It's never too early for Christmas!

Hello again!

So, from the title, you can tell this is a Christmas post. You’re probably thinking “Christmas? It’s March!” And yes, you are correct. But may I remind you how quick this year is already flying by? Exactly.

Christmas can be such a stressful time with money and I completely sympathise with that. However, for the past two or three festive seasons, my family and I have come up with some debt busters for Christmas and of course, I plan on sharing them with you.

Christmas Dinner Fund

Every year, my family and I go out for Christmas dinner. It’s much easier and less stressful. However, it can definitely cost quite a bit. Instead of panicking and scraping together, we have the ‘Christmas Dinner Fund’ where we keep a little money pot at my gran’s house. Every week, we contribute a small amount (normally £1.) This usually starts in January. There’s five of us and whenever we visit my gran, we put the money in the pot. With our local carvery, Christmas dinner is available to book around September/October time. After paying from January to September £5 a week, it’s covered enough for our meals and even drinks. We continue to add to the pot up until Christmas for things such as drinks or even scratch cards for the table. Anything left over after Christmas Day goes straight back into the pot as a start for the following year.

Club Points

Tescos is the perfect example for this. The Tesco Clubcard is so useful as you gain points whenever you shop with them. If you save up all your points, you can use them all for Christmas. There’s also certain times of the year where you can earn triple points. Tesco even have a “Christmas Saver” option. This means you can save your points throughout the year and get monthly statements on how much you have. You can even add your own money in to top up. For more information, visit the Tesco Christmas Saver page. You can also find out if your local/preferred supermarket offers a similar scheme.

January Sales

So the sales may be over for this year, but it’s always good to consider for the following January Sales. From wrapping paper to stocking fillers, get it in the sales. There’s also the summer sales you can look at buying. It’s never too early to save your money.

Ebay, Ebay, Ebay!

If you’re still short of cash, start selling! Someone’s junk is someone else’s treasure. Any unwanted/unopened presents, things you don’t use which are in good conditions, stuff you say you’ll use some day but never will… come on, get the quids in!

It’s the thought that counts

While children will want the new toys out, you don’t always have to overspend on the rest of the family. Home made gifts are always nice. Whether you can knit, sew, saw, paint, do it! Not sure what to make? Google home made gift ideas! I’m working on something at the moment which I will post in a couple of weeks for one idea, so make sure you’re following my blog!

I hope you enjoyed some of my tips. If you found them helpful, please ‘like’ this post and leave a comment below and I’ll make sure to do this again in the future!