Avoiding the Christmas Posting Chaos

One thing you can pretty much guarantee about Christmas, is that at some point it feels inevitable – you are going to waste an hour of your life queuing in the post office surrounded by everyone else, all of whom have picked the EXACT.SAME.TIME to panic send all their gifts, cards and presents across the country. Add in snow, traumatic walking conditions and a pushchair in tow, and I find it all incredibly stressful!

No matter how much I love the festive season, it can have a huge impact on your finances. Buying Christmas presents can be expensive enough in the first place, not to mention the additional cost of having to send your gifts far and wide to reach friends and family that live in a different part of the country, or even the world. With friends in Milan and Australia, and family down south, the costs soon add up. One of the cheapest and fastest ways to have your parcels delivered is through a courier service, but there are a few things you should bear in mind in order to keep the process as cheap and stress-free as possible.

Here are my tips for keeping the costs down!

If you already know that your gifts will need to be delivered, it’s best to plan ahead when buying them. Check the list of restricted and prohibited items to make sure that couriers are allowed to handle your parcels – some countries don’t allow certain items to go through customs, where as others dictate that the item inside is clearly labelled on the packaging. I find this so frustrating as it can ruin the surprise but unfortunately it has to be done!

When posting items, it goes without saying that purchasing gifts that are small and weigh very little will keep delivery costs to a minimum. It’s also important that your parcel is packaged correctly as this will keep it safe and protected on its journey from sender to recipient. I’ve been on the receiving end of a poorly packaged parcel a few times now – and its so disappointing when something turns up smashed or has gotten wet and damaged during transit.

When it comes to choosing how to send your parcel – My Parcel Delivery, a courier comparison site, can help – outlining which company offers the best delivery options based on your requirements, whilst also finding the cheapest courier service available. Using a courier not only helps you to save money, but also saves valuable time by allowing you to leave your parcels at a designated drop-off point if you choose to use a courier such as UPS. If you have heavy items or simply want to make your life a bit easier, you can even have your parcels collected from home with an express service by Parcelforce. Simply input the weight and size of your parcel into the My Parcel Delivery website, alongside the destination of the gift, and you’ll be presented with some of the best deals to ensure your parcel is delivered the cheapest and/or easiest way possible.

The sooner you complete your Christmas shopping the better, especially if you want presents to be delivered on time. Not only will it banish the unneeded stress of last-minute shopping but it also means that you don’t end up paying more than you bargained for because the presents you were looking for are out of stock. If last minute shopping does feel like it will be an inevitability, or you are completely disorganised and leave things till the last minute, make sure to make a note of the last delivery dates to ensure your parcels arrive before the big day! The last delivery dates are fast approaching so if you haven’t started – now is the time to get a wriggle on!! 🙂

I hope these tips are helpful, and good luck in ticking all the items off your list!

Lucy

*This is a collaborative post*