Consumption: can we celebrate Christmas without spending a cent?

France Télévisions teams take up a challenge, for the newspaper from 20 hours : celebrate Christmas without spending a single euro. For the tree, the journalist Paul-Luc Monnier goes to Plaisir (Yvelines). They cost here 25 euros, but are reimbursed in vouchers. To decorate it, he goes to a specialized site. Thousands of individuals donate many items. You just have to go and collect them. “For less than 20 euros, I prefer to give”, explains a generous donor.

What to do for the menu? It is possible to answer surveys to obtain gifts, such as foie gras. In one month, the journalist answers 70 questionnaires, which occupy him for more than 17 hours. On arrival, the foie gras, worth 25 euros, arrives in the letterbox. A photo calendar can also be placed under the tree: a website offered to offer it, on condition of paying the shipping costs, amounting to 4 euros. If it is therefore possible to afford a Christmas at a very reduced price, it is nevertheless necessary to count the expenses of transport … and have time to devote to it.