With Bonfire Night over

And our littlest baby officially baptised

It is time to look ahead to Christmas

I do do love this time of year!

Let the Christmas shopping commence

But first some purchasing advice

It’s easy to get excited in the rush of the festive season. There’s so much happening, and every store seems to be hosting a big sale or a selection of deals designed to help you save more money on your next purchase for a friend or relative. However, the truth is that spending all of your money before Christmas arrives could be a bad decision.

While you can save a lot of cash on things like Cyber Monday deals and Black Friday purchases, there are also many things that you can grab for a steal when the festive season is finally over. You can stock up on super-low-priced items around the end of December and January, and even use the things that you buy for gifts the following year.

Making the Most of the Deals
If you know that you have a lot to buy this year, you could even think about using the bigger deals that come after Christmas to your advantage by taking out a personal loan for some big spending. You can view the options here.This can help you to avoid racking up too much interest on your credit cards and ensure that you have everything you need for the following holiday season for a somewhat lower price. All you need to do is pay off what you borrow through the year.

So, which purchases should you specifically avoid before Christmas when you’re hoping to get your hands on the best deals?

1. Anything Holiday Themed
If you’re concerned that you don’t have enough decorations for your home, or holiday-themed items to give to friends, then you can purchase what you need at a huge discount after Christmas. While this means that you might not be able to use what you buy this year, you can also ensure that you’re prepared for the year ahead. Remember, this tip doesn’t just apply to baubles and Christmas lights, but also artificial Christmas trees, wrapping paper, and cards too!

2. Winter Jackets and Clothes
Retailers in the fashion industry are generally looking for any excuse to get rid of their extra winter inventory after the holidays so that they have more space to stock items for the spring. This means that you can often find deeply discounted winter jackets, boots, hats, gloves, and other items designed to keep you warm throughout the festive season. If you can manage to get through until the end of the year, then you can stock your wardrobe in January for a much lower price.

3. Gym and Health-Club Memberships
If you’re thinking of using your New Year’s resolution as an excuse to get back into shape, then you should consider looking at memberships in January, when your gyms are likely to be offering huge discounts on memberships that last for a little longer. Just make sure that you’re really committed to losing weight or getting fit. A lot of people waste money on a gym membership that they never take full advantage of.

4. Exercise Equipment
Speaking of losing weight for the new year, you might decide that you’d prefer to buy your own equipment, instead of signing up for a gym. If you can buy the things you need in late January, then you should save cash. Or you can look for second-hand items around March when people start to give up on their resolutions.

5. Electronics
Generally, you can get quite a good deal on electronic items like televisions, computers, and games consoles in the Cyber Monday sales that come after Black Friday. However, there’s also a chance to save in the new year too, when retailers are looking to get rid of old stock and prepare for the release of new and improved upgraded items.

6. Jewellery
It’s often tempting to purchase something sparkly for your loved one during the festive season. However, if you can wait until January, then there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to take advantage of the sales. In fact, you could even stock up on items in January that you want to give out on other occasions throughout the year, such as valentine’s day, wedding anniversaries, birthdays and Mother’s Day.

7. Toys
A lot of retailers stock up on toys to ensure that they’re prepared for the holiday season. However, this also means that they need to cut down a little on their selection when the holidays are over. If you want to prepare for next year, or birthdays, you can grab a lot of sale items in January, or in the days that come after Christmas.

8. Diaries and Calendars
If you can cope without a calendar or diary for a few days leading into January, then you could save some serious cash. In fact, you might find that some of these items are on sale for as much as 75% off, just because retailers want to get rid of “outdated” stock.

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