The festive season is adding pressure to stretched family finances, and rent is a high portion of the average wage, so to help The Central App has sustainable Christmas ideas gentle on the environment and household budgets.

For fun free Christmas activity residents can register to add their decorated home to the Light Up Central walking trail It’s the second year for this fun event, and residents can vote for their favourite house and business. 

The top three places showing the best Christmas spirit will win prizes, and the trail will be live on December 4. 

So, how can people act sustainably and do more with less cash?

Firstly, bring a plate - literally. Take a secondhand plate to Christmas functions. 

A preloved vintage plate is a low cost gift for the host, a good talking point. 

Secondhand dishes are cheaper and kinder to the environment than throwaway alternatives.

Trawl your local second hand shop for a vintage plate. PHOTO: Supplied 

If you have to head out for a function and want to avoid a pricey babysitter, agree with a friend to watch their children, in exchange for them minding yours. 

Menu plan to keep track of food spending. Shop around, use what is in season from your own garden, barter or swap fruit, vegetables and herbs with neighbours. Participate in the fortnightly Sunday morning free crop swap in Cromwell (Sunday November 24 on McNulty House lawn at 9am).

The goodies on offer at the last Cromwell Crop Swap. PHOTO: Cromwell Crop Swap 

Use leftovers smartly with a barbecue breakfast, or make a frittata or quiche - do not throw food away if you can avoid it. Consider freezing leftovers to eat later. Home made wax wraps for leftovers are a great gift.

Utilise community food pantries (in Teviot Valley, Alexandra and Cromwell); take what you need and leave what you can to help others. Use appliances wisely, pop the baking in while the oven is hot from the roast so it’s not having to heat up a second time. 

Cut back on booze. Alcohol is expensive and can impair your decision making. Make home brew or ginger beer, or rhubarb wine in reusable bottles. Drink responsibly - your wallet and your head will thank you. 

Re-think how you wrap. Bypass expensive gift wrap, many of these have a clear plastic coating and cannot be recycled. Use wrapping alternatives such as sewing fabric gift bags, Furoshiki, the Japanese art of gift wrapping using fabric or a scarf, old magazines, kids’ art or

last year’s paper.

Save up paper gift bags, tissue paper, ribbons and reuse them, or keep cardboard boxes, customise them with children' s drawings for a quirky cute way to wrap a gift.

Ask yourself ‘do you need to shop’, and if so, do you need to buy brand new? 

Visit your local second hand store, community buy/sell/trade groups, farmers markets, roadside stalls, table top sales or the Alexandra Toy Swap (today, November 22, 11am -2pm at Alexandra Baptist Church). The Maniototo Christmas festival is coming up on December 6 and includes market stalls.  

Clean up and pass on unused toys to other families to keep them out of landfill. PHOTO: file 

Consider a ‘homemade presents only’ rule, or agree to a maximum spend, or even a no gift rule. A rooted cutting from a houseplant, in a pot painted by the kids, or a handmade voucher for babysitting, cleaning, gardening, dog walking or carwashing can be a thoughtful and free present.

Get crafty with decorations, Christmas crackers and cards. Items such as buttons, painted handprints, stickers, wool, twine, pinecones, rocks and shells are treasures for this sort of activity. Use garden greenery for home made wreaths. Keep glass jars to reuse as salad dressing shakers, or to make a ‘brownie in a jar’ gift.

Button based home-made cards. PHOTO: Pinterest

Don’t buy an expensive Christmas tree, check if a neighbour might have a wilding pine you could remove from their property and you’ll be doing them a favour too. (Then let it dry out and chop it up for winter kindling, or keep the pine needles to put under strawberry plants).

Consider a living tree and deck out an existing houseplant with ribbons and handcrafted decorations.

Go free for all entertainment; play with a frisbee, backyard cricket, go for a swim and take a picnic, bring back charades, or a family board game night. Volunteer to assist at local events in exchange for free entry.

A final tip is to think about your transport options, consider carpooling, walk if you can, take your bike, scooter or skateboard, and save on your petrol costs. 

If you are prepared to drive for an hour, consider a trip to Wānaka’s Wastebusters Sustainable Christmas market, it’s on tomorrow (Saturday November 23 from 9am -2pm.) 

Read more: Teviot Valley Food Pantry more visible than ever

Read more: Increasing demand for Central’s foodbanks

Read more: Toy Swap coming up in Alexandra

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