how do you pay for christmas?

nancmat

I tend to do a thrift club throughout the year paying what i can and from that I'll get £500 next week, also doa budget & stick it, buy presents on offer & throughout the year, and I don't spoil my daughter. Order meat through butchers we buy a lot from him so get a nice discount, happy crimbo all! x

InsideInsurance

Same as most things, will put it on a reward credit card and pay it off next month.

Tried to be good an arrange things to spread the load this year but other things got in the way and so its lastminute.com again

Nikkynoo

I save a little bit each week. Then save up all my tesco points up throughout the year.

I also do a thing of the eve of every pay day. I empty my purse into a jar at home (one that needs to be smashed to get the coins out) and clear my account of whatever is in it. Be it a few pennys or pounds.

You will be amazed how much it adds up.
Oh and I have a box of bits Ive seen that are good prices. Toys, smellies etc means that when someones birthday creeps up or there a kids party I forgot about there something ready!

74jax

missindecisive wrote: »

What do others do / do you save all year...do you go into debt? :j

emweaver wrote: »

Ok so it is going to take her 4 months to pay it off how is that any worse than people who start in Jan and spend 12 months buying presents?

It depends on whether it's 0% or not, i don't think anything bad was meant in the reply, just this is a :money: site. Christmas does come at the same time every year, it's not as though...oooo hello there you are :rotfl:

I buy the majority in the January sales for everyone apart from DD and OH.

We do have a good family income, so no need for savings etc but i still love getting everyone's in January. The Boots 1 day sell-everything sale is fantastic, I love wrapping my £50/£60 delux gift sets knowing I paid around £6 for them :rotfl:

WantToBeSE

My thinking is: if i dont have the money in the bank to buy it, i obviously cant aford it.
I dont get in debt for Christmas (or anything at all), i save up about £500 from Jan-Sept and thats what i use for Christmas.
I never pay full price for anything, i always look for vouchers/money off/deals/using points.

Mrs-hoppy_2

74jax wrote: »

It depends on whether it's 0% or not, i don't think anything bad was meant in the reply, just this is a :money: site. Christmas does come at the same time every year, it's not as though...oooo hello there you are :rotfl:

I buy the majority in the January sales for everyone apart from DD and OH.

We do have a good family income, so no need for savings etc but i still love getting everyone's in January. The Boots 1 day sell-everything sale is fantastic, I love wrapping my £50/£60 delux gift sets knowing I paid around £6 for them :rotfl:

When do Boots do this? Might have to pay them a visit as that sounds great for stocking up

jtr2803

I seem to think there was an almost identical thread last year because I remember people talking about buying presents in the January sales. I couldn't do that because to me, that's buying someone a gift for the sake of buying a gift. How on earth could I know 11 months in advance what someone is going to want? If it was a gift set of someones favourite perfume then I get 'it' but just general gift sets.......sorry, nothing says more 'I didn't know what to get' than a boots gift set. Please do note that this is of course just MY opinion and I know plenty of people who do just that, including my MiL!!

:rotfl:

I don't really buy presents anymore unless it's something specific. My mum had this awful habit of buying us all a 'joke' present, something that inevitably got binned in the new year until I told her we would rather she treated herself to something!

valk_scot

I get my Family Allowance paid into a seperate bank account from our usual joint one and use it for things like school uniform, shoes, sports equipment and Christmas. Keeping it seperate means I sort of forget about it most of the time and with two kids worth of FA it piles up fairly quickly. So I've normally got the money already aside for the extra Christmas expenses plus a bit left over for the January sales.

I'm another one that takes advantage of the post Christmas reductions on things like wrapping paper, cards and little Christmassy themed knick-nacks. I'm still using up the crackers I bought a few years ago when Sainsburys reduced their entire cracker selection to 10p a box. I buy all the daft wee things for Christmas stockings cheaply and a few things from Boots but I don't try to pre-empt the entire present list for the next Christmas, that's just unworkable.

Mrs_Ryan

I've been fortunate this year - my Mum gave me a credit voucher for M&S which I used to buy my SIL's present, I got some Boots vouchers for doing a survey which I used to buy my brother's gift, and I got a £40 M&S voucher when I switched my broadband and phone to Orange earlier in the year which I used to buy a present for my Mum, one for my Dad, one each for sis and BIL and a couple for my best mate.
I got a 1200 quid pay arrears rebate from work in my last pay so I bought some stuff with that as well

hamish222

I have used a lot of vouchers this year that I got free my doing surveys etc and got £75 marks vouchers for recommending aunt to sky. Had nearly £400. Also had around £250 worth of amazon vouchers (although used most of the amazon vouchers to treat myself).
Bought few presents in frasers 70% off sale and have boots staff card so got alot of items 3 for 2 and double discount and then had boots points that I could use.
Also hunt and make sure get best price items. Made good use of codes stacking etc to get best deals.
I dont have a lot of people to buy for but I do spend a fair amount on people especially my great nephew and my mum and mil. I dont feel guilty about the amount I spend some people may see it as excessive but I like buying them gifts. Also my mil spends a huge amount on us at xmas probably around £500-£600 sometimes more (she can afford it no debt or anything). I also spend a lot on my DH, less this year as no big gadget out that wants but bought him a lot of console games and blu rays as well as aftershave and other bits but really if wasnt buying them for xmas would buy anyway.
For next year I am planning to keep up surveys etc and use vouchers for xmas and also have a savings tin which counted and has £120 in so going to keep adding to that with change for all of next year and will cash in November next year and that will be xmas present money also. I am finished all shopping and all wrapped and ready for xmas. No debt (although I have in past) and no struggling.
I am not religious at all so I celebrate christmas in the truly commercial sense. I love buying gifts but would hate to think anyone was struggling to buy me one. Have told my mum to tell my sister no need for presents for me and dh as she doesnt have a lot of money and to spend it on herself.
Hope everyone has a lovely christmas no matter how you spend it.