Cheapest Christmas gifts for 2022. It’s 12 days ’til Christmas and after two years of playing Santa, our Reserve Bank’s been doing their Grinchy best to think up ways to stop Christmas from coming this year. 👹 So far that’s meant hiking interest rates and threatening to put us on the naughty list if we spend too much money on presents. But don’t let that stop the Christmas cheer. Instead, we might just need to plan on a little more thrift with the gifts this year. 🛍️

If you’re in Auckland, giving yourself a $60 membership to wholesaler Costco (COST) could help stretch the holiday budget a little further, especially when it comes to feeding the whole whānau. While you’re there, keep an eye out for one of the hottest toys this Chrissie: Squishmallows. 🤦The quirky, pillow-like stuffed toys have gone from TikTok sensation (and Kim Kardashian obsession) to a Yuletide must-have. 🎄 Hey, it’s been a tough year for all of us… 

Books can be thrifty gifties, especially when they’re about money. Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money will help get your head back in the game for the investing year ahead, while The Barefoot Investor Scott Pape’s new book Barefoot Kids could be the gift that keeps on giving for our money savvy barefoot Kiwi tamariki. 🤑

Ticketmaster’s (LYV) T-Swift fiasco aside, tickets to summer festies, the tennis with tickets from $18 🎾 or a T-20 cricket game - with 2 free junior tickets - can be a thrilling way to spend time with people we love most. And if rain threatens, embrace getting wet ‘n’ wild in a Nerf gun battle royale (HAS), 🔫 or gather the fam to head indoors to watch Kiwi-made Avatar: The Way of the Water (DIS). That might also work for Santa this year too, because after a year of quiet quitting and embracing working remotely from Bali, it could be hard to find the elves to fill up his sleigh. 🎅 

And because the Hatch newsroom runs on coffee and donuts, we know nothing says ‘festive feeling’ like a dozen gorgeous Christmas themed donuts from Krispy Kreme (DNUT), paired with a Starbucks (SBUX) seasonal Red Velvet Oatmilk Frappuccino in a holiday-themed Christmas cup. 🥤 Ho ho ho!