ARE you facing a tight Christmas? You’re not alone.
Bank of England figures show the average family usually lavishes £719 on their festive shopping – but this year the spiralling cost-of-living crisis means four in five families plan to spend much less.
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In a bid to sleigh Christmas costs, a whopping 96 per cent of households are hunting down discounts, deals and sales while 78 per cent are changing where they shop to cut the seasonal food bill.
A study by channelmum.com shows almost two thirds of families (62 per cent) have already begun shopping ahead of December 25 – with sales of artificial Christmas trees up 400 per cent at John Lewis compared to this time last year.
So while it may only be September, ’tis the season to save lolly.
Use Jane Hamilton’s special cut-out-and-keep Christmas Costs Planner to help you bag a bigger sack of savings than Santa.
SEPTEMBER
MONDAY 5: BACK To School day signals the end of summer, so stores are desperate to shift seasonal stock and free up Christmas shelf space.
Buy wisely this week and you can pick up pricey pamper gifts with up to 75per cent off. (Liz Earle Refreshing Summer Night Ritual 6 Piece Gift Set, worth £119.50 now £55 at boots.com)
WEDNESDAY 7: GET Christmas wrapped up early with the September Xmas sales. Several retailers have already launched Christmas promotions, which help spread the cost of your shop.
The TK Maxx Christmas store is live online with discounts up to 60 per cent off or try the WH Smith September 3-for-2 sale. There are dozens of deals on gift wrapping, presentation bags and stocking filler gifts. Cheapest item free.
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With every UK family expected to wrap 30 gifts, you can cut costs by a third. WHSmith 3m 2-pack Bauble Lights Christmas Wrapping Paper, was £7.98 now free as third item.
SATURDAY 10: EXPERTS predict the price of real Christmas trees could leap by 30 per cent due to soaring inflation and the summer drought.
Grab a tree-mendous faux fir bargain in the Wilko 20 per cent off Xmas Tree sale today. (Wilko 7ft Fir Tree with Cones and Berries, was £125 now £100. Use code XMAS20 at wilko.com checkout)
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FRIDAY 16: THE 100-day countdown to Christmas begins. Expect a flurry of supermarket deals on festive favourites including Champagne, spirits and mince pies. (Mr Kipling Snowflake Mince Pies, were £1.50 now two for £2.50 at ocado.com)
MONDAY 19: FREEZE your spending. Many supermarkets launch their frozen festive food ranges today, including Aldi’s Frozen Medium Turkeys and Frozen Medium Turkey Crowns .
Last year the discounter sold the UK’s cheapest bird at just £11.49 for a small whole British turkey. Consumer experts also predict this is the day Next will launch its huge Autumn sale, so shop for discounted Christmas clothing and gifts.
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TUESDAY 27: IT’S your last chance to snap up Christmas chocolate favourites on the Tesco Clubcard Prices deal. (Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles Carton 337G, was £8 not £6.50 to Clubcard holders)
OCTOBER
SATURDAY 1: CLICK to collect a Christmas delivery. Ocado are usually the first supermarket to release Xmas delivery slots on October 1.
This year more stores are expected to so the same to help them plan to beat supply chain issues. Priority is given to loyalty scheme members, so sign up for the store you want to shop with asap.
MONDAY 3: MAKE tracks to snap up your discount Christmas train tickets. Festive fares go on sale around 12 weeks before so book now to make a save of up to 51 per cent on advance fares compared to on-the-day purchases. That would mean a £50 ticket is closer to £24.50.
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FRIDAY 14: THIS super savings weekend could see chunky discounts on winter woollies, scarves, knits and coats in the Mid-Season sales. Last year M&S cut up to 50 per cent on favourites like this cosy Teddy Coat. Was £59, dropped to £29.
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THURSDAY 21: MAKE your shopping for Christmas toys child’s play with the October half-term sales.
Save up to half on some big brands. (Minions: The Rise Of Gru Interactive Babble Otto, was £22.99, now £17 at Smyths Toys).
TUESDAY 25: IT’S officially only two months until Christmas, so write your full gift list and set up Google Shopping alerts for instant email notifications when whose items go on sale.
