Countdown to Christmas – 13 Money Saving Days to Go

If you’re having lots of people over for Christmas dinner, or any other occasions for that matter, and you have been landed with all the costs for all the food and drink, not to mention all the cooking! Stop!

What I do is ask everyone to make some contribution, I will buy the turkey, then one person buys the potatoes, another the sprouts, someone else buys wine, crackers and so on, I’ve never found anyone to object as it still saves individuals the trouble to do everything for themselves and you don’t really look the meany as you’re co-ordinating and cooking everything.

So make it a collective Christmas get together, after all, why should one person (you or me) foot the entire bill?

Countdown to Christmas – 14 Money Saving Days to Go

Hampers – Scampers!

Don’t fall prey to the many offers to sell you a super duper Christmas hamper, check out what you get for your money and compare what’s in them to how much those things would cost at a normal supermarket.

I bet the price you’d pay is far less than what they are charging for the hamper rather than doing the shopping yourself, scandalous!

Also, don’t fall for the pay weekly ones either, thousands of people lost out when one company went bust just before Christmas a couple of years ago leaving them without any funds for food over the Christmas period.

Instead, I work out, in my budget, what I’ll need for Christmas and put away 1/12th into a regular saver each month, I’ll not only have money available to spend at Christmas and also avoid the dreaded debt, but I also get a bit extra in the form of interest to spend as a bonus, we look forward to that each year.

I’ll start to think about drawing up my budget for 2010 soon so I’ll be able to cater for next Christmas – planning is everything to stay debt free.

Countdown to Christmas – 15 Money Saving Days to Go

Why do people shop like the shops will never open again?

They only close for one day for goodness sake!

People I notice have already started the great stock up!

You won't be eating two or three times more than normal, so why buy it all in the first place?

When you shop over the next couple of weeks, buy one or two little extras for the Christmas fare in order to miss the manic trolley dashes that build up on Christmas week running up to the big day – where does everyone store all this extra stuff that is bought?

Countdown to Christmas – 16 Money Saving Days to Go

Remember, Christmas is for December, NOT January or beyond into the New Year.

So keep a close eye on your spending. If you haven’t got it to spend – you can’t afford it.

Never get into debt for Christmas!

Are you listening family?

It is said that the average person will spend £500 - £600 at Christmas, some in the thousands! – It’s madness. Why lumber yourself with debts just to give someone something they didn’t want in the first place?

I cannot believe that debt on a credit card paid off at only the minimum amount will take about 40 years to pay off – and some people are doing this!!! Not for me!

Countdown to Christmas – 17 Money Saving Days to Go

Christmas Food – Generally turkey – if you’re planning to have the traditional turkey this year, make a space in the freezer now. The supermarkets (yes, the dreaded supermarkets), do have reduced prices for turkeys around now to entice you in, hoping you’ll spend on lots more stuff while you’re there, so don’t succumb to temptation.

The supermarkets generally put up prices on turkeys on Christmas week so you have no choice left as you’ll run out of time and resort to the old ‘it’ll have to do’ at any price.

Play supermarkets at their own game, buy the offers and leave the full priced stuff on the shelves, planning is everything when you’re trying to save money.

Countdown to Christmas – 18 Money Saving Days to Go

We always make our own Christmas cake, and it’s been made since October.

Today though, we unwrapped it and spooned a few more tablespoons full of brandy over it (I know, I know, think of the cost!).

Then covering the cake in warm apricot jam, we covered it in a thin layer of marzipan.

In a weeks time we’ll finish it off with the icing and decorations.

Countdown to Christmas – 19 Money Saving Days to Go

Buying Christmas presents, or any other presents for that matter, from a charity shop achieves two effects:

The first is a great saving of money compared to buying brand new goods, sometimes they are so new you can’t tell the difference.

The second is that you are helping the charity to achieve its aims, as I’ve said before, I’m not totally heartless and I do help where I can, but I don’t just give it away.