Christmas may seem an age away, but if you want to save money, now is the time to sort out your travel arrangements, says Melanie Wright in The Sunday Telegraph. To hunt for cheap bus and train tickets head to Megatrain.com. Type in the dates you want to travel and the site will come up with the cheapest options. This makes it easier to work out whether you're better off travelling by rail or road.
If you have a long journey home and are travelling by car, cut the cost by checking the 'Rideshare' section of Gumtree.com, says Wright. Here you can find a lift, or offer a spare seat to someone, in return for petrol money. Of course, if you do travel with a stranger, make sure someone else knows exactly who you are travelling with, their contact details and what time you should arrive at your destination.
Save money on Santa
It may seem a tad Scrooge-like to count the pennies when it comes to visiting Father Christmas, but a little planning can cut the cost without spoiling the magic, says Rosie Murray-West in The Daily Telegraph. Look for shopping centres offering free trips to Santa's grotto, such as Bluewater in Kent, now taking bookings at bluewater.ambrit.co.uk.
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And if you want a Father Christmas experience without the queues, get your children to write to him. Royal Mail offers a 'Write to Santa' service. If children send a letter to:
Santa/Father Christmas,
Santa's Grotto,
Reindeerland,
SAN TA1,
before 12 December, they will get a reply from the man himself before Christmas all for the cost of a stamp.
Get some cheap plonk
Wine doesn't have to be poor quality to be good value, as long as you know where to look, says Murray-West. Quaffersoffers.com rounds up the best deals from the supermarkets and specialist wine merchants.
Use vouchers
Personal-finance experts all say plan ahead with your Christmas shopping. They usually mean be on the hunt for presents year round to spread the cost. But if you aren't that organised, you can still cut costs if, before you buy anything online or in store, you check moneysavingexpert.com, or myvouchercodes.co.uk. Both sites list the current discounts on offer at most high-street stores and websites. For example, right now you can get £5 off any purchase over £25 at Body Shop.
Cheap suits for all
Moss Bros have reduced the price of their essential suit package from £180 to £49. The package includes a suit, shirt, tie and suit carrier.
Enjoy a cheap meal on Tesco
Tesco has added Pizza Express food to its clubcard deals brochures, says Martin Lewis on Moneysavingexpert.com. The value of clubcard points is quadrupled for everything in the brochure. So if you have a £5 Tesco voucher you can trade it in for £20 worth of deals ie, £20 in Pizza Express. Just order the tokens before 19 January and use before 31 January. And there are many other restaurants in the brochure if you don't fancy pizza. See tesco.com.
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