What preparations are you making for next Christmas?

[yellowflowers]

I am going to save all my tesco clubcard points this year for next christmas - the deals were great and used them to buy best friend a mag subscription and to get lots of toys for friend's kids (and for dd).

But all other tips welcome... except I don;t have room at home to store too much bought in advance.

I've already decided that i'm buying for no-one except our DM's and our DS, and each other, it's farrr to expensive, and there are a lot of nov/dec birthdays too, so just going to do birthdays from now on.

Also planning on saving tesco vouchers, and put some pennies away each week!

i've already put the sprouts on

southeastastra, that's the earliest I've ever seen anybody put their sprouts on! We thought we were doing well getting them on in October........

I bought some crackers half price to put away...and then found the ones that I must have bought last year and had forgotten all about

I don't shop at Tesco but I buy my petrol there and put my bottles in recycling for the extra points.
It adds up.

I started buying my stocking gifts in October last year and when I came to wrap them (yes I wrap them with loads of Sellotape to make the process last longer for DCs) I was amazed at what I'd amassed. And most important, I hadn't spent loads.

I will buy things when I see them especially in Home Sense (like TKMaxx), they are never there 2 days later.

I will buy charity cards in the sales, and look for some lidded boxes to store the decorations in up in the loft (ones that I can man handle single handed through the hatch and up and down the ladder without everything falling out!) Ikea cardboard boxes are falling apart and useless now.

I ran out of wrapping paper so a few more rolls in the sale but they seemed to have sold out already! There seems to be less xmas decs stock this year and therefore less sale stock or am I imagining things or simply left it too late?

I wanted some new christmas tree lights but can't find any in the sales.

Have bought cheapo sale wrapping paper for the kids stuff next year (asda 25p per roll)

Got a bag full of lush goodies for relatives which will be xmas gifts from the dc.

Every year I get an asda gift card and top it up every time I go in. Had nearly £500 last year. Only managed £150 this year on the xmas savers card. May try a tesco one this year.

I'm going to top up my clubcard points with cash so I have more spending money for food, make some Christmas cards soon - I always plan to do this and leave it too late. I'm also going to buy some presents one at a time starting this month so the official present fund goes a bit further. I keep a written record each year of what works and what doesn't containing tips about how much to buy of food and drink and severe reminders to my self not to do painting and decorating at home after 1 November.

I too save my tesco points, I had £140 and exchanged them for£280 in toys this year. I bought the kids all of the tat they had put on their lists and as I wasn't paying for it it felt good! I also save those park vouchers, £150 m&s, £350 high st vouchers £100 amazon and £100 John Lewis as a treat for myself. I did the same this Christmas gone and it was such a financial relief. Have loved this Christmas but back to the grind tomorrow. Boohoo :(

you are not imaging it. Rather than selling it they are keeping hold of it to sell extra early next year.

I will be keeping the presents spread out theme next year, it worked really really well

so far with getting ready for Christmas 2012 i have already started shopping, i got my 1st present for this Christmas for DS1 around Oct 11, its his main present, a Scooby Doo bike.

Ive also started to save money in a tin again for any bits & bobs i need to get nearer the time, will also use some of that money in the January sales for cards/wrap etc.

Will write my card earlier this year, (didn't even send any last year as to busy having a newborn) so will write them around sept time.

Only buy for my family, and not the in-laws when they cant even be bothered to see my 2 DS's over christmas.

Will be having a real tree for the 1st time this year so will start buying the decorations over the next month or to so it looks PERFECT!

I've bought some big plastic boxes with lids and have packed the decorations in them. They were easy to get up into the loft, so will be easy to get down again in December without everything falling out!

Bought some crackers and cards in the sales. Have stored away my Christmas master shopping list and menus for next time, I tick off the items as I get them to avoid buying too much, especially when buying non perishables in advance. I plan the menus from Christmas eve to New Years day which helps my post menopausal brain cope!

I'm doing parc with MIL who runs it for £10 a week, DP is doing a xmas club with my mum for the same so we'll have equal cash & vouchers, i'm debating if to start a post office card club as well as they have different vouchers, mostly as it's DP's birthday 2 weeks before xmas so there's that expense, plus we're going to try & do a 600 mile round trip to see family so need the extra petrol money & finally the car tax is due end of dec, so I figure the cash part can go on the car/petrol & the rest on presents.

I did mean to start doing £2 a week with a super market but so far not started.

roost - who do you do the amazon vouchers with is it amazon directly?

I can't even bear to think about it, let alone plan anything.