Christmas is a stressful time of year for families juggling kids, purchasing presents, fitting in Santa Photos and organising the Christmas Day feast with loved ones.
To minimise the stress and cost of Christmas we are sharing our tips on how to shop like Santa and save!
Santa Claus is always well-prepared and does his shopping on time, so why don’t you? If you are going to shop in-store, consider these handy tips to reduce Christmas shopping stress and limit the temptations the overspend:
1. Make a list and check it twice
Make a list of the who you would like to buy a Christmas gifts for this festive season. Include what you would like to get them and how much you are prepared to spend next to each person’s name. By making a list you will be able to plan and keep track of your spending.
2. Make Christmas Day a team effort
Share the load of Christmas by planning with family and/or friends to bring a plate or special dish of food each for Christmas day.
List the food and drink you’ll need for your contribution to Christmas Day, and how much you can spend. Buy in advance if possible for long shelf life products and to take advantage of specials in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
3) Set a time limit on your shopping
Minimising your time spent browsing will minimise the temptation to spend more than you want to.
4) Shop at odd hours
Take advantage of retailers extended trading hours and shop when it's less crowded. This will allow you to take your time to choose carefully without having to jostle through crowds for space.
5) Buy less expensive items first.
Purchase your stocking fillers and less expensive items first. Buying larger and more costly items first you can make you lose perspective on what is a good price, so set your budget, buy small first, and then tackle the big items.
6) Pre-pay
If you buy online, check if there's an option to pick up in-store (click and collect). Click and collect allows you to avoid shipping/delivery costs and saves you time waiting at the post office.
7) Plan for next Christmas
Once this Christmas is done and dusted, you should start planning ahead for next year:
• Start saving now - Open a high-interest savings account in January and contribute a small amount to it every payday. Saving $20 per week will add up to over $1,000 in a year's time.
• Shop the sales - Shop for presents throughout the year, especially during sales. This will spread your costs and make them more manageable. Keep an eye out for major retailer toy sales throughout the year to tick the kids presents off the list at sale prices!
• Layby - Pre-plan larger gifts and layby them a few months ahead so you can pay them off over time.