You’ve heard about how the Grinch stole Christmas, but might he have been less grumpy about the whole thing if he’d been able to save some money?
With the cost of living crisis showing no signs of easing and with sustainability at the forefront of our minds, more people are looking at what they can hire.
In the UK, the re-commerce economy – which covers buying secondhand items, renting products or reselling pieces – is worth £7 billion, with renting items contributing £1.07 billion to that figure. While you can rent products all year round, with Christmas being such an expensive time, hiring festive goods could be a clever way to cut costs. But what does hiring your Christmas really mean and what sort of things can you hire?
Hiring festive products is kinder to the environment and can help you save some cash along the way
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“You can rent almost every aspect of Christmas,” says Hannah Bartlett, co-founder of Jolly Festive. “From tableware – and the table itself – to festive decorations, Christmas clothes and even the toys destined to be wrapped under the tree. The world of rental services is evolving at pace.”
People turn to renting for a whole host of reasons, from environmental worries and space constraints to financial concerns. “The decision between renting or buying depends on an individual’s motivations and different products and services will appeal to different people,” Hannah says. “Hiring Christmas offers an appealing solution for items only used once a year and where rental services may offer a more environmentally friendly alternative.”
Decor
If you’re tired of using the same old decorations, renting your baubles and tinsel could be the way forward. After buying expensive decorations only to have them in storage for more than 300 days of the year, Monty Key created Decorative Deliveries to provide “specifically curated” decorations from £20.
“Lots of people have limited storage so having boxes of baubles to store all year round isn’t practical,” he says. “Also, by renting they can choose a different colour scheme to suit their mood or living situation.”
Instead of buying expensive new decorations, hire them at a fraction of the cost
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Christmas trees
Picking a real Christmas tree each year may be a tradition, but it comes with the hassle of how to discard it after the festivities.
“Renting offers the chance to enjoy a fresh tree at home each year without the environmental impact of cutting a new one down each time,” says Hannah. “Many families opt to rent the same tree, creating a wonderful tradition.”
With prices typically slightly higher than purchasing real trees, this option has the benefit of allowing the tree to be replanted. Google a tree hire place in your area, as keeping it local is better for the planet.
Furniture
If you’re hosting Christmas and need to splash out on bigger, more expensive pieces like furniture, you could save cash by seeing what you can rent via platforms such as Fat Llama.
“When it comes to large items like extra furniture, renting can be a tempting option,” says Hannah. “The price difference between renting and purchasing substantial items is more significant and we don’t want bulky pieces taking up space come January.”
Toys and tech
With the average Brit spending £430 on gifts at Christmas, opting for rented items can prove handy. “With the cost of living crisis still a concern, we’ve seen an uptake in parents looking for alternative, more cost- effective ways to provide their children with the best toys, books, bikes, prams and baby equipment on the market,” says Sanam Saghir, one of the owners of toy and baby equipment rental service Whirli. Elsewhere, platforms including MusicMagpie allow you to rent items such as smart watches and phones.
You can even take out subscriptions to hire out items to gift at Christmas
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Festive outfits
Renting clothes from outlets such as John Lewis, By Rotation and My Wardrobe HQ can give you access to stylish pieces on a pay-per-day basis.
“It can provide access to higher-quality brands and products than could otherwise be afforded,” says Hannah.
“When it comes to the little ones, renting Christmas clothes makes practical sense given they’ll probably have outgrown their festive outfits by next year.”
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