No sooner are the school summer holidays over than we seem to start thinking about Christmas.
Maybe one reason for that, especially in the current hard times, is that we need plenty of time to think about how we are going to pay for it all!
If you have use of a computer then shopping online this year could save you a fortune.
Not only can you get bigger discounts and a larger choice of gifts, but you can also save time and don’t have to pay for parking or fuel.
I heard on the grapevine that this year even Father Christmas will be shopping online at specialist stocking filler websites!
I guess in times when we are being encouraged to be more environmentally friendly it does make sense for us to cut down on our travelling and thus on our carbon emissions.
It would be lovely not to have to worry about money but the reality for most of us is that we are working to pay bills; luxuries seem to be a thing of the past unless we are prepared to pay for them with credit facilities, which many of us will be reluctant to do at a time when prices and taxes are rising and jobs are less and less secure.
Over the past twelve months on this site we have covered an assortment of topics related to debt management and individual voluntary arrangements (IVA), and have explained some of the jargon that credit card companies use.
If you are struggling to pay off debt, or are determined not to make use of credit facilities to help pay for Christmas this year, then the beginning of September is a great time to start planning your budget for the festivities. Last year I made a determined effort to keep on the financial straight and narrow and managed to do all my Christmas shopping without borrowing a penny!
Christmas for my family and me has never been about buying the most expensive and most impressive gifts. Admittedly part of the enjoyment is in exchanging small gifts, but more important is the opportunity of getting together, enjoying each other’s company and having fun.
Some of my friends, it seems to me, worry that their children will feel unloved if they don’t get all the expensive items on their Christmas lists. However, I think children are often wiser than we think and it pays to be open and honest with them when explaining that times are hard. Chances are that if you spent loads of cash on them last year when things were easier, they don’t even remember what it was you bought them!
I, by the way, have always wanted an Aston Martin Vantage. So far Father Christmas hasn’t come up with the goods, but I don’t think that has done me any great harm!
