Christmas in July Handmade Challenge Week 1: Plan, Prepare and Start Your Present Box

Christmas has a sneaky way of arriving faster than expected. One minute it’s July and we’re thinking about soup, slippers and keeping warm, and the next minute the shops are full of tinsel, the calendar is full of commitments, and the grocery budget is being mugged by ham, cherries, gifts, wrapping paper and all those “just this once” extras.

That’s why we do Christmas in July at the Cheapskates Club.

Not because we want to rush the year away. Definitely not because we want to start panic-buying in the middle of winter. We do it because a calm Christmas starts months before December. A handmade, budget-friendly Christmas is much easier when we give ourselves time.

This week is all about getting organised gently. No pressure. No big spending. No impossible craft list. Just one small job each day to help you begin the Handmade Christmas Challenge and start filling your Christmas Present Box.

The goal is simple: use what you have, make what you can, buy only what you need, and give yourself the gift of a calmer, cheaper Christmas.

Why Start Christmas Planning in July?
Planning for Christmas in July gives you something December never does: time.
Time to think.
Time to make.
Time to save.
Time to watch for specials.
Time to use up supplies you already own.
Time to avoid the last-minute Christmas spending trap.

When Christmas is left until December, even simple gifts can become expensive. You buy full price because you’re rushed. You buy extras because you’re tired. You forget what you already have. You end up buying wrapping paper, tags, cards, gift bags, tape and stocking fillers all at once.

But when you start in July, you can do a little at a time.

That’s the Cheapskates way. Small steps. Repeated often. Calm, steady progress.

Check back each day for more inspiration for your budget friendly handmade Christmas, starting with today's Day 1: ​Start Your Handmade Christmas Present Box