What would you do earlier for Christmas next year?

[jessyjo2]

Every year all my spending for Christmas is in November and I always decide never to let it happen again the following year.
So Im building a list of things I could buy earier in the year to prevent so much expense in November.
Im calling this my September list!
I intend to:

• put away cash
• buy make up that will do 4 months
• stock up on cleaning products etc that don't date
• look out for stocking fillers
• pay into Asda savings scheme (earlier in year)
• buy drink
• buy wrapping paper, crackers etc after this Christmas in sales

Has anyone else any ideas of what we can do earlier to spread the cost?

Wouldn’t it be easier to just save the money? With a several of the things you mention I would worry about them getting ruined while storing them or needs changing. (Regarding make-up, for example, a spray on sun cream recently exploded in my bathroom drawer, ruining everything.)

Save money. On another thread posters were saying they start saving in January for Christmas. I'm going to do this next year. Even if it's only £20 a month it's a huge help towards presents. We don't spend much extra on food as we are veggie and don't buy the fancy ready prepared things. We don't drink either except for my annual bottle of knock off Baileys from Asda at £4.50 a bottle. I usually start buying presents early but end up skint so I like the idea of a Christmas fund to dip into when I see bargains.

I've got one DS who is nearly 3. When on mat leave I knew Christmas time was when I'd go down to not being paid so I started buying presents in July... I was done by october. I have done similar last year and this year, of course you do run the risk of them going off the thing you buy them 5 months before so I think maybe next year I'll just put money aside from July.

I also save all my club card vouchers, I've got about £28 worth and will put it towards bits and pieces.

I save money every month for things that happen less often eg holidays and Christmas

I'm one of those who starts saving in January and I'm very strict about it.I have learned that I need to do this after many despairing Decembers and broke Januarys.

I think for me its a mental thing, I hate to see more money coming out of my account on one month than another, therefore wanting to actually buy things early rather than saving all the money for it to come out of the account in 1 month.

Saving every month, I say it every year but determined to do it next year. Think taking cash out for me as much harder to spend as most shops it’s quicker use card at self checkout or buy online so spending hard cash will require an effort!

I have a separate birthday and Christmas account so money is always there.

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At work we run a penny a day savings club which starts on 1st December. So each day the savings amount increases by 1p but by the end of November we have over £600 saved for Christmas. Some people just empty the change from their purses and others pay monthly but it works very well.

Definitely buy things in the sales. There's loads of stuff that I never pay full price for because I always pick it up when it's being sold off - wrapping paper, mincemeat, cranberry sauce etc. Even stuffing is bought for pennies after Christmas and frozen until next year.

Things like drink, cleaning products the same, buy when you see an offer, not when you need the item. I'd work on freeing up enough of a float to allow you to do that and after you've been doing it a while it all takes care of itself. One week you buy washing powder, the next toilet rolls, then shampoo etc. Saves a huge amount of money over time.

What you could do if you want to avoid ebbs and flows in the money coming out of your main account is to separate your bills account from your spending account. Keep one account for bills, then set up a standing order to a separate account for day to day spending like food and fuel/travel, plus the cost of Christmas etc. Or you could separate them down further, it's up to you.

@sandgrown

At work we run a penny a day savings club which starts on 1st December. So each day the savings amount increases by 1p but by the end of November we have over £600 saved for Christmas. Some people just empty the change from their purses and others pay monthly but it works very well.

I've never understood the point of that. By the end of October, you've only saved about half of the money, and the rest has to come in November.

Wouldn't it be just easier to save £50 a month each month from January to November?

I would work out what you’ve spent (I have spreadsheets going back a decade now!) and set a budget for next year and start saving now. Look for where you can make savings.

My council tax is paid over ten months, so I withdraw it from my account and put most in a Monzo pot for presents. I also bulk buy washing liquid, Fairy, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothpaste, and loo roll then, and keep in a drawer under the bed in the spare room. Loo roll goes in the bottom of the wardrobe. Helps keep my outgoings even-ish from month to month.

For years I’ve spread the cost by buying year round, and it worked well when the dc were small, predictable and suggestible.

But these days it’s easier to save year round because I need to leave the dc gifts later, and also there’s a concentration of bargains around Black Friday.

Jan- wrapping, crackers, cards, pudding (genuinely nicer for sitting around for a year), generic gifts like pretty notebooks or novelty socks. Christmas jumpers in bigger sizes.

Mar - often a good sales month for winter stock.

Sept- another good sales month, though mostly summer stock. . Best time for stationery.

Oct - prices inflate pre nov sales. Stock up on non perishable groceries, household supplies. Christmas pjs and jumpers. Gingerbread kits.

Nov- bulk of Christmas gift shopping.

Dec- food shopping.

Only buy drink and treats if you have willpower or you’ll buy it twice.

I set a budget, broken down by category, and keep it on my phone. Everything I buy goes on the list so I can keep track across the year.

Agree, I think saving a small amount each month is the way to go, to be spent only for Christmas. We have a monthly £50 Christmas savings pot set up via standing order (which covers events, most gifts, food etc). It means we can even out our spending and ensures that January is not such a stretched month!

Also check around September/October to perform a "Christmas audit" and check what you have from last year, and what you may need to buy eg wrapping paper and ribbon, Christmas cards, replacing any broken or damaged decorations etc if needed, crockery if hosting.

My other tip is to grab a dedicated notebook or spreadsheet, and write down a) what worked and did work post-Christmas. For example, what food you all enjoy or not, and therefore can do without next year? Also b) slightly geeky but I have a list of all my key Christmas decorations and seasonal decor (eg artificial wreaths, table linen etc) so I don't "buy twice" or get tempted to buy extra stuff I do not need.

The biggest factor I think is ensuring you and your family (inc children) manage expectations for Christmas, in terms of scale and value of gifts. We tend to have smaller, but still lovely, gifts for Christmas and prioritise any "big spend" presents for birthdays. This means there is less pressure on everyone, and we don't succumb to mad consumerism.

Also, most stocking fillers and gifts can be bought and put away during the year.

This can spread the cost of buying, but do make sure you make a note of what you have bought, the intended recipient and (most importantly!) where you have securely squirrelled them away so you don't forget!

I say it every year and never seem to do it.
I really dislike Christmas because of the financial strain, and it'd be nice to actually enjoy Christmas without that stress.
I'm lacking space to buy anything in advance but I must put some money aside monthly next year.
I forget how shit it is otherwise.

I save £50 to £80 every month except for December and January and that works really well. I use the money to pay for presents, decorations, panto tickets etc. I find this system makes Christmas 100% financially stress free.