Thrifty shoppers should plan a budget for Christmas ... and stick to it

WITH just a little over six weeks left until Christmas thrifty shoppers should be planning their budget. Carefully managed spending now is the key to a financially happy New Year, says  Gráinne McGuinness

The first and most important rule when planning is to start with your budget. Spending willy-nilly and then trying to figure out how to pay the bills afterwards is the road to misery. Sit down and work out how much you can afford to spend. Then decide who and what to spend your money on to have the best Christmas possible for that amount.

Write out everything you would like to get and everyone you would like to buy for. Don’t forget to include food and socialising as both eat up a lot of money around the holiday season.