It's often difficult buying what you need for Christmas, the food and drink, presents, decorations, etc.
However, with the current economic situation, things might be a bit tighter than usual, this Christmas.
Some people will flex the plastic or even take out expensive loans and then face a New Year of penury and hardship as a result.But it doesn't have to be like that at all! Here is the simple That's Christmas Plan Ahead for Christmas Programme!
1) If your shop or supermarket has a savings club, sign up for it and save a small amount of money for Christmas.
2) If you see an item that would make an ideal Christmas present for a family member, buy it when you see it (so long as the price is keen) and put it away for Christmas.
3) Rather than buying a large amount of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) at Christmas and risking buying more than you'll need, add a bottle or two to your weekly shops between now and Christmas. If you find you need more you can always pop out to the shops when you need to.
4) Bearing in mind use by and best before dates, stock up on foods for Christmas well before the Christmas season. And avoid any potential pre-Christmas price rises that might occur!
5) Get crafting! You might be surprised at how good you can be with making special bespoke Christmas gifts for friends and family members. Also, why not try your hand at making unique Christmas decorations? Hobby Craft, Home Bargains, Poundland, Rymans and The Works all stock craft items and art items.
6) Shop around! You'll be pleasantly surprised to find the item you wanted to buy at a much lower price in a discount shop.
7) Check out local/regional Christmas Markets to see of there are any you'll be able to get to. However, if you are looking out for genuine Continental Christmas products/produce then the German discount stores Aldi and Lidl are both well worth checking out.
(Image courtesy of Jan Vašek from Pixabay)