Saving for Christmas 2016

[longdiling]

How do you do it? We've tried just putting it in a savings account before now but it always ends up being taken back out for emergencies or whatever. Are schemes such as Park any good?

The tin idea got it from here.

£10 a month and £3 per week already started for this year.

Added to it from selling stuff throughout the year, birthday money etc.

Also brilliant because I had cash to draw on to book a few things, and buy a few things, then got another tin.

I have a few tins going now op, birthdays, christmas, holidays as well as a savings one, so we wont need to draw on it but its also nice to know its there just in case!

I do a salary sacrifice from my paycheque to the credit union at work as savings.

I buy the savings stamps in the supermarket (€2 stamps, they give you a final stamp free so you pay in €98 and get €100) and use a couple of those for a big stores and goodies shop in early-mid December.

And I try to buy things as I see them all year round as well. I keep track using a spreadsheet, which has a budget and also what I've bought and spent sections. Usually these are bought at lower prices than Christmas-time, but not always, sometimes they are just perfect for the person and within budget. I don't feel I have to spend more to bring up to the budget once I've got something that suits the person receiving.

I buy vouchers through the year for shops I know I'll use.

I have a Christmas purse. I buy vouchers every week depending on how much money I have. I include

Morrisons stamps
M&S
Next
Wilkinsons
Love to shop
I'm sure there is more!

I put them in my purse as I get them and only get it out when i start Christmas shopping. I also try to put some cash in but there is always the chance I'll need it!!

I save all my PayPal money for Christmas too!

We have a standing order to a building society with a book account. It's a maximum of one withdrawal a year or you lose the interest.
Also save PayPal/points/quidco etc

I shop in Sainsburys and collect their points (now only worth half what they used to be greedy grocers aren't making enough out of us) and pay with a Tesco credit card - if you pay it off at the end of each month you gain Tesco and Sainsburys points. You can use this with other cards/supermarkets.