SPREAD THE JOY

Why it pays to shop locally and support your local producers at Christmas

There’s no getting around the fact that Christmas is the most expensive time of the year. No matter how well you budget - even those of you who start stockpiling Christmas stocking gifts in the January sales – it’s always a shock how little is left in the bank come the end of the year. And then, to make matters worse, manufacturers think it’s ok to add a little Christmas tax onto everything – ever wondered why the word festive rhymes with expensive?

Where is the Christmas cheer you may ask? What happened to the season of goodwill to all men? Surely, Christmas should be about reducing prices, not encouraging us to take out a second mortgage just to buy this year’s turkey!

There isn’t a simple solution. Yes, you could scour the supermarkets and take advantage of all the Christmas offers that you can, but who has the time or inclination to do that? It is worth signing up to loyalty schemes, like our Warner’s Taste Club, so you can earn extra points to receive money off your shopping but choose where you put your loyalty wisely – some schemes are definitely more scrooge than they first seem!

Choosing seasonal produce, grown in the UK, could help keep costs down a little, or, even better, you could do all your shopping on your own patch and support our local producers. Granted, local produce isn’t always the cheapest option – anything that’s not mass-produced will have bigger costs associated to it - but there’s something very festive-spirited about supporting the Davids, rather than the Goliaths, at this time of year. And bear in mind, that, because you’re getting quality over quantity, a little goes a long way – and for me, that’s worth every penny.