Christmas is a notoriously expensive time of year and one which fills many families with dread. Budgeting for the big day can only help you so far so how can you save money providing your family with everything they need on the big day? Here are 8 ways that you could save some money.

Use your loyalty points

Loyalty schemes from supermarkets and grocery stores can help you to rack up some serious points which come in very handy for the festive season.

As well as the points you have saved up, some retailers also offer bonus deals where you can swap your points for additional savings.You may not have made the most of loyalty points this year but make sure to collect them next year to reap the rewards come Christmas time.

Research voucher codes

This may seem obvious but be sure to research voucher codes and coupons through websites such as NetVoucherCodes.co.uk if you are shopping online.There are hundreds of voucher codes out there, offering great deals, offers and money savings, you just need to make sure that you find them and use them!

Before you make any online purchase take a few moments to search for codes that relate to your purchase, you may be surprised at what you can find.

Use price comparison sites

The online world is a vast place and there are hundreds of retailers selling the same products, this means that there are usually discrepancies in price.Use price comparison sites or Google’s own ‘shopping’ tab to ensure that you find the best price for whatever product you are looking for.

Be sure to also take into consideration the cost of delivery and any other handling fees which may be added if the product is coming from abroad.

Don’t borrow

At Christmas time banks see a sudden increase in the number of people applying for credit cards.Borrowing at Christmas is always tempting but it can leave you worse off for the rest of the year, becoming a destructive cycle of debt.

Wherever you can, try to save for the cost of Christmas, but if you must borrow then try to obtain a 0% interest credit card which will allow you to pay off the cost of your purchases without interest for a fixed amount of time.It’s important that if you do this you are able to make the repayments before the 0% interest time limit lapses, otherwise, you will find yourself back in the same repayment situation.

Shop second hand

Charity shops and auction sites such as eBay can help you find amazing deals on products, especially vintage or retro gifts.Second hand is also a great option when buying gifts for young children who really won’t know the difference between a brand new item and one that’s second hand.

What’s more by buying second hand from charity shops you are also giving back, helping these charities to fund their good work.

Grab cashback

Although we’ve already established that borrowing isn’t ideal over the Christmas period, if you are confident that you can make the repayments without spending too much paying back interest then you can make a credit card work in your favour by choosing a cashback credit card.

Cashback credit cards reward you by giving you back a percentage of your purchase costs.You don’t need to commit to a credit card to see cashback benefits, there are also a number of cashback websites that reward you for finding and purchasing products through them.

Shop early (really early)

Shopping early can save you some serious money and by early, we mean really early, like in the January sales.Wrapping paper, alcohol gift sets, perfume and body products don’t go out of date and yet they are heavily reduced after the Christmas period.

Bag yourself some bargains and put them away until the following year.If shopping in January for next Christmas is a little too early then at least start a few months before Christmas when shopping for chocolates and treats as these are often heavily discounted for Halloween.

Create your own gifts

DIY gifts are not only personal and from the heart,  they can save you money too. Whereas gift sets and hampers purchased through shops can be pricey, create your own with the same products for much less and bespoke them to each individual recipient.

If you are feeling more creative you could create your own personalised gifts from scratch such as painted mugs, personalised poems or delicious home-baked goods.