Share with Barclays how you get through the festive season on or in budget and you could win £200 to help...NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at Barclays say "when it comes to getting honest reviews, we know who to come to. That's why we asked Mumsnetters how they find the Barclays Mobile Banking app. One thing that lots of people mentioned was how easy it is to keep an eye on what's going in and most importantly coming out of their account".

Take a look at one Mumsnetter's story here:

At this time of year, we all know it's more important than ever to know what you're spending. Even if you stretch your typical monthly budget, keeping an eye on how much is going where can help you make January a bit less of a shock when you get there.

With that in mind, and for your chance to win £200 John Lewis vouchers, Barclays would love to hear how you get through this time of year with as little stress as possible on your wallet. Last-minute pressies? Forgotten fancy dress emergencies? House-guests staying a little longer than planned? What are your foolproof ways of making it through the festive season without any nasty shocks to your bank balance in the New Year?

Add your comment(s) below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £200 John Lewis voucher. Prize draw 12 December at 12noon.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

NB: For Barclays Mobile Banking Terms, conditions & restrictions apply.You must have a Barclays current account and be aged 16 or over to use Barclays Mobile Banking

I think it's actually very simple:
Plan ahead. Write lists for shopping, presents and Christmas cards
Set a budget and stick to it.
Have target dates to get things done by

That's it.
My one big don't is... Don't start too early. I find I buy things then see something better and think I could afford just this little bit extra, so I spend more if I start too early

Always try to budget for Christmas, so for me I always think at my September payday that I have four paydays to save for Christmas. If things go a little wrong then I also have January, but this is good to hit the sales and put away cards, paper, decorations and gift sets that are reduced for the next year.

Also don't overlook budget supermarkets for luxury products. Lidl pannetone and marzipan stollen are divine!

Swap babysitting with friends rather than fork out for sitters.

don't get sucked in by marketing hype. its about people not products.

we buy for the kids n that is it unless we see something perfect for someone

fab food at aldi

use hotukdeals topcashback and martins money saving tips for bargains

check out the bargain threads on mn

presents bought in advance throughout the year (but remember where you hide them to avoid panic at the last minute!). also when I have had little wins of toys and books I have put them aside for xmas pressies for my kids.

for grown-up presents agree a small budget eg £10 to buy something for yourself instead of each other - avoids money being wasted on unwanted toot and you get to choose your own present.

Or agree no presents for grown-ups - just for the kids.

I tend to use a lot of my loyalty card points, especially Boots and sometimes from the Debenhams beauty card, to buy Christmas presents. Also try to get some cash back on quidco and keep an eye out for deals.

Plan ahead and be prepared. Make a budget plus a contingency for unforseen expenses and stick to it. Compare prices, use loyalty cards, bag those early bargains.

Always have posh sausages in the freezer.

Never ever no not never buy anything for Christmas without a) visiting Reastie's threads, b) scouring for an extra % code off c) use an app like camelcamel to alert you to lowest prices d) wait until this week for some stuff (wrapping paper if you didn't get it in the sales) as shops will start wanting to move bulky stuff out of the way and will reduce it. d) jump between Quidco and TCB to see who offers the best deal.

basically, do as much online as possible as it will always be cheaper.

I always concentrate on the children, as others have said, and start present buying about August. I keep a wanky spreadsheet, and thus far have saved on RRP about £300. Adults get a thoughtful little something. (But I do not sit making vats of chutney as a) I am not Nigella and b) I would not want a jar of chutney myself no matter how priddy the ribbon round it thank you veh much)

We all desperately need clothes basics, which I will stock up on in the sales, I never look at clothes in the run up to Christmas. Come 26th though and I will be there in M and S with my trolley full of pants.

If poss cook and freeze ahead so you are bulk cooking which will be cheaper.

the organisation for me starts in the November before Xmas as that is when I start paying into a Xmas club for the following year. Then in January any £2 coins I get go into a different purse to be put towards my December grocery bill. In September I defrost the freezers and try to use any items so that there is more space for me to buy Xmas treats or make them and freeze. I make mince pies, cheese straws, mackerel pate, smoked salmon pate and cookies. Hopefully when I get more time I can start to make my own foodie gifts, I just don't have the time at present. From the end of September onwards I start to buy bits and bobs towards the Xmas food shop and they get put in the cupboard in the lounge. My daughter is under strict instructions not to touch these items
No clothing is bought in the month December unless it is discounted until the sales start. Although Gap and Next both have a policy where if you have bought something and it has been reduced upto two weeks later then they refund you the discount.

