Christmas saving

[ilovemydog123]

Last Christmas I decided to save each month to prepare myself and get head start I found it so much easier
Anyone else done the same

Yes, I've done this for years. I budget using YNAB and have a Christmas category, I budget a certain amount into it each month and then when Christmas rolls around the money is there already.

Yes I do this monthly, it helps me because my eldest has a December birthday as well so it means I'm not stretched for cash when the time comes.

I'm doing the jar challenge this year

Yes I use my starling jars, I have Christmas, birthdays, clothes, car Etc set up. I've been doing that for 15ish years. It really helps as the money is available when you need it.

I have "pots" for everything - Christmas, holiday, MOT, work fees, home improvements. So much easier to budget when you're saving/spending the same each month.

Yes have done it since we had our first baby years ago, used to save £50 a month back then. It's more than that now but I just see it as a monthly bill and it means I've got the cash ready for when I want to start shopping and don't need to adjust spending over that period to accommodate for it.

Yes we do 200 pcm out of our wages.
This seens a lot but with 4 dc, large family it goes quick but this also covers food drink wrap any extra decorations everything.

Yes. I used YNAB I started it about 4 years ago and it changed my life.

I am also saving for kids back to school in September as it will probably cost me about 1500K in uniforms and books.

@seething1234 £1500

Yes I do the 1p challenge but out of order so I might do £3.65 or thereabouts for a few days and the 25p or whatever so I'm not constantly finding £3+ a day most days towards the end

I know I live in Ireland 2 primary school kids and a kid going into secondary school.

Our books can be very expensive even with rental schemes, school contributions, pe gear, crested uniform for secondary school, the school bus is usually 350euro per year but thankfully its subsidised this year by government. I'm budgeting 1,500 and hopefully I'll have school tours included in that.

I just realized in my original I put k insted of euro sign 1,500€ . Which I guess is an average figure

You spend £2.5k on Christmas?! Do you also manage to save lots of other money?

Another option is to tone down the expectations of expensive Christmas gifts and other spending. Family time together does not have to cost much!

Yes I save ahead for Christmas, it's so nice to get to that time of year and have a pot of money all ready to go.

Yup, we save all year round for everything

Yes, I put away £350 per month for birthdays and Christmas expenses.

I haven't put money away for Xmas yet but I will start picking up little stocking fillers for adult DC from September onwards. Adult DC get cash and a stocking. Dgc get cash given to my dd who picks up gifts for them from me. I'm saving for summer holidays, ATM.

Yes I always save , even a little a month makes a difference

I use a credit union Christmas savings thing, it locks it away until November each year.

Yes, I have pots (accounts) for Christmas & Birthdays, car replacement, home improvement and holidays on the go all year round. I also have a rainy day fund and this is the only one I would dip into occasionally if I needed some additional funds one month. The other pots are sacrosanct - once the money's gone in then in my mind it's already spent.

I’ve put money aside for Christmas since about 1993 I used to put it in a no.2 account but now I use the credit union with work, £100 pcm.

I put £50 a month I to the credit union through payroll, and also use my Monzo round up into a Christmas pot, it adds up nicely.

I save and buy presents throughout the year. Bought some posh kitchen bits for DDs in the January sale.