How do you afford Christmas?

[cantpooinpeace]

I just about manage each year without using my credit card much.
But see many people buying extravagant gifts without a money worry in the world & wonder how they do it.

I tend to start buying in October's pay packet using the surplus cash that I would normally save fritter away and do the same for Nov & Dec but believe me January is tight and not much fun :(.
it's not just the presents but the night outs, secret santas,
Panto tickets....you know the score.

Interested in hearing your Christmas budget strategies please :)

I never pay full price for anything. As soon as we get back from summer holiday I start buying (so normally August) so the cost is spread.

If I can't afford it I don't buy it, and when it comes to the food side I don't go over the top buying things to sit in a cupboard until they are thrown out!

I save all year with Park, and get High Street vouchers, so come September Christmas is all paid for.

When i finish paying for that, i give a fiver a week to my local butcher, which then pays for my turkey crown and ham, and any other meats i fancy.

I look out for bargains and compare prices etc. Ds and dh both have their birthday at xmas so its all a bit mad. We also sell a few shares each october to buy some stuff. Start buying stocking fillers with weekly shop in sept / oct and buying big presents from oct onwards.
Ask for panto tickets etc as presents from people too.
Don't have many nights out but have drinks at friends etc which doesn't cost so much.
We don't do xmas dinner here which saves us money.

Luckily we did buy panto tickets early on this year. We still have the Christmas tree to buy & a fair few presents for family & children and I'm running out of cash! I haven't used my overdraft yet so there's my back up and I've my tax credits to arrive yet too.

We're doing Christmas dinner too luckily my mum's ordered and paid for the turkey. I think I need some sort of plan for next Christmas, I dream of a large pot of saved money and guilt free spending. After Christmas when I have the guts I'm gonna tot up what we've spent. For now I think I'm better off not knowing!

I buy things throughout the year. Even if I end up with a cupboard full of chocolate gifts, wine, stocking fillers, it all helps come xmas. Buy gift cards and top them up, even if it's just £10 here and there, again it all adds up. Keep all your points like from Boots and Tesco, Morrisons Miles, all mass to quite a bit come November time.

And I have to admit that if I get a gift and I don't like it or won't use it, I make a note who it's from and give it to someone else

September I start buying main presents.

Cards bought and wrote in November, usually buy some new decs too. Start to buy dry food and drinks in November too.

23rd / 24th December I nip to the B&Q near me and get lights, decs and even xmas trees which are now super discounted - to use this year and for next year. 5 years ago I got the most amazing xmas tree on xmas eve for £25 reduced from £120 from B&Q.

I have to be quite strict with myself and organised as I don't have any credit cards, trying to get out of debt and don't have loads of disposable income. But I love Christmas, so I make sure I am organised and it usually works out well.

Happy Christmas!

I do the Xmas shopping early - ebay is quiet in summer, I got things ridiculously cheap. I did go overboard on the DCs though, so I will have a more definite budget next year, and also I will leave room for something they ask for (they haven't really done this yet, they are 4 and 2).

Food is ok as for our main Xmas meal - boxing day when my family is here (Xmas itself is more low key, just us 4) - my parents are so grateful for us putting on a delicious spread that they always take us shopping and pay for the food. FIL, who too far away to visit, also sent some tesco vouchers, with the instruction to spend it however we need, bless him :)

My nan always gives us money for Xmas/DH's and my winter birthdays, and by that time we already have got everything, so the money just helps the bank account recover a bit, and we retrospectively choose something we've wrapped for the DCs to be from her instead.

I don't have any credit cards or overdraft so all mine gets done with what's left of tax creds and wages.

I start early and try and get from sales as much as poss.

I also use tesco and boots points. The double tesco points have been a big help.

I also save £10 a month for a shopping trip away somewhere with my friends (birmingham this year, was fab)

I was thinking of using park for next year and getting highstreet vouchers.

No matter how well prepared I am I still panic I don't have enough and stress over getting through January.

Oh you should, mumatron - it's dead easy, i've been doing it about ten years now and never had any problems. Plus, all the money you pay in is protected, so should anything happen - Park go bust for example - you will get every single penny you've paid back.

