Budget Christmas Partying

I think it's fair to say that most of us love a good party and let's face it, at this time of year you're unlikely to slide through the month without at least one invite to someone's festivities. But whether you love to party or not, Christmas time is probably the most financially unforgiving with the presents, the food, the parties and all the other little extras that come with making that last week of the year something spectacular.

In recent years, since donning my Mummy hat, I've had to cut back extensively on the Christmas party spending. Four years ago I thought nothing of dropping £100 a time or more on one outfit for one party, but now with two children, a heap of household outgoings and maternity leave this year...I'll be lucky if I spend half of that on all of my parties combined! The old me would've been horrified but I would much rather spend that money on my children or my family than on myself, and let's be honest...is anyone likely to realise that you wore that little black dress last year? Can you remember what they wore last year?

So here's a few tips to make a megre party budget go further, whether it's out of choice or necessity, you can be the belle of the ball on a budget!

Bargain Beauty.

Beauty is an expensive habit and it seems that every time I swing through Boots, more prices have edged just a little bit higher. With that said, there are more and more low-priced brands coming forward to offer make-up at mini-prices. Long-gone are the days where a small price meant 'pocket-money', you can now buy fantastic, pigmented and long-wearing make-up from as little as £1 from brands such as MUA, Barry M, Collection and Sleek. Everything from your basic lipstick and eyeshadow to more professional tools such as primers and brow-kits.

Smokin'.

A smokey-eye is a classic for the party season. It'll give you a great pop of colour and open your eyes up. If you have three shades of the same colour lurking in your vanity table then you can create this look easily with the help of thousands of online-tutorials ranging from subtle to dramatic, depending on the look you're after. If you don't think you have anything suitable, you can pick up a vast range of eye-shadow pallets from the make-up departments of Boots and Superdrug for well under a tenner. Models Own even have a small pallet designed exclusively for a smokey eye which comes complete with brushes and a photo-tutorial, retailing at around £5.

Supermarket Superheros.

The supermarket clothing brands have come on leaps and bounds in recent years and party-wear is no exception. Both Tesco and ASDA have a large range of festive-appropriate frocks online and in store for a fraction of what you'd pay on the high street. Try to resist loud, statement dresses if you want to get a lot of wear out of them, using accessories to change up an outfit from party to party. 

Viva the video.

Stuck for hair inspiration? Not quite sure on that cat-like flick? One word; YouTube! With hairdressers, make-up artists and brands flooding the channels with tutorial after tutorial, you're bound to find a video that'll give you that helping hand that you need! I've even cut my own side-swept fringe using a YouTube video (NOT for the faint of heart)! If the products they use seem a bit on the pricey side, try googling dupes for them as a lot of beauty bloggers will often review and offer a dupe solution for those of us not willing to pay £10+ for a texturising spray!

It's a deal!

I love a deal and at this time of year 3 for 2 reigns supreme!! If you have an award card such as Boots Advantage card, check out what offers you can get before you spend. You often can get vouchers and money-off of certain products that might work out cheaper than buyingt hem on a multi-purchase. My best friend and I like to split a 3 for 2 offer when it comes to a party. We'll buy an item each and then share the third (usually a nail polish), we've then got two new products for the price of one! If you have older daughters, this is also a great way to keep them cheery!

Clare

Top 5 Green Baby

I will hold my hands up and admit that I am not the greenest of people, but I try. I've found it's very hard to buy ethical on a low income, to be green on a budget. I've shopped around and so today I'd like to introduce you to my top five ethical products for parents and babies.

Organic bodysuits - £3.99 each (3 for 2) H&M.

Organic clothing can be expensive, especially when you consider how short of a period your little ones will be wearing it for! There are some beautiful companies out there that do stunning pieces for special occasions such as Frugi, however for every day you don't want to pay through the nose. These organic cotton bodysuits at H&M are super soft and great value.

Reusable bags - from £5.99 Re Uz.

Re Uz have a gorgeously-designed (you know I love a bit of design) range of reusable shopper, holdalls, handbags and accessories that are kind on your purse, kind on the environment and absolutely beautiful to look at! The reusable shoppers make great alternatives to horrible plastic carrier bags, or even for stashing all those bits that baby just has to have carted around with you! The scrunch up über small too, making them an ideal stocking filler for that really hard to buy for person!

Reusable breast pads - £8.99 Babi Pur.

Ladies, let's talk boobs. Or more specifically boob milk. Let's be honest and admit that yes, they leak. Some more than others! If you're unfortunate to be like me and leak lots then reusable breast pads could be for you! They absorb far more than their disposable counterparts and are way less irritating on delicate and sensitive skin, leaving you less likely to catch a horrible and uncomfortable infection. They're pretty, too (bonus)! You can also get reusable sanitary towels (but for some at might be a step too far).

Terry nappies - from £10 a Grow Up Green.

I'll be brief because I've talked of reusable nappies loads in the past. Reusable is by far the best for the environment and the landfill situation. The cheapest you can get are Terry towels (but don't forget to by the waterproof wraps). They'll last you probably until your child is in university (though hopefully not still wearing them...I meant for cleaning etc)!

Fair trade crochet rattles - from £4 Pebble at Babi Pur.

These little crochet rattles make cute, fun little toys for babies with bright colours, interesting shapes and easy to hold designs. They're currently half-off too!

And here's one little ethical luxury item that I can't live without!!

KeepCup - from £7.80 KeepCup.

As a total coffee geek, I drink it a lot. I drink it at home, at friends and out. Some coffee shops offer money-off and incentives for using a reusable cup and I much prefer my lovely pink cup over an ugly, old travel mug any day! They come in a range of sizes depending on what's your poison (6oz for a flat  white for example).

Clare