Ok, so it’s only February but it’s always good to have the best money saving tips ready to save for Christmas.
I’ve changed many times how I save money for Christmas over the years.
I used to put everything on a credit card and then pay it off over the year. However I was always in debt because of it so have tried a lot of different ways to save money for Christmas instead.
Here I am going to show you the ways i’ve tried saving for Christmas over the years so you can avoid getting into debt too.
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Here are the best money saving tips for Christmas:
The Penny Challenge from Skint Dad
This is great for anyone that is on a tight budget and not used to saving. The Penny challenge went viral from Skint Dad and is differently worth a try. The first time I tried it, I stuck to it exactly as showed, however I was left with a huge amount of charge and it was pretty unpractical to go shopping with. I tried paying it into my bank, that’s when I realised they only accepted four money bags of change per amount.
The next year that I completed it, I done it differently. Instead I put in notes and crossed off days cross the year. For example when I put in £10 I would cross out 16p from day 16, £2.63 from day 263 and so on. This gave me more flexibility and allowed me to save the money in a separate account in my bank as well as in a jar at home. Allowing me to shop both in store with cash and online from my bank.
Plum
Plum is fantastic. It rounds up your spending and then puts it in the Plum Pockets. You can also set it to take a certain amount of payday. You can draw out your money instantly and best of all there is no charge.
It’s ideal for saving your money without really noticing it, as it does it all for you.
Then when Christmas comes you have a nice amount sitting there ready to spend, no debt required.
The Plum app also shows you where all your money is going everyday and shows you your regular upcoming direct debits.
They also have a generous refer a friend scheme where you earn £30 for every three friends you sign up.
Amazon Vouchers
Another way I have tried is to workout how much money you need first. Once you know break it down into weeks (or months if that’s how you are paid) then buy Amazon vouchers and save them until it’s time to shop.
I literally ordered everything from the comfort of my sofa and it was delivered for me.
This option however did limit me. If something was cheaper elsewhere, I couldn’t buy it. I also didn’t have the huge benefit of earning cashback with TopCashBack, Quidco and Airtime Rewards which easily earns me an extra £300-£400 a year from shopping where I do already.
Money in a Tin
Sometimes the basic ideas are the best. I worked out I needed £900 for Christmas, I divided that into 48 weeks as I like to have my shopping finished before December. It worked out at £18.75 per week, so I saved £20 a week, allowing myself 3 weeks holiday if I needed them from the extra £1.25 that I saved.
It worked out great. The only downside was it was all cash and more and more shops are going cash free (I admittedly avoid all shops that are card only out of principal) as well as being impossible to shop online.
What I Am Choosing This Year
This year I am going down the Plum route. Why have I decided this?
- Plum saves it for me
- Your money is instantly available via your bank
- It allows you to shop online (making use of Airtime Rewards, TopCashBack & Quidco at the same time)
- You can draw the cash out whenever you like
You can sign up to Plum here: https://positivelylifestyle.com/Plum
Another helpful tip is to download a free Gift App for your smartphone. They allow you to list gifts brought, set a budget per person and a budget over all.
Check out our page for Free Money opportunities, including the best cashback sites, refer a friend and free money offers.
