Know Your Money guide to Christmas savings

With Christmas approaching it may be easy to spend more than you had planned, even with the best intentions not to. However, there is no need for you to be left with the financial equivalent of post-Christmas dinner indigestion come Boxing Day. With a few simple changes to your shopping habits - and following our tips - you can make the most of the festive season.

Set yourself limits

Before hitting the shops it may be wise to sit down and figure out who you need to buy gifts for and how much you can realistically afford to spend on each of them. By sticking strictly to this budget you should avoid any nasty surprises when you check your statement once your shopping is complete.

Take advantage of the sales

A number of high street stores will be vying for your cash in the run-up to Christmas and many of them will be selling items at sale prices. Gone are the days when sales began on Boxing Day and a number of retailers are already slashing prices to lure you instore.

But the high street is also offering bargains online. Argos has a number of products at reduced prices and if you spend £50 - £99.99 online they will provide you with a £5 voucher for discount off a future purchase. Those of you looking to spend a little more can benefit further as a spend of £100 or more will earn you a £10 gift voucher in return. The offer is valid under December 1st.

Woolworths is back online and their website has 50% off a number of a toys and games. Prices have also been cut on electrical and better still for your wallet, delivery is free for orders over £30.

Christmas favourite Play.com has a range of gifts ideas which you can tailor to meet your budget. The sites offers section has DVD's and CD's on sale from as little as £2.99 and video games starting at £9.99.

Compare prices, shop around

It may seem an obvious suggestion but it has never been easier to shop around for your Christmas purchases. Website mySupermarket.com allows you to compare prices from Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Ocado (Waitrose online), meaning that you can find the best prices for everything from Christmas puddings to bottles of Champagne. In fact it is possible to plan out your entire Christmas dinner from the warmth of your home.

Websites such as vouchercodes.co.uk and discountshoppinguk.co.uk may also save you pounds with money-off vouchers for a variety of retailers.

Use a 0% credit card

In the run-up to Christmas it may be daunting to think where the money to fund it will come from. Paying via credit card may be something that you are considering or something that would rather avoid due to the sting of interest rates. Therefore a 0% credit card may be beneficial.

As an incentive to switch providers, many card companies offer 0% credit card rates for balance transfers or purchases for a period of time.

One card worth considering is the Halifax All in One card which is interest-free on both purchases and balance transfers for nine months.

Make use of points cards

Savvy shoppers may have been making the most of points from cards such as the Tesco ClubCard, Boots Advantage Card and Nectar card all year round but if not then now could be the ideal time to start. Shoppers that are planning to spend a lot their cash in one store could particularly benefit from racking up the points over the festive season.

Those of you that have already got deals to take advantage of from your point could decide to use them to lighten the load of the seasonal shopping.