I dont get all the people who spend beyond their means at Christmas! I buy presents with my November pay, setting a realistic budget with the money I have and do it like that, there is no expectation as friends dont get presents from me and nor do the adults in the family, we only buy for the children, as really Christmas is all about the children and its the thought that counts. The only adult I buy for and buys for me is DP and we dont normally spend over £80 on each other
Food and going out costs are budgetted and paid for out of December pay (we get paid earlier than normal in December)

We only do presents for children in our family and just a token for the adults.
Got dh a paperback, be surprised if I get much more than that. Don't mind at all it's a mutual agreement and we'd rather not get in to debt.

I use Park - I get Love2Shop, M&S and Amazon vouchers. It really is easy.

I sell on Ebay and keep all the money in my Paypal account to pick up bits with.

I start early in the year, normally after our summer holiday to make sure its not all in a big rush.

I largely wrap things the DCs needed anyway, like stationery and clothes, I only spend what I can afford.
Surely Christmas is about giving thoughtful gifts to loved ones to celebrate the birth of Jesus, not about spending ludicrous amounts of money buying things that will be discarded by January?
It's the thought that counts, not the amount of money you spend
I make a lot of presents, using home grown fruit & veg or my sewing machine.
At Christmas parties I drink slowly and usually make 2 or 3 drinks last all night.
I use Quidco to get cash back on my online shopping, and do online surveys through the year for vouchers I spend on presents.

I started buying in Jan!!! Got wrapping paper, crackers and cards all half price. Also bought little boots smelly and no 7 things, half price as stocking fillers for dd.

I always search for cheapest price for anything. If I see something I think they'd like and it's reasonably priced, I'll buy it and stash it under my bed .

I buy all year round
I make some money by selling any unwanted items on Ebay or FB - I start in early October.
I only spend what I can afford
I don't use credit cards
I use Quidco
I buy wrapping paper half price in January

I put money aside each month, starting in January into a savings account. I love it when it comes to early November and I've already got £500 saved for presents, cards, food, tree etc.

Like a lot of you, I buy stocking fillers as and when I see them during the year. i try and have all presents bought and paid for before the December payday, so the spare cash from that is used for the butchers and Sainsburys shop.

I start in January don't go mad buy for my 4 dc my mum and step dad and my grandad oneadvatage to a small family glad we did as we move 19th December so super skint now

Oh and Christmas day is easy pizza for 2 little ones and curry for me and older two boys

I buy most stocking fillers in the January/summer sales. I then only buy DC one present each with Oct/Nov/ December pay and have given up buying adults presents. Also December is a low child care fee month, so I have that moneny surplus.

We start buying in summer and try to have the bulk of the presents bought before December. I only have a few left to buy now

Save £5 (£130)per shop at Asda for my Christmas food and last minute gifts

Save £1(£60) per shop at Morrisons for Christmas food and they have nicer veg then Asda

Buy 3 for 2's whenever possible

Use Ebay and 2nd hand shops wherever possible.

Get a tree to last several years, a real one might look nice but is incredibly wasteful.

Get next years decs, cards, wrapping paper in the January sales

Don't feel you have to buy expensive or lots of gifts. remember it is the thought that counts and everyone is tightening their belts this year.

Thehumancatapult Good luck with the house move.

We don't go nuts. There's no other secret

DDs and family get what I realise are very modest gifts compared to other families. DD1's major present this year is actually a My Little Pony Ferris wheel I found on someone's front wall with a note saying free to good home.

We don't go insane with food or booze. I buy neutral silver wrapping paper in January that can do birthdays, Christmas, weddings, christenings, bar mitzvahs, whatever.

December doesn't cost us more than any other month.

Another one who saves and buys from January. I've calculated it into our monthly budget along with things like birthdays and car tax/maintenance.

Last year DH was made redundant so we were on an emergency budget where I didn't save for things like that but once he got work again, I continued saving. I think if we weren't able to do that each month I'd try to put aside the 2 months council tax we don't pay in Feb & March and use that.

How can people buy in Summer when you don't know what the DC want or will be into by December?