Start searching out 3-for-2 deals on festive food items which will keep, like biscuits, nuts and crisps. Bulk buying means you save money and always have enough for guests.
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SATURDAY 29: SNIFF out a seasonal saving. The day after October payday is the usual time for brands to launch their festive-scented cleaning ranges.
Last year Zoflora released Mrs Hinch’s favourite Winter Morning 120ml scent for just 99p in Home Bargains, saving 26p on the cult cleaning fluid’s normal price.
NOVEMBER
MONDAY 1: HALLOWEEN sweets and candy go on sale today so buy in bulk and pop into festive packaging for Christmas. You’ll get u to 50 per cent off Haribo, Swizzels multi-packs.
Mince pies bought now will stay fresh for Christmas, so stock up on discount deals. Expect offers for under a pound a packet with Tesco trimming the price down to 89p last year.
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SUNDAY 6: GET more bangers for your buck by snapping up fireworks left over from Bonfire Night and Diwali. They’ll be perfect for New Year’s Eve, but consider if you need quiet version if you have pets nearby.
MONDAY 7: OPEN the door to amazing savings on advent calendars. Stores have to shift them by December 1 so with three weeks to go, today’s the day to get them for half price or less. Cadbury and Mars Advent calendars usually drop from £2 to £1 at Tesco and Morrisons.
MONDAY 21: WITH the nation facing recession, shops are desperate to keep profits up. This year they’ll get in on the act early with Black Five Days of offers. Try Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco for five days of food and kitchen deals to fill your festive freezer.
Last year Morrisons offered a Tefal Easy Airfryer down from £90 to £60. Ikea usually launches its annual real Christmas tree deal today too. Last year’s offer was a £19 fir with a free £20 Ikea gift card, making the cost just £9.
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FRIDAY 25: GET set for the biggest shopping day of the year! Black Friday can see astonishing bargains of up to 80 per cent off, but don’t be tempted to overspend.
It’s only a bargain if you were going to buy it anyway, otherwise it’s simply extra spend. Check its previous price on pricerunner.com to make sure the saving is as good as it says. Once you’re satisfied, shop away.
Look for time-limited offers on gadgets, experience days or furniture where the store has one or two at a ‘headline price’ to lure in shoppers. These won’t be repeated before Christmas.
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MONDAY 28: THIS year Cyber Monday falls on the last payday before Christmas – so double your savings with payday deals too. Last year Currys offed a Samsung 50-inch Q60A Series QLED 4K TV down from £849 to £599.
DECEMBER
SATURDAY 3: WITH the Christmas party season in full swing, it’s time to find dazzling discounts on perfume, party frocks and shoes. Look out for bargain perfumes at Superdrug and The Fragrance Shop, where gift sets can be reduced by up to 80 per cent.
Matalan and New Look offer some of the top offers on party togs. Visit eBay, which sells new items as well as second-hand. It usually has daily deals from the start of December.
SATURDAY 17: HAVE your Christmas cards in the post today to take advantage of cheaper second class stamps. It’s also Super Saturday, when Brits last year splash our around £1.6billionon festive gift. Expect retails to cut prices by up to 75 per cent.
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MONDAY 19: THE annual festive fresh food war will begin, with deep discounts om everything from veggies to fresh turkeys. Watch out for the Aldi Super 6 deal with seasonal table favourites including parsnips, sprouts and carrots slashed to just 19p per pack.
FRIDAY 23: SOME stores will start their Boxing Day sales tomorrow – two days early. Debenhams is usually the fits to offer big discounts online. It’s also the final day for one-day delivery.
Box clever and wait until today to buy a Christmas Eve Box for your kids. Savings will be 50 per cent of more at stores at B&M Stores, Hobbycraft, Card Factory and Asda.
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SATURDAY 24: IF you can hold your nerve until Xmas Eve, you’ll find discounts of 75 per cent on gift sets, fresh festive food and decorations. But remember many stores will close early from 5pm.
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SUNDAY 25: SUPER organised? After you’ve celebrated, shop the online sales for discounted gifts cards and wrapping paper for Christmas 2023.
