THERE'S A CREDIT CRUCH DON'T YOU KNOW

I love Christmas.

I love it for many reasons, but in summary for the chance to spend time with my family; to regress back to those childhood days, when you thought you might physically explode with excitement and anticipation on Christmas eve as you hung your stocking for the magical arrival of Mr Claus; for that panic feeling of knowing the supermarkets will be shut for an entire 24 hours or more, spurring you to fill every gap with ‘nibbles’, bread, booze and nothing of any use to make a proper meal with when the turkey runs out; but most importantly of all of it is the chance to select a gift for loved ones, and see their reaction when they get to open it.

With the credit crunch looming and tax cuts and interest rate drops representing the perfect example of ‘too little too late’, this year more than any other will likely be a squeeze. We have been looking very carefully about how you can make it the best year ever despite financial pressures just with a bit of forward planning and imagination. We felt it only right that we share these with you.

Online Shopping

It is pretty obvious but you will undoubtedly save a few pennies by looking for your gifts online, and also because of the postage process, you will probably be forcing yourself to look for prezzies ahead of time to ensure they are delivered in time. Try and get some presents ordered before the end of November to spread the cost.

Order your Christmas shopping online

Whatever pressures we are all feeling at this time of year, no one in this world needs to add to it by trying to battle the supermarkets at this time of year. I did it last year, although not strictly last minute, it was close enough to panic o’clock that the experience was among one of the worse in my memory. To spread the cost, start adding extra non perishables and booze to your current weekly shop, and find an agreed no go area for it to be stored in so you leave it alone until Christmas.

Fill the freezer

With long dark nights and loads of rubbish on television, we recommend buying a job lot of veg and meat ingredients and spending one afternoon for the next few weekends, cooking in bulk. Try cottage pies, veg soups, fish pies, mash potato portions, frozen fresh pizzas, and meatballs for a start. Pop them in foil dishes, or for sauces and soups, try zip lock bags, and then freeze them flat so you can fit more in. This will save time in the hurried evenings ahead, and save a weary chef from the struggle of the daily meal stresses.

Edible gifts

We do not suggest these for your nearest and dearest, but for friends or festive party hosts, why not spend some more time in the kitchen (maybe you could cook it at the same time as your bulk meals) and make some edible gifts. baking.about.com or bbc.co.uk/food or bbcgoodfood.com for ideas. Alternatively buy some large cheeses, and portion them out, wrap in some grease proof paper, and decorate with pretty ribbon. Make up individual cheese hampers this way.

Deal spotting

at the moment every retailer is looking for your custom. Be calculated and calm about giving it to them. Look out for great deals, and be specific about your list of aims so that you don’t deviate. Check out hotukdeals.com for info on any sizzling offers that you should have a look at.

Christmas outfit

If you have 53 Christmas parties to attend, you will be needing to think carefully about your party frock budget. For ladies go for a classic simple cut, plain dress – and then get thee to Primark and go accessories crazy. I dress can be reinvented hundreds of different times with the use of clever accessories. For chaps – a good fitting fancy pair of trousers and a few cheap shirt with plain v-necks can see you through without any real fuss. Get a hair cut just before festive season and invest in some decent hair product and you will look tip top until the next chop. Spend some time looking at George at Asda, TK Maxx, Matalan, Primark and Tesco for some cheap essentials.

Christmas cards

Get a weekend set aside before the end of November and get the really important people written. Beyond these really important people, save some money and send anyone else an ecard. Save money, save the planet, and save yourself a ton of hassle. Try these to get you started.

The Christmas feast

Get organised. Don’t leave the turkey until last minute. If you are going frozen, make sure you order it with your online shopping before it gets to the actual Christmas order. If you are getting fresh you need to be talking to your butcher today! When it comes to organising, make your stuffing a week before and freeze it, get some veg peeled and chopped on the morning of Christmas eve, leaving them in water until Christmas day, and finally think about giving someone the job of creating a warm hearty breakfast for everyone, to keep everyone filled up until lunch eventually appears at 5pm!

Gift Tags

DO NOT buy gift tags for your presents. Instead make some with the children when their Christmas hols begin. The actual recipe for fun and excitement is simply glitter and glue… Or you could cut up last years Christmas cards with some of those crinkley scissors. However for compete craft-phobes print our page of gift tags, print onto shiny card or photo paper, and use to make finding everyone’s gifts a little easier when they are all under the tree.

For Mums and Dads

The greatest gift of all is a memory of when you were little, of family fun, or of a moment saved in time by the magic of photography. Get some cheap frames from Ikea of the Pound shop, and if you like, personalise, and then insert a cheesy snap of you and them in days gone by.

If the whole family is struggling

Chat now about perhaps introducing a secret santa arrangement. Agree a max spend, and focus on one present for one person, with everyone else taking care or everyone else.

Wrapping

Christmas wrapping is a horrific job. And what better way to make it slightly less painful than gathering all your friends, get them to bring their pressies along, bring a couple of rolls of some cheap paper and a bottle of plonk, and keep each other company through the task.

If all else fails

Get yourself a cheap bottle of sherry, sit in the corner by the fire, drinking said sherry and then attempt all of the above. It will be much less painful!