The festive is truly upon us. In fact, it is hard to ignore. The shops have been full of Christmas cards and decorations since September and everywhere you turn, Christmas tunes are playing. It can be very tempting to splurge at Christmas and New Year’s. However, it is possible to have a memorable time without overspending.
This does not constitute advice and advice should be sought in all instances before acting on it.
These are our 15 tips on how to save money this festive season:
(1) Write a list – decide who need to buy and not who you should buy for. Ask yourself, is it necessary to buy for all my friends or great-aunts that I only see once a year.
(2) Budget – decide on how much you want to spend on each person and stick to it. If you do under-spend, maybe use the change to give to a local charity.
(3) Make things – if you have children or grandchildren, get crafty with them to make presents for people.
(4) Plan out meals – one of the areas where it is very easy to overspend is on food and drink. Make a food plan that covers the Christmas period and decide what you need to buy to make the dishes. You will probably find that you have most of the ingredients in your pantry or cupboards already.
(5) Book travel plans in advance – the best savings on train tickets can be had when you book at least eight weeks in advance. If you are thinking of going abroad for Christmas, consider travelling from a regional airport where the air fares can be cheaper.
(6) Cash-back – If you are buying gifts online, utilise cashback sites like Topcashback or Quidco. It’s important to note that you will only receive the cashback if you click through to the retailer’s site from the cashback site.
(7) Compare prices – compare store prices to their online prices. You sometimes find that retailers have special promotions online that are not available instore.
(8) Online discounts – use sites such as Groupon or Vouchercloud to search for discount codes. Some stores also offer first time customers a discount or money off for signing up to their newsletter.
(9) Use loyalty cards – throughout the year you may have built up points on store loyalty cards. These points can be used to pay for future purchases you make. If you are not sure how much you have on these cards, you can check online or ask instore.
(10) Keep an eye for sales – around this time of year, stores often hold flash sales where certain goods are discounted for a short period of time, often 24 hours.
(11) Sign up to Amazon Prime – if you shop online frequently, signing up to the free trial of Amazon Prime, can save you money and time. Goods that are included in Amazon Prime are delivered within 24 hours. This is great if you are a last-minute shopper. Don’t forget to cancel it before the expiry date or you will be charged.
(12) Buy in bulk – if you like to celebrate the season with a glass of something. Supermarkets usually have offers on champagne or prosecco at this time of year.
(13) Cash-back credit cards – with some credit cards you can get a % of what you spend back on purchases you make using the credit card. This can be up to 5%. If you decide to do this, set up a direct debit so you can clear the balance each month.
(14) Re-gift presents – if you have received two of something in the past, instead of letting it languish at the back of a cupboard, re-gift it to somebody who you think would use it. Just make sure you don’t give it to the person who gave it to you originally.
(15) Start early – leaving Christmas planning and shopping to the last minute, can lead to panic buying. Start early to avoid this.
It is always good to start a new year not feeling uneasy about your finances and whilst it is great to give, it is important to always consider gifting within your means.
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