Tips for Saving Money Over Festive Period

Travel Cheaply

Book early for the best fares. Check out good deals on train fares at www.thetrainline.com. or for Buses try www.megabus.com.

Arrange lifts by relatives and friends only offering to contribute to petrol if they are poorer than you.

If you hire a car look for deals on compact models with good fuel consumption rather than being encouraged to splash out because ‘that is what you do at Christmas’.

Avoid expensive extras

If you are really hard up make a virtue out of being environmentally friendly. Wrap gifts in old newspaper. Reuse padded envelopes. Help recycling by buying from Charity shops.

Create home made cards (and even presents) using clip art or computer images.

Hand deliver cards and presents rather than using the post. Do not buy big heavy presents you need a courier to deliver unless it is all in with the price.

Stock up early with food on offer. Fill the freezer with home baking so you aren’t tempted to buy lots of luxuries. Make some home brew or ask for a wine making kit as a present (it may even be drinkable by next Christmas). Eat up any tins or jars left over from last Christmas or plan to give them away but not to the dear aunt who gave you them in the first palace.

Cashback and Loyalty

Use cashback web sites like www.Greasypalm.co.uk, www.Topcashback.co.uk and www.Quidco.com.

Use retailers loyalty cards and watch out for pre Christmas offers (Boots have bonus point days and nectar and Argos vouchers have deals with power suppliers. Some saving schemes give a big bonus for Christmas. Tesco have some very cheap magazine subscription offers if you have already collected some points.

Clip coupons and look for promotional offers, they are more frequent well before Christmas when retailer are worried you will spend your money with someone else.

Watch out for free delivery from people like Amazon

Haggle and Negotiate

Set a budget and do not over spend. Know what an item should cost by doing some research. Ask for a discount or say ‘what is your best offer on such and such an item’. Shop around the internet is not always the best deal in town.

Ask for useful presents. I like to get a food hamper as it saves spending money in January when money is tight and I can’t eat socks or aftershave.

10 Tips for saving money at Christmas