Christmas will be different for a lot of families this year, as the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze all our wallets.
Two-thirds of adults are worried about being able to afford Christmas dinner, according to a survey carried out by the Salvation Army.
The research also found that 14% of parents cannot afford to buy their children a present.
But there are ways to still have a magical Christmas - all while keeping costs down. They key is to plan ahead - and there is still time to save cash.
We explain everything you can do now to make the festive season more affordable - plus how to avoid a January financial hangover.
Don’t plan the ‘perfect’ Christmas
There is this expectation that Christmas has to be the “perfect” day.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with buying presents and nice food - but don’t put yourself into a panic if your budget doesn’t stretch far.
Be realistic instead and look at what you can afford.
Your loved ones would rather spend time with you than see you spend money you don’t have.
Suggest a family secret Santa
One way to save money on presents is to suggest a family secret Santa.
Instead of buying a present for everyone, you draw names out of a hat and only buy for one person.
This way, everyone still gets a gift - and you're not having to spend a lot of money.
As a family, set a budget of how much you'll spend on each person as well.
Or if you're really struggling, be open and honest and make an agreement not to spend anything this year.
Keep the cost of presents down
If you are buying gifts, always make sure to compare prices and shop around.
There are tonnes of websites you can use, including PriceSpy, Idealo and Google Shopping.
If you're buying online, always look out for discount codes and see if you can save money by signing up to mailing lists.
Check the delivery costs as well - as sometimes it might be cheaper to click and collect your order, compared to home delivery.
Another tip is to make sure you use cashback websites when purchasing gifts online. Topcashback and Quidco are two of our favourites.
Cashback sites do as their names suggest - you get money back for qualifying purchases.
Make extra money now
Go through your cupboards and your loft and look for anything that is gathering dust - if you don't need it, then sell it for a pre-Christmas cash boost.
If you are selling goods casually - so not making a business from it, or trading on a regular basis - then it is unlikely you'll need to pay tax on this.
But if you're selling regularly to make a profit, you might need to pay tax if you make over £1,000. See Gov.uk for more info.
Another way to make extra cash is to take on a savings challenge.
For example, there is the Monday to Friday challenge, which is where you save £1 on Monday, £2 on Tuesday, £3 on Wednesday, and so on.
You then reset and start again the next week. Each week should see you save up £15.
Start this challenge next week, and you'll have saved up £45 by December 23.
If you have more cash to spare, start by putting £1 a day away this Saturday and increase this amount by £1 a day.
So you would save £1 the first day, then £2 the second day and £3 on the third day, for as long as you can afford to.
If you keep it up, you will have saved £231 by the time December 23 arrives.
Avoid getting yourself into debt
Don't start using credit cards and buy now, pay later just to afford Christmas presents - it isn't worth starting January with a financial hangover.
If you do get tempted to use a credit card, always be sure you can afford to meet the repayments so you don't end up with a black mark on your credit file.
Damaging your credit score means you could struggle to get another credit card, loan or mortgage in the future.
If you are considering buy now, pay later, many of the leading providers now also report missed payments to the major credit referencing agencies.
This could also have a negative impact on your file. If you're already in debt, we explain below how to start tackling it...
Look for the cheapest tree
Christmas trees can be expensive - so shop around now to avoid paying over the odds.
Aldi has one of the cheapest real Christmas trees this year, costing £14.99 for one measuring 1.5-1.75m.
Elsewhere, Ikea is selling Christmas trees for £25 - and for this price, you'll get a £10 voucher to spend in stores between January 9 and February 12, 2023.
This effectively takes the price of your Christmas tree down to £15.
Go for a frozen turkey - and snap up yellow stickers
Frozen turkeys are normally cheaper than fresh birds - or to save even more cash if you don't have a lot of guests, go for a crown or chicken instead.
The cheapest frozen turkey from Aldi and Lidl costs £13.49 for a bird weighing 2.8-4kg.
A small turkey crown from Aldi weighing 1.1kg costs £11.99 in comparison.
Or for a whole fresh turkey, weighing 3.245kg, you'll pay £16.06 from the budget retailer.
For all the trimmings, make use of yellow sticker deals.
Start searching you local supermarket now for anything that can be frozen and saved for December 25.
But what about after Christmas? We explain how to prepare for the New Year...
Christmas reductions
The Boxing Day sales officially start on December 26 - and this can be a great time to stock up on discounted presents for next year.
You may also find cut-price seasonal goods to put away for 2023, such as reduced Christmas trees and decorations.
Some retailers actually start their Boxing Day sales online on Christmas Day - so this is something to keep in mind if you have your eye on anything in particular.
Go through your bank statements - slash your bills
It’s really important to know how much money you have coming in and going out.
Ideally, you should aim to go through your bank statements every three to six months, so you have an accurate picture of your spending.
Are you spending too much money on takeaways and going out? Or are there any subscription services you can do without?
Now is also a good time to check if you're overpaying on certain bills.
Millions of people are out of contract on their phone and broadband and could get a cheaper price elsewhere.
Use a free comparison website online to see if you could save money.
Check your insurance policies as well to make sure you’re not overpaying.
Get energy help now
If you're struggling to pay your bill, talk to your energy supplier as soon as possible - ideally before you fall behind on payments.
You should also check if your energy supplier has a hardship fund that you can access.
British Gas has an “individuals and families” fund that can be accessed by anyone, not just its customers, and you could get up to £1,500.
Other methods of help to look out for include the Warm Home Discount scheme, Cold Weather Payments and Winter Fuel Payments.
And you might be able to get free help to make your home more energy efficient under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).
We've rounded up other ways to get help with energy bills here.
Sort your debts
If you're in debt, the New Year is a great opportunity to start fresh and tackle your money problems head on.
For example, if you have credit card debt, can you make use of a 0% balance transfer card?
These are where you shift your credit card debt to another card, but you won't pay interest for a set period of time - so you'll pay your debt off quicker.
Speak to the following organisations for free:
Put your money into the best savings account
The good side to interest rates rising, is that the rates on savings accounts are slowly creeping up as well.
At the moment, the top-paying easy-access accounts from Tandem and Atom Bank are offering 2.55% interest.
You will get money if you lock your cash away into a fixed-rate account - but keep in mind you won't benefit from future rate increases.
The top one-year fix right now from Atom Bank pays 4.35%, while a three-year fix from FirstSave pays 4.8%.
Sign up to supermarket Christmas saving schemes
Start putting some money aside for Christmas 2023 through supermarket saving schemes.
This normally involves saving up on a special card throughout the year, or collecting stamps, then getting a bonus.
You can get up to £12 back at Tesco by saving up your Clubcard points.
Sainsbury's gives you a maximum bonus of £25, while Asda shoppers can get up to £15 back.
See more about how each supermarket Christmas scheme works here.
