Are You Confident Of Paying Back All Your Christmas Shopping Bills Next Month?

Oh yes CS. I haven't overspent at all this this year. What I've bought I've paid for there and then. I started early on in the year to spread the cost and used most of my supermarket vouchers to ease the final bill.
My final purchase will be fresh meat from the butcher on Christmas Eve and as I know that will be a costly expense I'm prepared for it as I've also been saving hard for just that.

Oh CS absolutely ... words of sheer wisdom! The problem is that people simply don't seem to have the time or wherewithal to do this anymore and somehow I think that progress in technology has a lot to do with this, taking the 'old fashionedness' of paper budgetting away.

But it still remains a great idea and allows you to see where the 'excesses' are and how quickly the money goes and exactly how it is spent. I remember my mum never got into debt despite horrific difficult periods simply because she wrote everything down and had one of those metal money tins with a dozen slots to allow weekly apportionment of the cash.

Perhaps finances and budgetting should start being taught at junior school to ingrain financial savvy into children. There is nothing wrong with having a pint of beer at £3.50 until you realise that you are £3.50 short in the weekly rent and then it hits home ... so the budget spreadsheet sounds like a great idea. And as I said, this needs to really start in education.

And I should have added, as an all year round exercise, with special provision for Christmas at the end of the year!

Excellent advice, CS.

But I still hold to the old-fashioned idea that we don't have it if we can't afford it.

I've also saved all the year round and should have £150 on a card left from saving at Asda which will pay for most of my shopping in January. I haven't paid for anything for Christmas on the Visa card but obviously have paid for my new shower room on the card but the bill will come before Christmas so it will be all paid for before the New Year.

I haven't gone mad on presents but all those I care about have got something very nice and there will be plenty of food for those coming for meals or friends and neighbours popping in. There is no way I am starting the New Year owing money.

Hi CS, yes, I monitor what I'm spending week by week anyway, so no different at Christmas. If I can't afford it, I don't buy it!

Yes I am. I have monitored my spend and have got some food bargains that have gone into the freezer and will make for excellent eating over Christmas and New Year. The presents are within budget and I will do some fancy wrapping this week with all of the bits and pieces of trimming that I save through the year. I've just read this through and it sounds horribly self-satisfied, but I do think it is possible to have a great time and eat very well within a limited budget. Planning and restraint is what is needed.

The replies received are from the stalwarts on this site, the one's who I would describe as the financial savvy amongst us.

I suspect that there are many who, despite all the media coverage of the economic pitfalls and the need to live within our means, will spend recklessly now and still be paying for it this time next year.

In fact I know of someone who is still paying off for last Christmas and factored into that is the debt accrued from previous years and so, in truth, it just becomes a difficult financial merry-go-round of never ending spending!

It's such a temptation to people who just can't resist spending money they haven't got and so very easy with all the cards available. Some just do not have any idea how to manage money and especially if they have or had parents who didn't save either.

I was brought up by fantastic parents who gave me great advice in life and it started when I was about three year's old with my green money box from the bank which I put my threepenny bits in and you couldn't get it out until you took the box to the bank. I was taught always to put
that money into the bank account my parents' had set up for me and that has been the same procedure throughout my life. I feel very lucky that I was married to my first husband who was terrific with money and kept the accounts spot on and who taught me how to keep the account book and I still do it the same today but on the computer and have been lucky enough (or worked hard enough) to have ever been in debt. I have tried to teach my children the same and one just doesn't have a credit card and the other hasn't much money coming in but tries very hard to eke it out.

So I honestly think it is up to the person themselves to say NO I am not going to get myself in debt for one day a year and cut completely down on everything including lifestyle, holidays, etc. until I am out of debt and only if millions say this to themselves will they succeed. Sorry not lecturing but trying to help as the temptations are so great and I know for some to hard to ignore. Once in debt thought it is a terrible thing to get out of and I have seen many friends go through it and have usually had to dib into my savings to help them out.

Same as many other replies - everything has been bought and paid for and if I don't have enough money I do without things till I can afford it. No debts means less worries and stress ... I couldn't enjoy christmas if it left me in debt.

Good to see you popping up again Wendi and hope you are enjoying your winter holiday. I envy you as it's really cold in Yorkshire at the moment like most other places.

I have borrowed some money from my savings account and should be able to replace that by the end of January/February, but I really hate taking money out of there.