Stay in charge of your Christmas spending

Last minute gift buying can lead to impulse purchases and Christmas costs becoming higher than they need to be. So before you go shopping make a plan. Think about who you still need to buy for, what they might like and set a spending limit for each person. Remember it’s the thought that counts, not how much you spend.

Making a shopping list and taking it with you is a good way to avoid making impulse purchases. This goes for the Christmas grocery shop as well. Think about how many people are coming for dinner and what you’ll have. Invite family members to contribute. People love bringing their special dish and it’s a great way to share costs.

Make the most of shops offering free Christmas gift-wrapping, this will save buying wrapping paper and is one less thing to think about as Christmas Day approaches.

If you can’t find the time to get to the shops, think about buying online. It can save time and makes it easy to compare prices and get the best deal.

Avoid putting too much on your credit card. Unless you can pay it off in full when the bill arrives, Christmas will cost you more than you budgeted for.

Try using the Christmas spendometer on Sorted.org.nz. It compares the costs of different payment methods so you can decide on the best way to pay for your Christmas purchases.