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Consumer Advice: Money-Saving Expert Martin Lewis gives you advice on planning for Xmas
By: Martin Lewis
Martin Leiws gives Christmas money advice
And we all need to make like elves and start preparing. Far too many cry poverty in January and blame Christmas (or Eid, or Chanukah). Yet Christmas is on the same date every year, it’s not a shock, and with some decent pre-planning, you can keep the costs right down.
Don’t get me wrong. I hate the creep of Christmas into November as much as the next person – this isn’t about early festivities, it's about planning your spending. Here are my future festivities top tips.
Codes for cheaper Uggs
Amazon's online shoe store javari.co.uk has classic Ugg boots from £150. But you can shave £10 off this by using the code JAVATNGC at the checkout to take £10 off orders of £50 and over. Code ends 31 October. More Ugg bargains at www.moneysavingexpert.com/uggs
Instant Burger King 2for1 vouchers
Go to .burgerking.co.uk/offers
Martin Leiws gives Christmas money advice
Money-Saving Expert Martin Lewis gets ready for Christmas
14 October 2010
Santa’s revving up, his clothes are dry-cleaned, the sacks are piling up and the shops are starting to rub their hands in glee at what, for some, is a retail festival.
And we all need to make like elves and start preparing. Far too many cry poverty in January and blame Christmas (or Eid, or Chanukah). Yet Christmas is on the same date every year, it’s not a shock, and with some decent pre-planning, you can keep the costs right down.
Don’t get me wrong. I hate the creep of Christmas into November as much as the next person – this isn’t about early festivities, it's about planning your spending. Here are my future festivities top tips.
· There’s still time to spread the cost.
The best time to start saving for Christmas is on Boxing Day. After all, the average family spends £600; spread over the year that’s just £50 a month.
Too many try to pay for Christmas out of December’s income, often a hard stretch, leaving people making up the gap with debt. However, there’s still time to start now. Work out your likely Christmas spend and split it by three – saving now, so it's not so tough.
The best time to start saving for Christmas is on Boxing Day. After all, the average family spends £600; spread over the year that’s just £50 a month.
Too many try to pay for Christmas out of December’s income, often a hard stretch, leaving people making up the gap with debt. However, there’s still time to start now. Work out your likely Christmas spend and split it by three – saving now, so it's not so tough.
· £90+ of free high street vouchers.
If you’ve a combined family income of over £30,000 and a decent credit score, sign up to an American Express Rewards credit card and for each month in the first three you spend over £500, you get a bonus 6,000 reward points – enough for a £30 M&S, Amazon, iTunes voucher and more.
Better still, unlike most reward cards you can redeem the points as soon as you’ve earned them (in £25 tranches). ONLY do this is you pay off in full every month (preferably by direct debit), so there’s no interest. Full instructions and other freebies such as free flights at www.moneysavingexpert.com/ccfreebies
Better still, unlike most reward cards you can redeem the points as soon as you’ve earned them (in £25 tranches). ONLY do this is you pay off in full every month (preferably by direct debit), so there’s no interest. Full instructions and other freebies such as free flights at www.moneysavingexpert.com/ccfreebies
· Let your finances rule.
Too many just work through a wanna-have list: massive tree, gifts galore, plasma telly, and gourmet food – and only afterwards ask, “How on earth will we pay for it?”
Yet the best possible thing to work out how much you’ve got to spend and see what the best Christmas you can have within that budget is. After all, it's not worth a debt-soaked New Year for.
Too many just work through a wanna-have list: massive tree, gifts galore, plasma telly, and gourmet food – and only afterwards ask, “How on earth will we pay for it?”
Yet the best possible thing to work out how much you’ve got to spend and see what the best Christmas you can have within that budget is. After all, it's not worth a debt-soaked New Year for.
· Shopping is about technique
Ensure you use a “shopbot” (shopping comparison site) to benchmark prices for everything you need, even if you don’t want to buy them online (though you do get extra consumer protection). Use sites like Kelkoo.co.uk, Pricerunner.co.uk, Foundem.com or my own megashopbot.com, which combines the results of a range of shopbots.
If you do buy online, visit stores via cashback websites like topcashback.co.uk or quidco.com to get a kickback (though only ever see this as a bonus, as it’s never 100% guaranteed).
