A date for your diary

Karonher

venison wrote: »

We always start buying gifts in the xmas sale for the coming year, and then bits and pieces through the year,

I used to do that but we dont buy "random" for want of a better word presents. We only buy family, as friends and I decided a few years ago not to buy each other vouchers and chocolates/drinks but to have a good night out in January instead. With family we all decide what we want in December which is why it is ideal to have the money from the end of November.

I still get cards and paper in the sales though.

enthusiasticsaver

I think doing a regular amount each month from January works best. Of course the problems develop when people have used credit to buy Christmas presents and food so they are still repaying Christmas 2018 while trying to save for Christmas 2019.

Honeysucklelou2

I save £2.50 a week and it goes from my bank account to a savings account held in a completely different bank, that has no card to be able to access it. It means that it can't be dipped into. I will up the amount for 2019, but even that little bit helped.

Domayne

Good reminder!
Up until now, I have just saved everything in one account really and do get annoyed at the end of the year when my annual travel card and Xmas and whatnot have to come out of it and I feel like my savings have taken a big hit.
This year, I have opened a bunch of e-savers with Halifax and have titled them like 'Christmas 2019' and 'travel card' and will put a set amount in them each month so everything is budgeted for and I won't feel like I'm down at the end of the year.

Vikipollard

I have a specific savings account which I use for Christmas/sometimes birthdays too - and curve balls which get thrown in when you least need them. It's my squirrel account, and I put £100/month into it.

This year, that's covered Christmas for our four (grown up) kids and our Granddaughter. Three of the kids needed (as in actually needed for work/study, not wanted) presents outside our normal spend range, and I've never felt so relieved to have already had the money! It's also been used for a couple of unexpected house repairs, so I suppose it doubles as a top up emergency fund to the one I have for that.

I've just bought (today) our Granddaughter's Christmas present for 2019 in the sales. She'll be two in January, so I've bought her toys for 3+ for next Christmas. So that's one sorted!

We do limit the number of presents we buy though to DH/me, DSx3, DDx1, DILx2, GDx1, and then I get token gifts for my boss (yes really), and my team, plus Secret Santa.

I also squirrel £2 coins - and basically if DH leaves coinage of the realm on the dining table for more than overnight, that also goes into the tin. This year that ended up being just shy of £200, which means if we want to go out for a couple of evenings or a meal, it's already paid for.

Not quite sure when I got to be this grown up...but maybe a liberal dose of crawling out of the financial hole I'd dug for myself played in to that.