Christmas - Made Easy
1st December 2011
Christmas is coming and yet the news of the Credit Crunch and Recession gets worse by the day. It’s more vital than ever that all consumers take control of their spending. With a little bit of planning you can save money, enjoy the perfect Christmas and avoid a financial hangover in the New Year. Our top tips and advice are avaliable here.
In the meantime, here is a short summary of our best moneysaving Christmas tips:
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The best advice for Christmas is to be prepared. If you have left it too late to save for the extra expense at Christmas, then budget. Write down all of your incomings and outgoings so that you can clearly see what you have left to spend on Christmas.
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Don’t forget that most employees will be paid early for Christmas but there won’t be another wage until the end of January – almost 6 weeks later! So be sure to budget accordingly so that you have enough money to last once the festive season is over.
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Draw up a detailed list of who you have to buy for and how much you are willing to spend on each person. Take this list with you when you are shopping as a tangible reminder of your limits. Hopefully this will stop you panic buying which can so often result in overspending.
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Try to buy only one present for each person. It is tempting to buy lots of smaller inexpensive presents but as well as potentially costing more, this can lessen the value of your gift.
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If you know exactly what present you are buying for your friends and family then compare the price with at least one other retailer on the high street, or online through a price comparison site. Remember if you are shopping online to order well in advance to allow for delivery etc.
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Don’t forget to redeem your loyalty points for Christmas. If you have saved up your points when food shopping throughout the year, why not use them for Christmas. The UK has more than £4billion worth of unused vouchers, gift cards and credit notes – so use them!
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If you are going to shop on credit then try to control how much credit you are taking. Don’t use a variety of credit cards – stick to one card so that you can keep track of your spending. Some cards even have an online banking facility allowing you to trace exactly what you are buying. If you have a cash-back credit card, or card with 0% interest, then choose this as your Christmas credit card.
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If you are hosting Christmas this year then why not make it easier by getting your family/friends to share the cooking with different people bringing a different course. This allows you to share the cost, responsibility and the effort of cooking.
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Why not give your family and friends gift vouchers instead of presents this Christmas. This way they will be able to buy what they want in the Christmas and January sales- indirectly making your money go further, and saving you the hassle of having to find perfect presents.
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If you are expecting Christmas to be a struggle then why not use this as an incentive for a financial makeover in 2011. Set a date in January when you will address money worries and make this your deadline. Don’t ignore debts and hope that the problem will go away – they never do.