I’m sorry to say the time has come to discuss the subject of Christmas… Already!! The year has flown by and it’s time to get serious about our Christmas spending habits. Last year, The UK’s average family Christmas spend was around £414, so here’s our top 5 tips to get you prepared for Xmas 2011!
1. Decide on a budget and stick to it (take a look at our budget planner here)- This is the most important point to remember, there’s always that special present that blows your budget out of the water; be strong, resist the temptation, otherwise you’ll spend the best part of 2012 paying for the Christmas of 2011!
2. Here’s the next most important tip to tie in with your budget… make a list and stick to it. If you know what you want and know where to get it, not only will this save you money, as you’ll have the opportunity to shop around it will save you bags of time – which can be spent in front of the fire with a hot drink.
3. Be shopper savvy!! Compare prices, whether it’s your groceries or the kids presents, make sure you jump on the comparison sites to see how much you can save.
4. Little and often – spread the cost of your Christmas by starting early. There are 13 weeks to Christmas 2011 and you’re better off starting early than being lumped with a hefty credit card bill in January 2012, you can then treat yourself in those January sales!!
5. REMEMBER DONT GO MAD, its Christmas shopping not panic buying!!
Are you still looking for ways to save for Christmas, take a look at our article entitled 7 Ways to make Christmas less expensive.