

Can you believe it is only 3 months to Christmas?! The Christmas cakes are out at the shops and soon the catalogues will be in your mailbox. If you are worried about where the money for all the expenses is going to come from, these 6 steps to save $1500 by Christmas will help. Click through to view them all!

Step 1. Start saving your change

Every time you have a gold coin in your wallet put it into a jar. At the end of each day, clear you wallet of all gold coins and watch the savings add up. I did this recently and was putting aside $12-15 every week without even noticing it. Savings by Christmas = $150-$200.

Step 2. Cut back on your grocery spending

I’ve spoken before about how I cut my grocery budget to under $150 a week and now is the time to really cut back. If you can reduce your budget by eating less meat, choosing cheaper cuts, cooking in bulk and eating a few budget meals a week you’ll really build up the savings. $25 a week equals $325 by Christmas and $50 a week will have you pocketing $650!

Step 3. Start taking lunch to work

Even just eating lunch at work twice a week really adds up. Let’s say you eat a comparably cheap lunch at $10 twice a week. That is Christmas savings of $260!

Step 4. Cut back the coffee habit



Yes I know, you all just screamed in shock and horror! Can you go 2 days a week without cafe coffee? You can still get your caffeine hit with a home made or work brewed coffee but save that $4 twice a week and it will add up to $104 by Christmas.

Step 5. Sell some unused clothes, kitchen appliances, kids toys, books etc



You would be surprised at how quickly you can pull together a bit of cash by selling your unwanted stuff. Go through your cupboards and pull out a few items you don’t want or need any more. That spare sandwich press, the 2 bags of unused baby clothes, the kids bikes they’ve outgrown, an old desk you don’t use. Not only will it raise some extra cash but it will help reduce the clutter in your home. You can find some more clutter busting tips here. Christmas savings, $100+

Step 6. Take a break from take-away

For the next 13 weeks, make a commitment not to have any take away (or if takeaway is a regular thing in your home, reduce the amount of times you have it). Let’s say you are spending $50 once a month, that’s Christmas savings of $150. For many people it is more like $50 a week so that adds up to $650!

You made it!



For those keeping track, you’ve now got yourself a plan to save $1500+ by Christmas! Now write out a list of all the gifts and expenses you need to cover and try not to overspend this Christmas.