Have you started saving for Christmas yet?

ilovelondontown

I know, I know it's 30 degrees outside and we've had the best summer weather in 10 years, but since I've become a MSE wannabee, I think about these things ya know?

Usually I get hit with the Christmas reality about 25 November and I find myself wincing at another year when I'm push to the limit financially and with my sanity.

We all have different ideas of what it should cost, I'm fairly minimal- we do secret santa's for adults in my family and get the children something that cost a reasonable amount- Usually something I've found in a sale. For anyone else I ask that we don't exchange gifts and most of the time this is met with a sigh of relief from both parties.

I challenge anyone to remember what great aunt mabel / Gene in finance / the girl next door but one got them 1 year + ago?

I appreciate some want to have a knock out christmas and some just want it to be over asap but nobody can deny that a little forward planning will help go along way to making it less stressful!

So, I've decided to start a Christmas saving fund - £30 a month from both me and hubby. It'll go into a spare account and by December I'll have the nice tidy sum of £300.

Anyone else got their xmas plan together yet?

vroombroom

I haven't started saving but I have started buying :money:

Bought our son a mobigo handheld things from ELC -reduced to £29.99 from £59.99 with 20% off from their big birthday club
Bought a 'my first scooter' from Argos with some vouchers we had left over, so we only paid £7 for it
Bought OH some Calvin Klein boxers - £19 for 3 from Debenhams x

I will start saving though, will have secret santa at work to do and works' night out - new dress :-P x

paulineb_2

No, I only have my mum and brother to buy for and I dont have a lot of spare cash, so I tend to buy their presents early December, even when I had more money, never really bothered buying Christmas presents in the summer, I do a lot of it online so leaving it till later isnt a big deal.

teabag29

I save with park throughout the year (£540 love to shop vouchers so far) and also save my tesco points to spend in December aswell as put £5 each week on my tesco xmas savers (that pays for the big xmas food shop). I usually buy my perfume gidt sets when boots have a xmas points event and the points in get usually buy another few presents too

Gra76

I only worry about Christmas when we get to the 1st of December, once that happens we get all the Christmas DVD's out for the kids and start making subtle enquiries as to what they want from Santa. Then we spend ages getting the best online prices and we have it all delivered to my work office so they won't find out.

Until then I don't worry about Christmas... :cool:

Own_My_Own

I have bought most of my presents. I get some in the sale then just buy as I see things.
I save £5 a week in cash and £2 a week in Morrisons stamps.
This gives me enough money to get everything else I need, and what is left is spent in the Jan sales for next year.

Faith177

Started getting little bits (stocking fillers) put away since last Sat.

Got my mum an NYC bag and 2 teddy bears and got my SIL a Me to You double keyring.

Have mine and OH's annvisary in Novemember first though but think I'm just going to FINALLY renew his passport for that (it only ran out in 06!) as a hint to take me away for my birthday next year

securityguy

We tend to buy a better bottle of wine to have with dinner. That might cost an extra fiver. What else is there to save for?

Melaniep101

I decided in January that I wasn't going to let Christmas make me poor this year! I've religiously saved £100 a month, plus I'm saving Nectar and Clubcard points for my food shop. We also sometimes get vouchers as an incentive at work, all of which are being saved up!

I doubt Christmas will cost me the £1200 I'll have saved, but I won't feel guilty having a little splurge in the January sales with some of the remainder.

nzmegs

I have been saving my tescos points which will be doubled up at christmas and spent on clothes/homewares as gifts.

The i have also been making loads of gifts (I am a knitter and a crocheter). So I have almost all gifts take care of already. just our children to buy for as they usually get one main gift of about £50 each.

Lizzie_Bennet

I've been saving for about three months, should've started earlier really. Anyhoo I haven't got many people to buy for so I should have enough.