The Christmas period is possibly the most bittersweet time of the year, especially for students. Sweet because we get to go home to be looked after, have our washing done for us, have nutritious home cooked meals and we don’t even have to worry about money as everything is already paid for! Bitter, however, because in the run up to Christmas, we are on the very last £10 of our overdraft and exams are looming just around the corner. No longer is the Christmas holiday a time for catching up with friends and family, lounging around our homes carefree and piling on the pounds. Now it is a time for doing all of the above while convincing yourself that you will get started with revision as soon as the big day is over, and then feeling a sense of doom when, days before your return to Leeds, you have done no such thing.
Unfortunately, I can’t help with the issue of having to revise over the holidays, but what I can do is offer some advice which might help you to avoid those nasty overdraft fees which banks so readily yank from unsuspecting students at any given opportunity. Follow my simple tips below and you may end up with enough money over the holidays to make your procrastination efforts extend beyond Sporcle.
Christmas Dinner: I remember the days when this was a yearly occurrence – one big event with the whole family on the day for which it was made. These days, however, there seems to be a pressure to share this special meal with every single different group of friends, colleagues and business partners you find yourself interacting with. It’s normal now to have at least 4 Christmas dinners before the actual day, with some of them even taking place before the month of December! And I’m sure you’ve all noticed that these meals come at a cost – people find themselves paying around £30 for a glorified roast on the wrong day of the year – disgraceful. But fear not, I am here to help.
Firstly, you need to identify a group of people who you actually do want to share holiday cheer with. Secondly, invite them to your house for a home cooked Christmas experience. ‘Experience’ because then they’ll be less surprised to find that they will be involved in the cooking process. Go shopping together for the ingredients (I know it’s Christmas but you may want to stick to Morrisons or Asda…leave M&S for when the parents are paying) and then split the cost. Now, we all know that turkey is the main component of a Christmas dinner but let’s be honest, it doesn’t taste that great. If there are only a few of you don’t buy a huge turkey just because it’s Christmas – go for a small chicken or even just the right number of turkey drumsticks (the non-bread-crumbed type…) to save money and waste. With a group effort and a working oven timer you can have the perfect Christmas meal for under a tenner.
Cards: In the days of Primary School, Christmas cards were a way of showing people that had really annoyed you that you didn’t want to be friends with them anymore. It was essential to remember everyone in your class so that you could neatly write out a card for each person, except for those 2 girls who were no longer considered friends (until the ring of the next break-time bell, at least). Nowadays, we have more advanced ways of showing people that we dislike them such as Facebook and the well-known art of ‘blanking.’ This is certainly good news for our bank balances – now a simple trip to Wilkinson and a purchase of one box of assorted cards should be enough to see you through. Christmas cards are now only necessary for friends/family who you haven’t seen in a while and won’t see over the holidays, lecturers whose good books you’re trying to sneak your way into, and as an accompaniment to presents.
Presents: The first trick to saving money on presents is the genius idea of ‘Secret Santa.’ This was clearly first invented by someone who was despairing at the thought of how many different presents they needed to buy – and what a great invention it is. Secret Santa is great for housemates, course mates, societies, workplaces…maybe not the best suggestion for your family though.
Simply write everyone’s name on small pieces of paper, fold them up, throw them into a hat (any other hollow object will do; a pan, a plastic cup, a mug, you get the idea) and get each person to pick a piece of paper. The name on your paper is the only person you need to buy a present for. If you pick out your own name, you could keep it but it kind of ruins the surprise…The great thing about Secret Santa is that you need to impose a price limit. As everyone is as poor as each other, it’s usually easy to agree on anything between £5 and £10 – perfect! Now, just hit the German Market and various other pop-up Christmas stalls and you’ll be sure to find a bargain.
So, though the Christmas break may bring with it revision induced tears, at least now you’ll have a few £5 notes left with which to wipe them away.