags from material scraps to use as gift wrapping for presents. (Reds and Greens look very festive for this!) http://www.kitchencraftsnmore.net/drawstringbag.html
Use only recyclable paper (no foil on it)
Make Cloth Shopping bags which can be used later on for shopping and wrap gifts in these.
Presents:
Set a £5 limit per person and buy from charity shop / car boot sales / green shops / pound shops like http://www.poundshop.co.uk/ etc. (You can get loads for £5 if you shop carefully through out the year!).
Make your own presents (candles http://www.envocare.co.uk/candle_making.html soap http://www.selfsufficientish.com/soapmaking.htm calendars, diaries, paintings, photo album, cork pin board. http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/Documents/Local%20Agenda%2021/Recycling%20Forum/How%20to%20make%20a%20recycled%20cork%20notice%20board.doc table cloth, napkins, over door storage bags).
Nice Jars (charity shops) filled with home made sweets / home made bath crystals / soapnuts http://www.inasoapnutshell.com/id1.html / spiced peanuts / chutney / etc.
Buy from sites & shops that are eco friendly and support fair trade – places like: http://www.naturalcollection.com
Decorations:
Pinecones, Holly etc. from the garden (recycle into compost afterwards).
Save coloured envelopes and paper through the year and cut into strips to make your own paper chains. With a little glue it’s very easy to do and great fun for small children.
Make Ginger Biscuits in Christmas shapes and hang them on the tree with a ribbon (make sure you put a hole in it before baking so you can thread the ribbon through).
Slice Citrus Fruits (lemon/orange/lime through and then bake in the oven on the lowest setting for several hours to let them dry out thoroughly then string them on the tree.
Make your own decorations from salt dough, you can cook and decorate it and it will keep for years! http://rubyglen.com/articles/craftsaltdough.html
I hope you like the ideas I’ve shared with you, and I hope it will give you some food for thought in terms of how you view Christmas when we’re only in April. It does seem early to be starting anything, but it’s such a big expense to deal with all at once, and by starting now, you get to spread the worst of the cost over 7+ months.
By Suki Bryson
If you are looking for lots more money saving ideas why not come and have a look at the forum
