Making Some Savings In Time For Christmas*

Summer might still be very fresh in the mind, but in all the doom and gloom of recent months, it’s already beginning to look a lot like Christmas. A lot of your high-street favourites are already introducing their Christmas collections, so it’s time to start thinking about your own shopping and how you’re going to budget for Christmas.

At a time of year that’s difficult for many, it’s time to put aside those extra pennies. Get some help with the following tips to help make savings in time for Christmas.

Cut down your bills

One of the easiest ways to free up some monthly savings is to cut down on your bills, even if it’s just for a short period. Some of the bills you could make savings on include:

• Energy bills
• Mobile phone contract
• Gym membership
• Subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, etc.)
• TV and Broadband

Sometimes all it takes is a quick call to haggle the prices down, or even change your supplier. Stash any money saved into your savings to help you grow your Christmas fund.

Learn how you can haggle with your providers.

Take advantage of different deals and discounts

From now until December, you’re going to be bombarded with offers and discounts. While some may tempt you into making some unnecessary purchases, some of the deals and discounts can be valuable if they’re on things you were going to buy anyway!

Make a list of the things you need to buy in the run-up to Christmas and start thinking about gifts too, if you see a good deal come up that would mean you don’t have to pay full price then go for it!

Slash your car costs

Your car can be a big money drain every month, but if you change some of your habits you could bring your running costs down. From haggling on your car insurance to spending less on fuel, there are easy ways to cut your spending. If you want to make a significant saving, why not change the car you drive?

Reduce your food shop bit by bit

If you challenged yourself to save money each time you shop over the coming weeks, the money you spend will soon add up to help you pay for your Christmas food shop. There are a lot of ways to save money on food shopping and if you can plan in advance and make some good food swaps, you’ll be all set to make some savings, and waste less food too! If you’ve never seen Eat Well for Less, give it a watch to get some extra tips.

Tightening your belt and sticking to a budget can help you get some extra savings together, ready to have a good Christmas. After the year we’ve had, we all deserve to enjoy a memorable Christmas season with our families.