Are you going to have a debt-free Christmas?

saintly_2

this is the 1st year that i have ever had a partner over the christmas period so there are a lot more presents to buy but so far goin ok, no money on my credit cards to buy anything anyway.

Brassic

The only thing going on credit card will be the kids bikes. BUT, we're buying them in the sales after Christmas, and they'll be paid off the month after they go on it

bommer

Everything is going on the credit card at the moment and then putting the cash in an envelope ready for when the bill comes in! Saving my points for next year. I have saved some throughout the year (not as much as last year due to paying off debt) but am trying to get the rest by reducing my food/petrol expenditure over the next couple of weeks and getting deals on my purchases (e.g £10 argos) spending boots points and using their 3for2 deal, nectar points (still waiting for my adams vouchers) and tesco voucher.
Decided I am not buying any extra goodies as the temptation is always there to eat them before xmas and I get sick of the stuff and it does the diet no good anyway. We always get stuff bought us anyway and there is always the kids selection boxes to help with.
Having xmas day at in-laws so only a bottle of wine to contribute, am thinking of leaving buying a turkey until xmas eve as last year they were half price.

EagerLearner

This year is generally debt-free - we are off to Thailand next week for Xmas & new year and agreed that no-one would get us xmas pressies and we wouldn't get any for others re family & friends. We are giving our nieces cash but that's all. Because I made my Thailand spending money on the Money From Nothing Challenge (see sig) I am so chuffed - yes, did have to pay for thailand tickets, but this has come out of our savings...

Therefore, Christmas will *cost us* nothing this year, all thanks to MSE!

PLUS I have £40 in vouchers coming to me from Pigsback soon, which I plan to use during next year at Boots, reducing my beauty budget quite a bit, plus any further vouchers I get from Pigsback I plan to save in a voucher box for Xmas 2007. I also have around £100 still to come over Dec/Jan/Feb from Quidco which will go towards 2007 birthday pressies and xmas.

We have £45 saved in Nectar points to use towards *free* shopping if we need to in Jan/Feb as I was made redundant 2 weeks ago.

All in all, I am very thankful for MSE as this will be a hard time, and luckily having been careful, I shouldn't need to tighten the belt as much as I would have needed to!

EagerLearner

saintly wrote:

this is the 1st year that i have ever had a partner over the christmas period so there are a lot more presents to buy but so far goin ok, no money on my credit cards to buy anything anyway.

Still, you'll be warm & cuddled, rather than all alone with the debt!

Try e-bay for lower priced xmas gifts - I just saved £15 buying some Origins bits and pieces, compared to store prices x

pandaonmyshoulder

Eager Learner you might want to take your wellies to Thailand, just had an e-mail from my brother in Koh Samui and it's raining and it's forcaster heavy rain/storm for the next week or two.:sad:

ricksExpensive

Ive saved up bits of wages from past couple of months so i dont have to use the CC for the first xmas in some time!

Got final payday this month with a bonus of £200 which will certianly come in handy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

melou

Like many others on here, I won't be debt-free (that will be next year thanks to the DFW board) but thanks to this site Christmas will be paid for without using credit - at all - nada. I am so proud.

The reason I have been able to do this is because I found MSE and I was taught by everyone on here to value my money and not just fritter it away (actually - there is still some frittering going on but I'm working on it!). I have also become obsessive about spreadsheets and finding the best deal, using vouchers and discount codes. So much so that when the OH was tasked to find 2 presents and just picked them up in the first store he went to (rather then shopping around or price comparing on line) I got very upset at the wasted money. Hmmmm.

As of today with just the OH's birthday and christmas present to buy we are completely sorted for Christmas and the spreadsheet says:

I have spent £160.44, if I had bought the presents at their RRP (and last year I would have done!) it would have cost £364.34. Giving a whopping saving of £203.90. I also went through Quidco where I could and made £4.83, every little helps. :T

Hurrah. Merry Christmas!

Melou

N9eav

I saved £50 a month since Jan. So no debt for me... It's worth thinking about in Jan 2007....

Alfietinker

Hey oops a daisy! Good luck with the camper budget! (fellow dubber here too and bought our first camper earlier in the year to give the bug a friend to talk to. )

Well I don't have any credit cards left I can spend on, only £280 on a life of balance card which will be paid off at the end of the month when I get paid (only taken me 6 years :eek: ) I am sooooo determined not to go overdrawn this month for the first time in ages. I've got £42 left to buy remaining 4 presents so I'm thinking of items I can make instead. I'm pretty sure I can do it. We're scoffing ourselves at family's houses so we don't need to buy much extra food and I'm making all my own anyway.

My major problem is our boss is taking us to Barcelona for the day next week and I really don't want blow out, which will be very hard with (a) a huge Christmas market and (b) work colleagues who have loads a dosh. :rolleyes:

As from January I can start making savings, safe in the knowlege I won't have a penny of debt (except the mortgage).