TODAY marks ten weeks until Christmas . . . but don’t get in a festive frenzy over funds.
We spend an average of £573 on gifts, with the cost of food, drink, and parties on top.
But some savvy saving now can cut the cost — and ease the stress.
HAUL OR NOTHING: Make a list, check it twice and set a budget before deciding on what gifts to buy. Then you will be all set when Black Friday and any other pre-Christmas sales roll round.
Also, start stockpiling those little extras.
For example, next time you buy something from a beauty counter, ask for free samples. They make fantastic stocking fillers.
Add certain food and drink items to your weekly shop (look for offers and reduced-to-clear items) to stash or freeze ready for the festive season.
PAY AWAY: December means Christmas meals out, office parties (we hope!) and family shindigs. But they do add up.
Consider setting up an automatic transfer to a savings account for the next couple of paydays.
The money comes out of your current account before you even know it is there . . . and will bring a little Christmas magic to your savings.
DAILY DITCHES: One upside of lockdown has been spending far less on grab-and-go lunches or takeaway coffees. I worked out that my weekly coffee spend was £12.50, so I have already saved a small fortune since March. I keep stashing those extra pounds until Christmas.
That means my festive savings pot will be bigger, with more than £100 going in from coffees alone!
SUPER SHOPPING: Loyalty schemes can really help stretch your Christmas budget.
Tesco’s Clubcard racks up vouchers that will save you pounds. Morrisons’ More Card gives five points for every £1 spent — and once you have collected 5,000 points, you get a £5 voucher.
Sign up to its Christmas Savers scheme too and earn £1 when you put aside £49.
- Prices here are correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers are subject to availability.
Deal of the day
A 90ml bottle of Hugo Deep Red EDP is just £34.99, down from £58, this month at The Perfume Shop.
SAVE: £23.01
Cheap treat
YOU can’t beat a bit of fish. Four Birds Eye large battered cod fillets are £3.50 at Sainsbury’s. Was £4.80 .
SAVE: £1.30
Top swap
INSTEAD of paying £20 for the 111SKIN bio cellulose facial treatment mask from cultbeauty.co.uk, treat yourself to this similar nspa mask from spaathome.co.uk. It’s just £5.
SAVE: £15
Shop and save
A ZINGY 150ml bottle of Garnier’s organic lemongrass gel wash is £4, down from £6, at Tesco.
SAVE: £2
Don’t miss this…
WILKO has slashed the cost of its artificial Christmas trees by 20 per cent.
They are available now, starting from just £8 instead of £10.
Giselle’s little helper
MORRISONS has a mega toy sale in stores until November 24, with up to 50 per cent off Avengers goodies, Hot Wheels, Lego and more.
Play now to win £15,000 on HOAR Raffle
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in HOAR Raffle.
Every Sun Savers code you enter will earn you a ticket for our £15k monthly Raffle.
There is no limit to how many tickets you can collect.
So the more you enter, the better your chances.
To take part go to sunsavers.co.uk or open the Sun Savers app.
Then opt in to each month’s Raffle by clicking “Yes!” when prompted and start collecting the Sun Savers codes printed daily in the paper.
Every time you scan or enter a code into Sun Savers, you get a Raffle ticket in the £15k Raffle.
Not yet a Sun Savers member?
Just go to sunsavers.co.uk or find “Sun Savers” in the app store to get started.
- T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs at sunsavers.co.uk/faqs.
Fancy a free fiver?
Download our easy Sun Savers app and quickly scan your code using your smartphone.
Or go online and enter your code at sunsavers.co.uk.
With Sun Savers, we give you the best hacks, deals and tips to save money every single day.
TO JOIN: Don’t worry, folks — joining takes just 30 seconds, in three steps.
- PRICES correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
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