I’ve been saving for Christmas since the start of the year.
£10 a week has been transferred into a separate account so we will have around £500 to spend on food, drink and gifts for the festive season. We might need a few new decorations too after passers-by ruined some of ours last year. I don’t think we’ll be spending the full amount of Christmas, but the remainder should make January slightly more bearable as that month is notoriously ‘long’ and hard in terms of money.
Whilst I’ve been saving, it’s now time to start looking into what we’re buying.
There are offers all over the place and if you buy at the right time from the right place, you can save yourself some cash.
Stocking filler gifts like sweets and chocolates can be purchased on offer during the year and squirrelled away. Don’t buy chocolate oranges that aren’t on offer because they always go on offer for £1 each or cheaper 3 for 2 type deals at some point. The moral of the story is not to leave everything until the last minute when shops know you need their items and you don’t have the luxury of time to look around and compare prices.
Black Friday can be a great time to pick up a bargain but it can also be chaotic.
Be sure to use cashback sites if you’re buying online, some websites have flash sales where they discount items for a few hours. Basically don’t by anything at full prices because there is always an offer, deal or voucher available somewhere.
Also, question yourself whether you need to buy that gift. Don’t by for the sake of buying. Why not make something for someone or have the awkward conversation about not buying for each other this year.
It might be worth deciding where you’re going to have Christmas too as some savings might need to go on travel. This year we’re planning on having Christmas dinner by the seaside in our campervan. Nothing fancy, maybe just some turkey sandwiches, but time spent together as a family making memories, instead of slaving away in a hot kitchen.
Have you started thinking about Christmas yet?
