It's that time of year when millions of us engage in a festive spending spree which could leave us badly out of pocket.
Research by Lloyds TSB shows that nearly 60 per cent of us will spend more than we had intended this Christmas - with the average an astonishing £200.
But by taking a few small steps, it's possible to still have a great time without paying the penalty come January.
We asked the money experts to give us THEIR top tips on keeping all that spending under control...
ANNA BOWES
Investments manager at independent financial advisers (IFAs) AWD Chase de Vere
1) Budget! If you haven't saved up you need to sit down and work out how much you can afford to spend before hitting the shops.
2) Avoid store cards at all cost - the annual interest can be up to 29.9 per cent. If you really need to borrow, use a credit card with a zero per cent offer, such as Halifax's Purchase card, which has 0pc on purchases for the first 15 months.
3) Buy next year's Christmas decorations and cards in the January sales, and try to pick up some presents too.
Anna's Christmas Spend: I'll end up spending around £680 in total - around £450 on presents, £100 on food and drink, £20 on cards and postage and £110 on going out to parties.
MARTIN BAMFORD
Chartered financial planner at IFAs Informed Choice
1) Start early. I begin buying gifts and decorations in October so I can spread the cost. Try to build up your savings using an ISA or an account such as Skipton Building Society's Christmas regular saver, which pays 7.55 per cent gross interest.
2) Shop around for the best deals. I do a lot of shopping online using price comparison websites such as www.pricerunner.co.uk to find out the best deals.
3) Set a spending limit. If you do this before you set out for the shops, then you end up putting a lot more thought and effort into the gifts.
Martin's Christmas Spend: Around £500 on presents, another £100 on food and £50 on parties.
PHILIPPA GEE
Investments director at IFAs Torquil Clark
1) Use savings to add extra money to your wallet. ISAs pay interest-free interest and have good rates. National Savings & Investments pays 6.05 per cent on a minimum investment of £1,000 in its cash ISA. Or National Counties pays 6.26 per cent on a minimum balance of just £1.
2) Cut more of your outgoings to free up extra cash. For example, switch your utilities to a cheaper provider. Try comparison websites such as www.uswitch.com.
3) Avoid going into debt. It's not worth it for the sake of splashing out on expensive presents.
Philippa's Christmas Spend: I'll probably spend around £250 to £300 in total.
PHILIP PEARSON
From Southampton-based IFAs P&P Invest
1) When you go Christmas shopping only take with you the money you plan to spend. Leave all your credit and debit cards at home, so you resist the temptation to spend any extra. 2) Shop early. Snap up bargains as and when you see them.
By doing so you are not only likely to make a significant savings but also reduce your stress levels over this hectic period.
3) Try to avoid presents for children which need batteries. Very often these toys are the most expensive and are of little interest when the batteries run out.
Philip's Spend: I usually spend around £500 on Christmas - I normally get carried away when buying things for my wife!
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