How To Financially Prepare For Next Christmas
Now I know what you’re thinking. Christmas 2020 hasn’t even happened yet and you’re talking about Christmas next year. And yes I am, but hear me out. Christmas can sometimes feel like a bit of a last-minute scramble. How did we get to mid-December already?! And I’m sure many of you vow to be more prepared next year. So I’m here to help you financially prepare for next Christmas so it’s not a mad rush and you can enjoy the season.
I worked in retail for 7/8 Christmas’ so for me December was a month of 50 hour weeks of non-stop craziness. I’d be on my feet all day. Sometimes I would get about 10 minutes to eat some lunch within a 10-hour shift. So I actively got to the point where I’d finish my Christmas shopping by the end of November. This meant I didn’t get stressed and could enjoy the festivities and not spend my days off walking around shops. Here are some of the ways you can financially prepare for next Christmas.
Financially prepare for next Christmas by setting up your Christmas fund
Try and total up how much money you want to spend on Christmas. Make a note of all the people you buy presents for and roughly how much you spend. Then think about extras like any food, decorations, and cards. Add everything together to give yourself your Christmas fund total. Then divide it either weekly or monthly (depending on when you get paid) to work out how much you need to save. Then automate those savings to start from January.
By starting your Christmas saving in January it means you don’t need to save as much each month. And if you spot things throughout the year to buy people you have the money to buy them. Me and Luke started this in January 2020 and we saved enough to buy all our friends and families Christmas presents. It’s one less thing to think or worry about.
Buy your cards/ wrapping paper in the January sales
Yes buying Christmas things in the January sales can feel a bit eager but you’ll save so much money. Each year I go to places like Paperchase and Marks & Spencer and get my wrapping paper, cards, ribbons, bows, etc, and generally get 50-75% off of the retail price. Presents can be expensive enough without thinking about all of the extra things you need to buy too. You can financially prepare for next Christmas by buying those essentials you know you’ll need early.
Financially prepare for next Christmas by searching the sales
Any time there are sales throughout the year think about what presents you’ll need. If you spot something which may be perfect for someone then pick it up. This could be as early as the January sales or at the end of season sales throughout the year. I always keep a list of what I’ve bought people and any ideas so I can keep a track of what I have and haven’t bought. I find this helps if I spot something when I’m out as I can check if I need a present for that person.
Are you planning to financially prepare for next Christmas early?
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16 responses to “How To Financially Prepare For Next Christmas”
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Rhian Westbury
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Iām a big fan of sale shopping! By January I tend to have all my cards, paper, tags and a fair amount of gifts. It certainly saves a lot of money x
Yes! That’s what I love to hear, people being prepared. It’s the best time of year to get those bits sorted x
I always buy my Christmas cards in the Jan sales! I also start Christmas shopping in September so I can stagger the cost over a few months.
I think staggering the cost is so important, I don’t want to be poor and scrimping for money in December x
I’m a firm believer in being prepared. I do try to buy wrapping paper and cards in January. You can get them at great prices.
I think about Christmas throughout the year, the January sales are great places to start and you can get great bargains to put away
My mum always buys Christmas cards and decorations at the end of December for the following year and presents we definitely start early.
I am definitely trying to financially prepare for Christmas this year – with both the kids with birthdays around Christmas, it can be a very expensive time of year.
I bet it must be so tough with everything all close together x
I want to buy next years xmas decs this year if I can find any good sales! Fingers crossed!
The toughest thing for me is that we’re tier 4 so shops are shut so I can’t do the boxing day sales in person and that’s when I tend to find the best discounts/ items x
I normally try and pick a few things up the the sales, plus I save my supermarket vouchers to help with the cost
I have a Christmas fund but I couldnāt start shopping for the next years Christmas in January. Iām not able haha
Having a Christmas fund is such a great start though! x
I love buying presents in year as I see them; one year I didn’t and it was so stressful in so many ways. Makes sense to do that and to save – that is always a great thing!
It helps with finding the right things for people too as sometimes you just see it and instantly know it’s right x