The Budget Planner Blog

1. This year my family and I have agreed a spending limit for Christmas presents; we’re spending no more than £10 per person. Not only is this going to save me money, but it will also hopefully reduce the amount of time it takes me to get my shopping done as the choice of gifts available for under £10 is a lot smaller! If you don’t think there’s anything you can buy for £10, why not agree to pool your money and organise a Secret Santa? This way you get one big gift for everyone in your family instead of lots of smaller gifts.
2. December is typically a month when I spend and eat excessively but no matter how much I eat there is always some waste that gets thrown out. This year I’m making a shopping list and only getting what I need; I’m going to gain some pounds in my wallet and save some from my waist!
3. Christmas is a time of giving and receiving and it’s time for the companies that I’ve been loyal to over the year to give me my rewards! Time to redeem my Nectar and Clubcard points then. I’ve just received my Clubcard bonus for the last quarter (which totalled around £10) and I have just over a 1000 Nectar points so another £5 to add to my total. If you use cashback websites or credit cards you might also want to redeem any rewards you have amassed on these too.
4. Organise my Christmas payday. Each year I get excited about the early December payday but then regret this excitement towards the end of January. This year however, I’m going to take 15% of my November pay and 15% of my December pay and put this in a separate account for use at the end of January.
5. And finally, you’ve worked hard all year and it’s time to play hard so budget for extra nights out and activities. Christmas is a time for seeing friends and family but there is normally an extra cost involved in this such as travel, meals and drinks. Just remember to budget a bit more than you normally would for leisure expenses.

Labels: christmas budget, christmas tips

# posted by The Budget Planner @ 22:13