WITH three months still to go until Christmas, Sarah Andrews has bought all her presents for the big day.
The mum-of-two started doing her festive shopping ahead of time because she is worried about shortages and the lorry driver crisis ruining Christmas.
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In 2020, 34-year-old Sarah finished all her Christmas shopping in November. This year she got started even earlier and was all wrapped up in September.
She said: “I do it so early because I like to know I’ve got everything I need.
“This year I didn’t want to get caught out by any shortages or if there is another winter lockdown.”
And she’s not alone, shoppers have been warned to buy Christmas presents early due to a predicted toy shortage which could be sparked by the supply chain crisis.
Brits are expected to spend 21% more this year to make up for last Christmas, according to MoneySupermarket.
Sarah, from Dartford, has always picked up bits and bobs for stocking fillers and gifts throughout the year, but it was in 2020 that she first got everything done ahead of time.
She said: “I wanted to be ready in case anything happened – which it did.
“My husband thought I was being a bit silly but he had to eat his words when the lockdown came.
“My friends were all panicking about getting their shopping done and I was sitting back all smug with it done.”
Sarah wants to make sure her two daughters, aged 2 and 4, have a fantastic Christmas.
With lots of toys to buy, much of Sarah’s spending has been in stores such as Argos, The Entertainer and Smyths. Paw Patrol is a favourite in the household so there are lots of gifts from this range.
She also managed to pick up a bargain tablet computer for her 4-year-old daughter on Prime Day in the summer, an annual Amazon sale day.
“I got a couple of games to go with it too. That’s been my best bargain and it got the festive ball rolling,” she said.
Sarah estimates she has spent around £1,000 on all her festive purchases and spreading the costs helps her manage her finances and save money.
She said: “It definitely helps to spread the cost, which is good as in December you’ve got extra outlays like days out and the big food shop.”
Another bonus of getting the shopping done ahead of time is that she doesn’t have to trawl around the shops with two small children at the busiest time of year.
She said: “It’s not fun for them or me, and this way we can spend December doing nicer things and having days out.”
Sarah is saving her wrapping for December, however, when she plans to put up the Christmas tree, put on some festive songs and watch her favourite Christmas film, Elf, to get into the spirit.
In the meantime, she is making use of a spare bedroom at her dad’s house to store all of her purchases.
“I have filled up a whole room there, it’s like the Santa room, and it’s handy that it’s out of the way of the kids,” she says.
Top tips for spreading the cost of Christmas
Don’t buy the latest fad
With two young children, Sarah tries to avoid buying too many things associated with their current favourite film or character.
“Kids go off of things really quickly so what’s their favourite today, they might not like by Christmas,” she said.
To avoid this, Sarah tries to stick to more general and unbranded or multi-purpose toys.
Have somewhere to store it
If you’re buying in advance you need to make sure that curious kids don’t find their presents ahead of the big day.
Sarah is lucky enough to be able to make use of her dad’s spare room. Other shoppers might be able to use a shed, garage or loft space.
Keep track of your spending
Sarah keeps a list of everything she has bought and how much she has spent on each person to make sure she doesn’t forget anything or accidentally overspend.
She makes sure to save receipts in case anything needs to be returned. For online purchases, she makes a folder in her emails for receipts so nothing gets lost.
We recently looked at tips to save up to £1,000 in time for Christmas.
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