Finance

Are you the kind of person who starts next year's Christmas shop in the January sales, or do you always leave it until the last minute and find yourself desperately rushing around on Christmas Eve?

Whatever your style, if you don't plan ahead and decide on a budget before you start spending, you can pretty much guarantee Christmas will end up costing you more than you intended. And what about all those rewards you could be getting by purchasing wisely. Maybe you are one of the 46% of credit card holders in the UK who aren't rewarded when they shop.

However prepared we are, with the extra special food shop, decorations, gifts and stocking fillers, the costs can easily mount up. So with the big day fast approaching it's time to review your festive finances and how you're going to keep a healthy check on your budget and make your Christmas spend really work for you. 

We can be very easily distracted by the sparkly Christmas promotions, sales and offers, and of course everyone wants to spoil their loved ones with the best gifts they can find. So how do you ensure you and your family have a cracking Christmas without breaking the bank?

In our HowTo video personal finance expert, Andrew Hagger shares his top tips for Christmas and January sales shoppers, and savvy shopper Alex Hall lets us all in on how choosing the right credit card to suit his spending throughout the year has rewarded him and his family this Christmas.

For more information visit www.sainsburysfinance.co.uk