Christmas comes but once a year, thank goodness, because we couldn\u2019t afford it twice.<\/p>\n
Thinkmoney consumer expert Vix Leyton says it\u2019s never too early to think about the \u201cC\u201d word if it means not overspending, using up your social bandwidth or thinking you\u2019ll bag a bargain on Black Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour social and financial bandwidth are interlinked,\u201d says Leyton, \u201cand you\u2019ve only got so much to go around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Saying yes to all the Christmas drinks now might hit different when you\u2019re out for the fourth day in a row in December with Colin from accounts, or the \u201clet\u2019s just go for one drink\u201d which inevitably turns into an all-nighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy to fill up that social calendar,\u201d says Leyton. \u201cPeople who haven\u2019t seen you all year start to feel guilty about it and want to get something in before, what is, an arbitrary calendar point. Remember \u2013 we\u2019re all going to be around after Christmas!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are planning on only staying for one drink, just say that,\u201d says Leyton. \u201cPeople are worried about not buying their round, but it is OK just to have one drink and go home. You don\u2019t have to make a social contract with everybody around the table to buy every drink!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re worried about speaking out, Leyton says be the person you need around that table. \u201cThink about the other person who\u2019s also a bit shy to say anything, and how relieved they will feel if you make a stand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Audit your list of gift recipients to avoid getting into a buying habit with some family members, who may be looking for a way out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s going to be a tight year, have that conversation now,\u201d advises Leyton. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to say, \u2018I\u2019m not buying presents,\u2019 but you could agree to some rules, such as doing a Secret Santa or just buying for the kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd just because someone\u2019s bought you a gift, it doesn\u2019t mean you have to buy them one back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve been conditioned that the surprise is worth more than the present itself,\u201d says Leyton. \u201cAsk yourself \u2013 does the person you\u2019re buying for actually want the item, or will it just end up being landfill?\u201d Those \u201cthree for two\u201d may look like nicely packaged gifts, but it\u2019s better to ask someone what they genuinely want for Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be they\u2019re saving for something and would rather have a gift voucher,\u201d she adds. \u201cOr maybe they want your time \u2013 like babysitting or cooking them dinner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The retail juggernaut gets started early \u2013 and it sometimes feels like we\u2019ve forgotten the spirit of Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just about stuff!\u201d argues Leyton. \u201cWe\u2019re all now putting ourselves under too much pressure and spending more than we\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially with present creep, it\u2019s so easy to get a couple of extra stocking fillers because they\u2019re a bit novel, but is it worth it?<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily and friends would hate to think you\u2019re sacrificing yourself financially to buy them tat they don\u2019t want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Supermarkets always bring out those traditional Christmas boxes of Turkish delight or German ginger biscuits, but Leyton says, \u201cEvery house has a traditional food that they buy \u2013 and nobody ever eats. Remember what was left over and don\u2019t buy it again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also culturally less likely to just \u2018drop in for a sherry and a mince pie\u2019. If you\u2019re inviting people over, ask them to bring mince pies while you make mulled wine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The supermarkets are after your big Christmas shop, so it\u2019s a great time to shop around. \u201cYou will see the cheapest rates on Christmas staples like Bailey\u2019s or tubs of Quality Street,\u201d says Leyton, \u201cbut avoid the \u2018three for twos\u2019 unless you really need them, and don\u2019t buy them too early, or they\u2019ll get eaten!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ignore the Christmas advertisements that tell you buying a diamond necklace in 10 easy instalments is the only thing that will make the season perfect. \u201cDon\u2019t spend money you don\u2019t have and kick the problem into the new year,\u201d says Leyton. \u201cAs tempting as it is to spend a couple of extra pounds on credit cards or Buy Now Pay Later, debt racks up very quickly. Set a strict budget and pay in cash.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody wants to be panic shopping on Christmas Eve, so buying presents and wrapping them over the next few months will make December more relaxed,\u201d advises Leyton. \u201cAlthough remember what you got to avoid double buying.\u201d Getting travel tickets in advance is also a saving. \u201cIf you\u2019re planning to travel home for Christmas and not drive, get your train tickets as soon as they come out.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThe creep of Black Friday Cyber Weekend means it is now a month-long event, and there is so much going on, it is almost impossible to know when a deal is a good deal,\u201d admits Leyton. \u201cIt\u2019s only worth it if you know you have a big purchase coming up, like a TV or washing machine, but check the price on Google, and don\u2019t forget to take into account delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Christmas comes but once a year, thank goodness, because we couldn\u2019t afford it twice. Thinkmoney consumer expert Vix…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":807823,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[84,3462,4176,2222,4174,4175,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-807822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-christmas","tag-finance","tag-money","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}