I get all my cards, wrapping paper and tags in the January sales.

I put money away from September onwards.
I also write a budget and try to stick to it - for presents and for food/drinks.

We have told the children not to expect too much and that their wish lists are crazy. Never, ever give your children a Smyths/Argos catalogue!

It's the next few weeks that's the test. I have to tell myself not to overspend and get overdrawn. It's too easy to say 'We all deserve more treats, it's Christmas'.

Going away to family for Christmas helps. We have got stuck with a routine of my parents one year and in laws the next. Both are solvent baby boomers who would be horrified at offers of help with food costs etc as they have much more money than any of us children.

We only buy small presents for adult family and only expect small presents back.

Buy stuff throughout the year when you see a good bargain.

When you've bought everyone's presents, wrap them and put the into a fancy gift bag for each person, taping the top up. This way, you can't be tempted to get 'just one more thing' for anyone or you'll have to damage the bag to get it in there. I have to do this for my niece, or I end up buying every bit of sparkly crap I see

Mostly, just not going mad tbh. We don't have much family to buy for, don't do presents with friends, and no urge to stuff ourselves for a month.

I save Nectar points for the splurge shop (we all choose our fave treats), and save any vouchers we've won through the year to treat dh and me

The main thing that has saved us a fortune is agreeing with the adults that we won't be doing presents for adults. We used to spend a fortune just for the sake of it, and it would just be an exchange of the same old rubbish. Chocolates I don't need, perfume I don't wear, a jumper I would rather choose myself.
For children, we buy throughout the year, especially in the sales, when bargains are on. Buy wrapping paper in January.

I save a good percentage by just shopping around on the internet for the best prices. It takes time but it's worth it!

This isn't technically my tip as I read about it a few years ago (on here I'm sure) and have used it for the kids santa list:

Something you want
Something you need
Something to wear
Something to read

This way they know they aren't getting loads and anything else is a bonus.

Saves the massive stress of how to afford all they've asked for.

early planning to decide what people are getting and then stick to your list!!

make sure that every person gets one present they want and don't "guilt buy" the latest faddy toy. use cheap stocking fillers to make it look like there are lots of presents.

Arrange to meet people after Christmas and buy everything in the sales, along with wrapping paper, cards and crackers for next year.

Spend the money saved on wine!

Buy as much as possible in advance in sales and special offers. Use up advantage card and tesco points. Buy a nice dress in the SUmmer sales and get children sorted with an outfit hen Sainsbury's do the 25% off.
Christmas dinner courses are split betweem family members so my Mum does the soup and wine, I do main meal, Sister does pudding and crackers. We have chicken as no one likes turkey very much and that works out cheaper. We batch cook beforehand so as less temptation to spend lots on fancy foods over the holidays. Use up leftovers wisely and avoid the Boxing Day Sales unless there is something we really need.

I always have two batch cooked meals in the freezer and oodles of cake making ingredients so can rustle up a decent meal and cake quite easily in the event of unexpected visitors.
I start buying presents in the January sales, and I often buy Christmas cards, crackers and gift wrap when they are cheap. I've always got a present box on the go so never tend to be caught short in the event of an extra gift being needed.

I put £20 a week away starting in January. This allows me to buy gifts throughout the year, during sales and special offers.

I try to be realistic and don't get sucked into the whole commercialism of it all. I also don't compare what my kids are getting to what other people's kids are getting - I've seen many people buying more just to out-do their neighbour/cousin/whatever.
That goes for food too - I don't buy loads of extra food for christmas - it's just a day like every other. I will change my meals for that week so our roast in on Christmas day rather than the sunday (unless it's already on a sunday). The kids still have fun without needing lots spent.
I also use a cashback credit card all year and the cashback gets automatically taken off December's bill - so any extra spending isn't really noticed!

This year I have done a lot of Internet research on offers etc and added all the links with prices to the list. So I have a Christmas list comparison site of my own.

I use a spreadsheet or an app (No More Socks is great) and make a full list of who I am buying for and a budget column.

Total it up and retrim budget if necessary.

Write the gift ideas in the next column. I find it really easy to loose track of the plan when out shopping in the chaos, so it definitely helps to have it written down. It's also a fun challenge to try and beat the budget where you can!

I have been using click and collect where possible, so that I pick up my gifts without a delivery charge, and it means that I can check the items in the store, for quality, breakages etc and return them immediately if not satisfied without organising or paying for returns. The money is credited back to my account immediately, which saves further admin and hassle and means the cash is available to spend.