The stark reality is that Christmas 2022 is going to be tough for so many families. The Cost-of-Living-Crisisandstock issues of products led Tesco to launch an advert in July with the slogan ‘Tis the season...soon’ with advice on its website on how best to make the most of savings and how to stagger purchases over a longer period saying “It's never too early to prepare for festive fun. Spread the cost of Christmas 2022 by planning ahead." A survey by Quantum Metric found that the majority of people polled are planning to spend less than £500 this year as a result of the strain ofthe crisis.

If Christmas isn’t on your radar yet, create a realistic budget so that you can split the costs over a three month period. Make a list of what you need to buy, there is a wide choice of presents, cards and decorations already in stores. Check your drawers and cupboards as you may already have festive supplies left over from previous years and then you only buy what you absolutely need.

It pays to shop around as there will be many attractive savings and discounts to be enjoyed. Look out for Black Friday deals, flash sales, loyalty card incentives, 3 for 2 offers and also explore charity shops. Websites like Money Saving Expert will give daily updates on the cheapest prices and you can generate some handy money on cashback sites so make sure you investigate before you buy.

Check your loyalty cards to see how many points you have to reduce costs, you will hopefully find a happy surprise with how many points you may have accrued.

If you normally go out for Christmas dinner which can be very expensive, then this might be the year to stay at home and split the food and drink costs with your family and friends. Whilst it may be more work preparing and cooking, it will definitely be more budget friendly.

Gifts for adults are always nice but this year why not switch things up and do a Secret Santa with a pre-agreed budget so that each person gets one special gift? You could also get creative and make your own presents for a more personal touch (see our article on page 4 for ideas). If there is a
must-havepresentfora child,buyit nowas stocks are likely to be depleted in the run up to Christmas.

Selling anything unwanted that you have around the house has many benefits - making some extra cash, creating space at home and also giving people feeling the pinch the chance to buy some good quality Christmas gifts.

It’s also a time to think of those less fortunate, foodbanks are anticipating their toughest period indecades as people can’t afford to make their usual donations. Rather than give presents this year, it would be a lovely gesture to make a donation to a charity or food bank in lieu of cards or gifts.

Christmas is a time to celebrate with loved ones, it wasn’t that long ago that we couldn’t see them during the festive period due to Covid so make the most of this special time.Your treasured memories are true meaning of Christmas, it should be all about laughter and being together - the food, drink and gifts are not worth getting yourself into debt over.