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We’re halfway through the year and most of us haven’t even had our summer holiday yet. So any thoughts of turkey and tinsel are simply non-existent right now.

But, if you want a debt-free Christmas , now is the time to put a savings plan in place.

A third of Brits started this year with a financial hangover from the last festive season and it will take them until September to repay the debt. And for a third of them, it could take the whole year according to research from rewards website GetPaidTo .

However, a little early planning and putting a bit away each week could see you building up a fund so you can enjoy a happy Christmas without the worry of getting into debt.

Start saving now and you won’t have that November payday panic or, worse still, have to rely on expensive overdrafts and credit cards.

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Andrew Hagger from Moneycomms.co.uk says: “You need to set yourself a target of how much you want to save into your Xmas fund and then you’ll know what you’ll need to do to achieve it.

“Remember, try to put aside what you can afford each week and every pound you find this side of December 25 is one less to find in the New Year.

“The best idea is to open a separate savings account at your bank or building society for your fund, otherwise if you leave it in your bank account you may be tempted to dip into it. So keep it out of reach, plus you’ll earn a little interest along the way.”

The interest you earn on savings accounts won’t make you rich, but don’t let that stop you putting away a bit each week (or month) for Christmas.

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GETTING STARTED

The first thing to do is to set up a regular standing order to a new savings account – either weekly or monthly. If you prefer to deal in cash, then perhaps get a big jar to start your Xmas fund – but keep a note of your balance as it grows.

Here’s an idea of how much you can save by Christmas depending on your weekly savings:

Based on saving for 25 weeks

£5 per week = £125

£10 = £250

£15 = £375

£20 = £500

£25 = £625

HOW TO FIND THE CASH TO SAVE

To enable you to find the extra room in your budget to make these savings, try a few changes to your normal everyday spending habits. These eight have been successfully tried and tested by Mirror readers:

1 Make your own packed lunch rather than shelling out for expensive shop-bought sandwiches. Even if you only do this a couple of days a week you can easily save £6 per week – that’s £150 by Xmas.

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If you can give up smoking altogether you will save huge amounts and it will be much better for your health. If you can’t, try cutting back. Smoke two cigarettes less per day (at an average 45p each) and you’ll save £157 by Christmas.

Don’t give up all your small treats but cutting back on two shop-bought coffees each week at £2 a pop will save you another £100 by the festive season.

2 Don’t impulse buy at the corner shop. Instead, plan your meals, write a shopping list and go to the supermarket just once each week. Don’t forget to use up the food in your freezer and store cupboards.

In the past, Mirror readers have shown that it’s possible to save between £10 and £30 per week by doing this – and they didn’t throw half as much food in the bin. So you could save up to £750 by Xmas doing this.

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3 As well as simple lifestyle changes that can free up money each week, there are some basic one-off tasks you can do to help contribute a bit extra to your festive fund.

Sell your unwanted stuff, such as those CDs, DVDs, clothes or that old mobile phone gathering dust in the drawer.

Rake the cash in via eBay.co.uk or even at a local car boot sale and you could easily pocket between £50 and £100 for three or four hours of your time.

4 Axe those unnecessary standing orders and direct debits. Go through your bank statement and cancel all non-essential direct debits, such as that gym membership you never use, dental plans, magazine subscriptions etc.

The sums may not seem large, but every little helps and it’ll soon mount up.

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5 Consider switching your current account. You can earn up to £150 just by switching banks – a great way to add to your Xmas fund. Just make sure the account works for you – if you’re always in the black look for one which pays you interest or rewards. If you dip into the red now and again look for an account with low

overdraft interest charges.

6 Make the most of discounts and Cashback at sites such as Quidco and vouchercodes.co.uk where you can save money at hundreds of shops and restaurants.

7 Don’t simply renew your car or home insurance, compare quotes from various firms to ensure you don’t pay over the odds. Compare rates at sites such as gocompare.com, MoneySupermarket and uswitch.com to see if you can get a cheaper deal. Just ensure that you are getting like-for-like cover and double check the excess charges.

Mirror readers have told us they’ve saved up to £120 on their car insurance and £40 on home insurance – so it’s definitely worth 20 minutes of your time.

8 Get a better deal on your gas and electricity bills. As with insurance, you can save some serious money off energy bills by switching to a better deal. It doesn’t take long and you can use a comparison site such as uswitch.com or the Mirror’s energy switch service which can take you through the process.

You can easily save hundreds of pounds doing this. In fact, Mirror readers have saved an average £311 per year via mirror.co.uk/energy.