There’s only 165 days until Christmas — start planning now so you can save loads

FOOD chain Pret-A-Manger has sparked outrage by selling Christmas sandwiches and putting up decorations.

But it’s a reminder Christmas is less than six months away — 165 days — so maybe it’s time to plan how you will budget for it. You could save loads . . . 

7

WORK OUT A BUDGET: Think about what you’ll need to save for such as presents, Christmas dinner and decorations, and also think about January bills. Then plan how much you can realistically afford to put aside each week, starting now. Save a fiver a week and, with 23 weeks to go, you’ll have an extra £115 by the festive period. If you want a bit more help, head to moneyadviceservice.org.uk. They have a great Christmas savings tool you can use.

CREATE A PRESENT LIST: Write down everyone you need to buy for this year and carry it in your bag. When you hit the shops between now and the festive season, browse the “reduced” racks and check your list to make sure you are buying a gift with a person in mind.

BUY A LITTLE EXTRA: When doing your toiletries shop, or if you spot a sale, pick up discounted gift sets. They have a two-year shelf life. Boots always has a great clearance shelf and you can currently get designer Ted Baker gift sets at half-price. I try to buy one or two presents a month, to avoid last-minute panic-buying and overspending.

DIY IT: If you started a hobby during the lockdowns, put it to good use by planning who you could make gifts for this year. The personal touch is always appreciated. Cost up the materials, so you stay on budget.

MAKE SOME MONEY: If you want to boost your budget, now is a great time to start. From selling unwanted items on auction sites to using survey sites like Swagbucks.com — where you earn points that can be converted into Amazon vouchers — now is the time to get going. Also, use cashback sites when buying online — as the payments can take three months to track, you’ll have the money by Christmas.

• ALL prices on this page were correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.

Deal of the day

7

GET twice the enjoyment with Iceland’s Double Mac Burger 4pk, which have cheese and gherkins melted between the patties. Just £2.25 per pack.

Cheap treat

7

SAY cheese to an eight-pack of Dairylea slices, usually £1.70, now £1 at Co-op.

SAVE: 70p

Store swap

7

7

OF course, I adore the Dunelm drinks trolley, above, but as it’s £169, I have instead fallen for the George At Home drinks trolley, below, just £30.

SAVE: £139

Shop & save

7

STOCK up on Once And For All all-purpose ready-mixed filler from Wilko, usually £3 per 1kg, but get two for £5 right now.

SAVE: £1 when buying 2

Hot right now

THERE’S up to 20 per cent off RRP on selected fragrances in the Summer Event at The Perfume Shop.

Play now to win £100 on The Sun Raffle

JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.

Every month we’re giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers – whether you’re saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered.

Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket. The more codes you enter, the more tickets you’ll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!

To take part go to sunsavers.co.uk or open the Sun Savers app.

With Sun Savers, we give you the best hacks, deals and tips to save money every single day.

TO JOIN: Don’t worry, folks — joining takes just 30 seconds, in three steps.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk