Yes, sorry! That 'C' word again! Well it is only 87 days away and if you're like me, you're already starting the Christmas shopping so... Here is another dose of my money saving tips, this time, to help keep your pockets a little fuller, a little longer!
1) Start as soon as you can. If you can afford to take out a chunk of money from your wages each month/week, then do so and put this aside. Or, if you're rubbish at putting money aside, by gifts now and get them delivered to a family members house (as long as its not for them). That way, you're cutting down your to-buy list, the item isn't sitting staring at you waiting to be wrapped and it's also giving yourself a little extra lea-way when it comes to counting the pennies later on in December! If you spend now, that last pay check of the year can be spent on you rather than everyone else!
1) Start as soon as you can. If you can afford to take out a chunk of money from your wages each month/week, then do so and put this aside. Or, if you're rubbish at putting money aside, by gifts now and get them delivered to a family members house (as long as its not for them). That way, you're cutting down your to-buy list, the item isn't sitting staring at you waiting to be wrapped and it's also giving yourself a little extra lea-way when it comes to counting the pennies later on in December! If you spend now, that last pay check of the year can be spent on you rather than everyone else!
2) Buy in bulk from the same store (online) if possible! You'll find that on websites like Tesco Direct, Argos etc, if you spend a certain amount you can qualify for free delivery or even money off. At the moment, if you spend £75+ on Tesco you get £10 off - not bad! If you prefer to shop from the comfort of your own home though, beware of delivery charges. Delivery costs for 5 or 6 presents could have paid for 2 more presents for someone else!
3) Don't forget to use your points cards when making purchases. Nectar cards, Clubcards, Boots and Superdrug are a few of the money rewarding store cards that will pay you a little back the more you spend. If you have a Boots card, remember to sign up to Treat Street too! And don't forget that eBay now let you redeem Nectar points too!
4) This one isn't just for online shopping but for offline too... Assign a certain amount for each person you're buying for. If you have a big family, this will be a great help! If you all give yourself a limit of say £20, you know what your budget is and you're not going to feel bad when you give your sister a bottle of bath salts and she brings out the Pandora bracelet you've been banging on about for months!
5) Don't buy unnecessary items! I know it sounds like common sense but I fall victim to this. I literally can't stop myself when it comes to present buying and gift giving that I buy anything in sight and always find someone to give it to! Just because you can it's easy enough to 'add item to basket' when you're online, remember, you have to pay for it! Just because your fella having those t-shirts in every colour will last him a lifetime, doesn't mean he needs them all now!
Christmas is my favourite time of year by far but it's a scary time of year, financially, for everyone. Follow these simple steps when you're christmas shopping and hopefully, it'll be a happier time for all!
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Some great tips! I'll be starting early too as I love gift buying but with a student budget I need to plan it properly!
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Great tips :) You can also sign up to cashback websites such as Quidco to get a little bit of money back when you shop online x
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This is a great article. I also try to save money when Christmas shopping because I have a huge family and it can get very expensive. I also have to buy food for all our big family parties. I think it is very important for people to stay on a budget and be smart about how they are spending their money. Unfortunately, there are people who can not afford gifts but they should know that there are reliable ways to receive cash now to help them out.
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