Making Christmas merry without the owe owe owe

Keep your festive focus to save cash and headaches

- By CAMILLA FOSTER

MARKETS, parties and presents bring much joy over the festive season, but the costs can really sting. We got in touch with Zoe Brett, financial planner at EQ Investors, who has shared her top tips on how to save much-needed pennies this Christmas and ease the stress.

PLAN AHEAD

"Planning out all of your Christmas spending, such as the travel, food, gifts and socialising, early will help you set yourself a realistic goal," says Zoe. "When you can look ahead, you'll be able to see if it's starting to look too expensive and know if you need to cut back."

If you buy everything last minute, you'll have barely any control over the cost.

"As it gets closer to Christmas, the prices tend to go up because everything becomes scarcer and scarcer, so people can charge more for them," says Zoe.

SET A GIFT BUDGET