It may only be October and many of you will be fed up with the shelves already being stocked full of Christmas goodies, but as we all know before we know it the big day will be upon us.
With the average family spending around £821 over the festive season here are some tips to help you find the extra money.
Shop Around
With a good 12 weeks you have plenty of time to shop around for the best price on gifts. Around this time of year the large stores have plenty of cut price offers and three for two deals.
Check websites regularly so you don’t miss out of one of tour little ones much wanted presents for a knocked down price.
Last year I followed several pages on Facebook that brought up Amazons daily deals. I saved a fortune on a lot of the presents the kids wanted.
Have A Clear Out
As with most of us we all have things lying around the house that we no longer need or want. It is a great time to make the most of this and start to list on selling sites such as eBay.
We always have a good clear out of toys, clothes, books etc and put them on eBay around now. The money that I make then goes into PayPal and I use that to by presents with. I would say that over half of my presents were bought like this last year and it really feels as if you are getting something for nothing!
Stop Those Morning Lattes
I am a great lover of a coffee shop but I know that it does nothing for my purse!!
All theses little extras like magazines and those cheeky little cakes you pick up all add up and could go a long way towards the Christmas budget.
Say we spend £2.50 a day on coffee five days a week, that will work out at £12.50 a week. If you were to forgo that for the next twelve weeks you would make a saving of £150. A fair whack of the Christmas budget hey?
There are apps that you can download such as Spending Tracker that can show you exactly where you are over spending.
Just The Kids
A long time ago I stopped buying presents for friends and family and now just buy for the little ones.
This may sound harsh but for us it’s the exitment in the children’s faces when that get what they want that is the best present. We find that having some days out together in the lead up to Christmas is much nicer and also kinder on the pocket.
I do however have one exception and that is my sister as she has five children to buy for and she has none for me to by back for!
Early Bird Days Out
Keep an eye out for Christmas days out at this time of year as many will be up with discounted tickets if they are booked now. Have a look for things you would really love to do and you could save some money on doing it.
Homemade Gifts
For me there is nothing better than receiving a handmade gift. There is so much more love and thought in them and handily they are a lot cheaper. The children love preparing chocolates and cards for their teachers and taking them in on the last day of term.
I hope I have given you a few tips here that will come in handy and go towards a happy yet thrift Christmas.
Do you have any tips oh saving over this expensive time.