If you don’t know what you want to buy, keep an eye out for discounts and bargains. You may find a cracking “three for two” offer that gets you presents for three people at a good price, plus try www.moneysavingexpert.com/amazontool, which finds seriously reduced price deals on the giant website (though always compare elsewhere to see if they’re genuine bargains).
Ensure you use a “shopbot” (shopping comparison site) to benchmark prices for everything you need, even if you don’t want to buy them online (though you do get extra consumer protection). Use sites like Kelkoo.co.uk, Pricerunner.co.uk, Foundem.com or my own megashopbot.com, which combines the results of a range of shopbots.
If you do buy online, visit stores via cashback websites like topcashback.co.uk or quidco.com to get a kickback (though only ever see this as a bonus, as it’s never 100% guaranteed).
If you don’t know what you want to buy, keep an eye out for discounts and bargains. You may find a cracking “three for two” offer that gets you presents for three people at a good price, plus try www.moneysavingexpert.com/amazontool, which finds seriously reduced price deals on the giant website (though always compare elsewhere to see if they’re genuine bargains).
· Don’t use Tesco vouchers for Christmas food
You can often do better with them by trading them in via Tesco’s Clubcard Reward scheme, where you can get up to four times their value on things like days out, magazine subscriptions, gifts.
So £20 of vouchers becomes £80 of Clubcard rewards. However, that, of course, is based on the list price. Do check the real price of those goods before using vouchers to ensure you get maximum value.
You can often do better with them by trading them in via Tesco’s Clubcard Reward scheme, where you can get up to four times their value on things like days out, magazine subscriptions, gifts.
So £20 of vouchers becomes £80 of Clubcard rewards. However, that, of course, is based on the list price. Do check the real price of those goods before using vouchers to ensure you get maximum value.
· Fancy perfume on the cheap
It’s said more smellies are bought as a last gasp on Christmas Eve than in the whole of August. If you’re going to do this, at least do it early and save some cash via cheap online sites such as fragrancedirect.co.uk, directcostmetics.co.ukand halfpriceperfumes.co.uk
It’s said more smellies are bought as a last gasp on Christmas Eve than in the whole of August. If you’re going to do this, at least do it early and save some cash via cheap online sites such as fragrancedirect.co.uk, directcostmetics.co.ukand halfpriceperfumes.co.uk
· No Unnecessary Present Pact
Before you start yelling “Scrooge” at me, it’s important to understand the impact of buying Christmas presents. I’m not just talking about all the novelty clockwork noses that are never used, but the bigger picture.
Even if you love the joy of giving, remember it creates an obligation on recipients to give in return whether or not they can afford it.
Worse still, it can mis-prioritise our finances. If Janet gives skint John £20 socks, and he feels obliged to return a scarf costing £20, in effect John’s spent £20 on the socks. Is that really what he’d have chosen to spend the cash on?
So while gift-giving for kids or in the immediate family is great, if you’re going to spread it wider, draw up a list of who you are giving to and consider its effect. Make sure you're buying things they will need or want, and consider a pact to either not give or limit the cost.
Before you start yelling “Scrooge” at me, it’s important to understand the impact of buying Christmas presents. I’m not just talking about all the novelty clockwork noses that are never used, but the bigger picture.
Even if you love the joy of giving, remember it creates an obligation on recipients to give in return whether or not they can afford it.
Worse still, it can mis-prioritise our finances. If Janet gives skint John £20 socks, and he feels obliged to return a scarf costing £20, in effect John’s spent £20 on the socks. Is that really what he’d have chosen to spend the cash on?
So while gift-giving for kids or in the immediate family is great, if you’re going to spread it wider, draw up a list of who you are giving to and consider its effect. Make sure you're buying things they will need or want, and consider a pact to either not give or limit the cost.
Codes for cheaper Uggs
Amazon's online shoe store javari.co.uk has classic Ugg boots from £150. But you can shave £10 off this by using the code JAVATNGC at the checkout to take £10 off orders of £50 and over. Code ends 31 October. More Ugg bargains at www.moneysavingexpert.com/uggs
Instant Burger King 2for1 vouchers
Go to .burgerking.co.uk/offers
to grab eight vouchers, including 2for1 Angus burgers, wraps and Tendercrisp burgers. Offer ends 7 November.
Get Martin’s FREE tips and money-off vouchers emailed straight to you each week by signing up to moneysavingexpert.com/tips
TV money guru Martin Lewis runs the consumer revenge website MoneySavingExpert.com; ensure you get his weekly e-mail so you’re constantly saving money.
