It might only be mid-September but the fact is that Christmas is only 12 weeks away and those 12 weeks will fly by in a flash. So if you haven’t already started your Christmas planning, now is the time to do so – some people would say that you’re already seriously behind as many people start planning for the next Christmas in January.
The good news is that when it comes to the festive season, there’s plenty that you can do to plan in advance. While there are some areas that you can’t deal with right now, such as choosing a tree, for instance, there are plenty of other things that you can get sorted out sooner rather than later.
Wondering what you can do when it comes to planning early? Have a read of the tips below and implement in your Christmas planning – these tips will make organising the festive season far less stressful and a lot more enjoyable so are worth taking note of.
Start saving
If you haven’t already started saving up for Christmas, now is the time to do so. If you are going to make this year affordable, it’s important to ensure that you start saving in advance, as let’s be honest, Christmas can be extremely expensive. The best way to save is to open a savings account that is dedicated to Christmas and put money in it each week as well as whenever else you can.
Say, you are able to put away £50 per week for the next 10 weeks, by a few weeks before Christmas you will have £500 saved up. It soon adds up, it’s just a case of actually committing to putting money aside each week, that’s all. Just think, by doing so you will make Christmas itself, far more affordable and much less stressful too.
Pre-order your food
While it might be a bit early to pre-order all of your Christmas food, there are some parts of your Christmas dinner that you can already reserve. For instance, you will be surprised but most butchers are already taking reservations for Christmas meats, for instance, so getting your name down early can be a good step to take.
Buy bits and bobs
If you are yet to start buying those Christmas bits and bobs, now is a good time to start. The more you can buy in advance, the better as the shops get mad around Christmas time and end up being a nightmare to shop in. So by doing as much of your Christmas shopping in advance as possible, you can make the process a far easier and less stressful one.
Whether you need to buy stocking fillers, Christmas puzzles for Christmas afternoon, or gifts for family members, shopping for a few bits and bobs early can not only be a great way to cut Christmas shopping stress but also to cut costs too. You see, at Christmas, a lot of the prices go up because more people are purchasing things, so it is often better to buy items beforehand to help cut costs. This is something that you should definitely consider doing if you want to keep the cost of your Christmas shopping as low as possible.
Get your decorations early
Christmas decorations are already appearing in the shops and believe it or not, now is the perfect time to buy them. It’s at this time of year that all of the Christmas decorations that you see in the shops are far cheaper than they will be in a couple of months time, so it makes sense to invest sooner rather than later. Plus, right now there’s a fantastic range of options to choose from, but in a couple of months time, most of the most popular decorations will start to sell out.
Christmas might seem like a long way off but the fact is it really isn’t – it’s actually just around the corner. In a few short weeks everyone will be obsessing over their Christmas plans, present buying and choosing the right decorations, and by getting prepared in advance you can miss a lot of the craziness and instead, simply enjoy the festive season.
Christmas is a magical time of year, but it can also be an extremely stressful one, due to costs, hectic shops, and so much to do, but by planning in advance you can make it more enjoyable again, and can spend the festive period focusing on what matters – your family and friends.
Images from Pixabay
