Are you the type to do all your Christmas shopping in the sales in January, or are you more inclined to panic-buy on Christmas Eve and end up paying over the odds for your pressies?
Whichever your spending style, the Daily Mail today reports that the average person in the UK spends £530 during Christmas, and that 1.4 million of us - that's three percent of the nation - will look to payday loan firms to help carry the cost of Christmas. Why? Because we can't afford to save up what we'll spend at Christmas.
The paper reports:
"The research by Money Advice Service found we are increasingly struggling to afford Christmas with some so strapped for cash they won't be buying anything at all."
The Money Advice Service has also issued advice on how to save money this Christmas, and it includes tips such as keeping back some cash to cover January's bills, and making small daily savings now so that you won't be strapped for spare cash come Christmas.
Crucially, they foolishly neglected to mention relying on your favourite money-saving website for pennywise parents.
Joking aside, I've already saved a small fortune on Christmas presents this year, although if I spend so much as another pound on Disney Frozen merchandise for the little film fans in my life, I might well be looking up the phone number of those pay day loan companies in the New Year...
Seriously, though, we'd love to hear your best money-saving tips for making Christmas memorable on a budget. How do you make it work? And do you spend significantly more (or less?) than the average Christmas spend of £530 per person?
Leave us a comment here or pop over to our Facebook page to join in the conversation - and find some new money-saving tips just in time for Christmas!
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