Budget

How We Accidentally Saved For Christmas This Year As A Low Income Family

November 23, 2020

Christmas can be an expensive time of year of anyone. I have spent the last couple of weeks stressing about how we where going to afford to make this years special for our large family of ten.

We have spent the whole year learning how to be a large family surviving on a low income. It has been a massive learning curve for us trying to make ends meet. Learning to live not only within our new means, but trying to live below it.

With Christmas fast approaching things have become even tighter. We have the same bills that need to be paid. The same $200 or under grocery budget limit per week. But now we had to find a way to cover all those extra expenses for Christmas as well. We have little money left over each week to work with.

That was until I realised that we had been saving for Christmas this year. We just didn’t know it.

So let me share how we set ourselves up and secretly saved for Christmas. So you too can start saving for next year without even having to try.

Disclaimer: All products/services listed are not Affiliated with Secrets Of A Busy Mum. They are used personally by myself. But I am in no way recommending and/or promoting these brand/companies.

Woolworths Everyday Rewards

I signed us up for the Woolworths Rewards program at the end of last year. I remember seeing the lady in front of me in the check out getting her $10 off her groceries. It made me think, if I am already spending money money then why not make some money while saving. Little did I know how handy this would actually be fore us in the Christmas Season.

Woolworths Everyday Rewards have an option which allows your to save that $10 you earn after 2000 points for Christmas. It seems tiny but it can all add up over a year. So when I check my balance this year I had close to $150 saved. When you are on a low income, this is massive amount to have access to during the Christmas season. And all we had to do was scan the card when ever we made a purchase at one of the Partner Business that accepts Everyday Rewards. You can find the list on the Everyday Rewards website.

Flybuys

This is another great little rewards program, that is as simple as swiping a card with your purchase. Your earn rewards while spending. This had to be the first rewards program I signed up for. I didn’t see a problem with earning points while doing regular shopping. Little did I know that this year it would be so helpful. Because this year I am turning my point into money.

Much like the Woolworths Everyday Rewards Card, Flybuys allows you to make $10 for every 2000 point to earn with your shopping. Although Flybuys is automatically set up to save your point until you decide how you want to use them. And this year we are converting our points into another $150. Which I will be spending on Christmas gifts for our tribe at our local Kmart.

Shopback

I had heard about the Shopback website/app at the start of year, while the kids where watching YouTube. It is a website that you use to redirect to the online shopping store. After your purchase you will receive a percentage of your total back as cash on your shop back account. Now I am one to plan purchases and if I can find a good price as an online only deal, than I will buy it online. Why not make some cash back in the process.

Shopback has a large number of partners to choose from. Although the percentage of cash back varies from store to store. It all adds up. With it working with food delivers service and Afterpay. It became a simple website redirection to get some cash back. So. now at the end of the year we have cashed out with $230 just by using the website to shop online.

But wait there is more…

We also intentionally planned for Christmas as well. And it began at the start of the year with a little planning and some money automation. Because who doesn’t enjoy a simple set and forget automation. We have been doing these two things for the last 4 years and they have always helped in the Christmas season.

Chrisco

Let’s start with making things easier on the food front. Now some people might agree and other disagree. But for our family using Chrisco Hampers have been a blessing. Every year we receive our catalogue of food hampers to choose from. We pick some that we know we will need that fit into budget and simple set up an automated direct debit.

Whether it is a weekly or fortnightly direct debt, we hardly notice it coming out. Other than seeing it as a fixed variable on weekly/fortnightly budget. We hardly know it is there. Then when November comes we get our food hampers that restocks our fridge, freezers and pantry that usually last our family of ten, with five growing boys. All the way until Christmas with family favourites and hardly every purchased treats. It is a simple way to ease some of the burden of Christmas.

Sinking Fund

I love a good sinking fund. It is a habit I have been practicing for years. Although things have been tight this year, it still hasn’t stopped us from adding $15 per fortnight to our sinking fund. We started to create a sinking fund for Christmas so we didn’t have to find the extra cash in the Christmas season. Little did we know who important this habit would be this years, when we became a low income family.

By setting up a fortnightly automated banking transfer to a bank account that has interest but no transfer fees. We have managed to save $390 for Christmas this year. Just with one simple banking automation. Now this isn’t a lot compared to previous years. But when we add it to the money we have accidentally saved, things are looking a bit brighter for Christmas in our household in the mist of the uncertainty that is surround us right not.

But here it the best news…

Know that we have discovered how we accidentally saved for Christmas this year. We now know who things work. Which means that we can intentionally plan to try and double our savings for next year, just by spend our regular money.

And if we can do it as a large family of 10 with eight children, as a single low income family. Imaging what you can do if your try it yourself.