Any tips for not using a credit card at xmas?

thekidsmum

Hi i too put money away every week into a separate bank account this means i have a good amount of money for xmas or an emergency funds
should i need it

HopeElizzy

I think if I put the money into an account it's got to be something that I can't get at very easily.:o Too many emergencies in our house..........the freezer stopped working yesterday and the shower today!
Luckily there wasn't too much in the freezer though I had started making mince pies and stashing them uncooked so I don't have to make them continually throughout December! We now have 4 dozen cooked mincepies sitting in boxes in the kitchen:rolleyes: guess I'm just going to have to eat them!

neveranymoney

For years I saved with country hampers, it was great when they arrived, I could sort Christmas out and have enough left for some treats for ourselves. after Farepak, that idea has been knocked on the head and I don't know what we'll do, I was going to save with asda, they've brought out a savings card thingy that you can top up, I was also going to use a savings account and give the card to my mil!

Contains_Mild_Peril

From what I can gather, hampers were always quite poor value for money anyway (even when they didn't go bust and leave customers with nothing). You'd be much better off saving supermarket stamps, Clubcard vouchers etc, then you get to choose exactly the things you want, including short-term special offers, for your own customised hamper when the time comes.
It's also worth buying stocking fillers, wrapping paper etc in the January sales if possible, even if you want to leave the main pressies until nearer the time so the kids won't change their minds after you've bought them. You can often buy Christmassy things for about a quarter of their original price, sometimes even less!

neveranymoney

It was the high street vouchers I bought from the hamper company, which you got pound for pound, if you know what I mean! You were tied to certain shops, but the vast majority of the big stores accepted them, such as Argos, woolies, BHS etc which was perfect for kids toys and the like. I always bought around £150 worth of M&S vouchers too, which did my mil, my mum and other adults, as I'm way too 'tight' to spend hard cash in there! I was an agent for them too and loads of people bought Debenhams vouchers or giftcards off me, which again was pound for pound, plus I got around £200 commission, which was VERY handy! I suppose I could go down to the local marksy's and buy vouchers every so often, but I really could'nt be bothered!!

RHYSDAD

HopeElizzy wrote:

I always seem to end up using the card and then we have to wait till OH gets a little bit of overtime, which is very erratic and not to be relyed on, to pay it off.
I feel very frustrated and cross with myself and determined not to do it again!! Any words of wisdom?:beer:

Well although a CC is a handy tool if you're disciplined, it sounds to me like the best thing you could do is get a large pair of scissors, cut the card in half, throw it in the bin, pay off what you owe and then SAVE for what you want. Takes a bit more effort but with no interest to pay and OH's overtime coming in, there'll be a bit more cash all round.
We just work out what we spend on Christmas, £250-£275 and divide it by 12 and save that each month starting in January. Easy!!!
Merry Christmas!!!:santa2: