To ask do you put Christmas on a credit card or use a loan?honestly??

[jalepenopopper]

Just that really, having a discussion with my dh after watching a programme where the family take out a loan each Christmas and pay it off all year. He thought it was crazy, I said it's more common than he thinks! I think more people do than they admit. So...do you?

Some of it goes on credit, some of it not. I used to put a lot more on credit but we're lucky to be in a much better position now.

Technically this year I’ve used credit to pay for a lot of Christmas. I say throughout the year for Christmas and have it locked away in a savings account paying a decent (in these times!) interest rate which takes a day or two to hit my bank account. I’ve got 4 months interest free time to pay it back, so I’m leaving the savings in the account earning the interest, and will pay chunks off out of our monthly income until the time is up, and will withdraw whatever is left and pay it off.

In my younger years I’d whack it all on a credit card and worry about it later.

*save throughout the year, I don’t talk about Christmas financing constantly through the year

Save all year, put money away each week. X

Nope never but then I only have one 7 year old son and he has a £150 limit. Always has had from the get go, so he has grown up with the expectation of 4/5 presents and a stocking.

Food wise the Christmas food shop is about £80 as it's only me and him and other than the Christmas dinner itself a tin of celebrations and a nice bottle of wine for me, it doesn't far surpass my usal £50 weekly shop.

Birthdays are for luxury gifts like a Nintendo switch. As it's a one off and a few months after Christmas so I can save up again.

What program was this @jalepenopopper thanks

I save all year but I do use a credit card only for the benefits. It’s paid off in full in January.

Yea, some of it has gone in the credit card. We really try to keep our costs and spending down as much as possible, and only spend about £2-300 all in, but we're just not able to do the savings thing that a lot talk about on here.

Next year, the big loan will be paid off and the money that goes out for that will be redirected and used to pay off the c.cards so that next Christmas, and the Christmas after that, we'll be in a better position to pay for it properly.

I usually do overtime in November/December to pay for Christmas. But this year I had covid in November and still feel too wiped out for extra shifts, so will be using some of my savings.

Depends on the year but the majority of the time no, we cut our cloth to our means. Many years we have had Christmases that the majority of MNErs would snifff at and say crappy things about being tacky or tasteless. The key is DC have never felt let down
Santa has sometimes delivered charity shop gifts but he has always delivered.
Christmas Dinner has been in the past chicken form chicken drumsticks but the table has been full.

However if new year income is in any form of question then its charity shop and walks to see other people's lights. On the years income is reliable and we know it will happen then we risk it...to a point. We never ever go above 25 % credit of what we have allowed so to speak (say credit card is 800 under no circumstances does it go a ove 200).

That said we will on bad years fall into the category where people crow on MN about tacky homemade gifts, or being "rude" for not buying back etc. But my dc never start the year in fear of not being provided for. I know where the next income is if I ever risk it. (Which has been twice I've risked it in 9 years )

I do use a credit card for convenience only. It gets paid off entirely every month, I don't like to carry any balance.

Mostly use a CC but it's paid off every month.

No
I’m the other way round I save during the year, buy presents when on offer or in sales, sell stuff on eBay etc to fund Xmas
I do same for holidays

No I don't use credit or loans. I buy throughout the year to spread the cost. I do this for birthdays as well.

I don’t, no. I purposefully don’t have access to credit; I cannot be trusted to keep my spending under control if I have credit, so I don’t. I buy gifts over a few months, and am grateful for the fact that my extended family is small.

No I don't, but I completely understand and don't judge those that do. I came from a single parent family with three siblings. My mother was on benefits and got caught in the doorstep loan 'trap', easy money and gets you out of a sticky situation in the short term but then you are paying almost double back and cannot afford to save for the next year so you take out another loan - it's a vicious cycle.

Nope because I save a bit each month which really helps me

I don’t judge those who do though, I’ve been there in the past

If i can't afford it I don't buy it. Going into debt for the sake of Christmas is insane.

Yes I use a credit card but I have the cash and pay it off in full. So the answer is yes and no. When we were struggling financially we had a cheaper Christmas, I'd not like to go into debt for it.

For Christ sake,going into debt for xmas,you must be absolutley bonkers.

What is all the angst about using a credit card?! I’ve bought every single Xmas present on mine and will reap the reward points for doing so.

No.

I have had a loan in the past at Christmas, it is a very expensive time of year, we are not high earners nor are we poor, even though I bought early and organised a budget the cost is endless.

For many families it is the only celebration they have yearly it is understandable how it can get them into debt.

I've never had a credit card in my life and think getting into debt over Christmas is just plain stupid!

I put the whole thing on my credit card. Like other poster I use it as it gives better protection online.

Nowadays I can afford to pay it off all in one go, but when the dc were small and I was on mat leave/SAHM/working fewer hours I used to pay it over a few months and then do the same again for a summer holiday.

No we'd never do that.