subject: How To Prepare For The Cost Of Christmas [print this page] That time of year is fast approaching once again where we buy our family and close friends presents that we think will make them happy but more often than not ends up costing us more than the pleasure they actually get out of their presents. With the recession not too far behind us, we are still feeling the pinch and Christmas is that time of year when we tend to spend the most not only on presents but also on the cost of good food and drinks.
Thankfully there are ways of easing the financial burden that Christmas provides us with and it doesn't mean buying cheap presents either!
The first pointer is to start saving now! Autumn is the perfect time of year to start saving and spread the cost of Christmas over as the days get shorter and the weather becomes even worse. This means it gives us fewer opportunities to spend money on activities we do in the summer such as take holidays and go out to restaurants as we much prefer to stay at home and rent out a film or partake in indoor activities. Using the money you save over autumn will greatly help you when it comes to the run up before Christmas just be sure to put aside all the money you do save and don't spend it on needless items thinking you have the cash to spend because in the two weeks before Christmas you'll realise just how right you were to save it.
Another great method to spread the cost of Christmas is to look out for retailers that offer flexipay or flexi-pay as it's sometimes spelt, which is a method of paying for your items or future presents over 2, 3 or 4 monthly instalments. This is an ideal way to pay for all your gifts if you didn't listen to the above pointer and save in time for Christmas as you can still afford to buy presents and it is interest free, so you really don't lose out! Make sure you are quick and vigilant though as flexipay offers are sometimes restricted to certain products over a certain time span and there aren't a large number of retailers who offer flexipay.
Going online and comparing deals will often save you a lot of time and a lot of money compared to high street shops who often tend to charge more in store than they do on their websites as they know consumers have a lot more choice online. It is also worthwhile taking the time to check websites that offer discount codes for certain products and even cash back websites which will refund you a small percentage of the cost just by using their service!
by: Christopher Reinhold
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