Christmas Budget Planner​

Top tipsChristmas budgeting tips

• Plan ahead and manage expectations

Ideally, you ought to make a list (and check it twice) long before you head out to the shops or click on the Shop Now button. If nothing else, you could save a packet on your parcels if you're doing a lot of your buying at the same site. The more you buy at the same time, the easier it is to hit that magic free delivery target. While you're planning, consider setting a maximum spend with your friends and loved ones. Agree a figure in advance and stick to it. It'll save you from overspending—and avoid any awkwardness around the Christmas tree at the same time.

• Lay off the plastic, unless…

The temptation to dump your whole Christmas on a credit card can be intense, but if you can avoid doing that you'll probably end up a lot better off. However, if you play the game well enough, there can be a plus side to whacking down the plastic once in a while. If you scout around for the best 0% interest deals on your cards, you can spread your Christmas shopping over a few months without racking up a load of plastic debt along the way. It takes a little legwork, but the pay-offs can be good. Just don't forget to clear your balance before the 0% deal expires and the interest starts piling up!

• Check out the cashback sites

If you do most of your Christmas shopping online, then there's an interesting little wrinkle in the online sales landscape to look out for. A cashback site is a web page that will basically toss a little money your way when you pass through them on you way to your seller. You sign yourself up for a free account (and definitely avoid any that ask you for money up-front), then search the site for a seller you want to buy from. When you click through and make your purchases, the cashback site drops some credit into your account. The amounts are generally pretty small, but you're not buying anything you wouldn't have bought anyway and the benefits will stack up over time.

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