Just a few weeks to go before Christmas, are you ready? As the countdown is getting real, you want to plan as much as possible for the holidays, to avoid unnecessary last minute stress. It is the season to be happy and enjoy time with your loved ones, not to run around like crazy because you forgot to buy a turkey.

 

Online shopping can be your friend these days, with many companies guaranteeing a delivery before Christmas. By shopping online, you will not only save time, but also be less tempted to spend on things outside of your Christmas list.

 

How much are you willing to spend on the whole event?

 

You should define your Christmas budget beforehand to make sure you don’t go overboard. That should then be split between travelling costs to visit family, gifts, tree, decorations, food, and any other expenses such as chocolates for teachers or wrapping paper. It really adds up!

 

One way to ease the weight of Christmas is to talk to your family and drastically reduce gift giving. The goal is to be together and have a good time, not stress over debt that will take months to pay off. You can also give a voucher on Christmas for say a new laptop, then wait for the January sales to buy it for your teenager.

 

You can prepare for Christmas as early as next January, by buying decorations and other paraphernalia at a steep discount. Setting up a savings account for next Christmas is also a great idea. Setting aside just £20 a week will add up to £1,000 fifty weeks later. However, if you are going to charge this Christmas on your credit card, your priority should be getting rid of your balance before you consider saving for next year. Try to get a 0% balance credit card and make payments as often as you possibly can. 

 

Picking up an extra shift at work can help make a little more money before Christmas. Bank holidays are often paid double if you don’t mind the sacrifice.

 

Be in with the chance of winning £250 with icount!

 

If you need some extra help with your Christmas budget, icount has a competition that offers up the chance of winning £250! It is going to run from the 1st December until the 31st and the winner will be announced on the 2nd January.

 

It’s so quick and easy to enter – simply head to icount’s competition and take a look at the many presents under their tree. If you can guess the total cost of them all correctly, you could be the lucky winner of £250 loaded onto an icount prepaid Mastercard. What’s more, you’re free to spend your winnings however you see fit! Good luck!