How to enjoy a debt-free Christmas
Last Modified 16th of February 2021
Christmas is a time we should all be able to enjoy ourselves by spending time with the family and enjoying good food and drink.
However, the cost of Christmas can soon escalate. Food, drink and presents are all on your shopping list, and the cost of all of these can sometimes be too much – they can even push some people into debt.
So, what can you do to make sure you enjoy a debt-free Christmas?
We’ve put together this very short and simple guide to help you lower the risk of falling into debt over the festive period.
Plan your celebrations early
If you are planning to have the family round this Christmas, make sure you plan your celebrations early. Know exactly what you want to do, know exactly what you need to buy and know exactly how much it is going to cost you.
If you go out to the shop the day before your celebration starts, the chances are you will be rushed off your feet and will either forget to buy things or pay too much for them – which, if you pay for them using your credit card, can leave you with a nasty debt.
So, make yourself a little ‘Christmas plan’ on a piece of paper. Write down all the things you need to buy for your celebration this year, then write down how much it’s going to cost (you can find this out online), and keep it in a safe place! When it comes round to preparing your celebration, just get the list out and you will find that the preparation process is stress and hassle free – as everything you need to do is right in front of you.
Shop ahead of the Christmas rush
If you’re like me, you don’t like running round the local stores at the last minute – because everyone else does it and you end up buying things you don’t need. This could be because the things you did want were ‘sold out’, or because you got so stressed that you just picked up the first things you saw (regardless of its price), and headed to the cash registers!
So, get yourself down to the local stores before everyone else, and do all your shopping while the shops are all stocked up. By doing this, you can make sure you pay the cheapest possible price for your desired items, as you can compare the prices from several different shops.
