How to save £2600 by Christmas: 10 ways to save during the holidays.

According to The Sun: Summer is over, and there are only a few weeks left until the Christmas festivities.

Yesterday, Argos released a list of toys that will be on children's wish lists. The most popular product is expected to be the Bluey Celebration Home Mega Bundle, which costs £80.

Don't waste time starting to save for the holidays.

Our ten-point plan will help you save £2621 – enough to cover the costs of celebrations and gifts, as well as have some left over for January.

Ticket Alerts

Saved: £78

Travel companies are starting to sell tickets 10-12 weeks in advance, with possible discounts of up to 70%. This can save £76 on the train fare from London to Manchester.

Don't hesitate – subscribe to alerts to not miss any ticket discounts.

Theaters also offer early discounts. The Exeter Corn Exchange reduced the ticket price for 'The Wizard of Oz' to £2 until September 30.

Party Planning

Saved: £94.90

Festivities can be financially burdensome, but many venues offer great deals.

All Stars Lanes provides a free round of drinks for bookings made by September 30 – that could save £94.90 on 12 glasses of Prosecco.

Furthermore, Simmons Bars are giving away Prosecco for bookings made by September 30.

Hollywood Bowl is also offering a 10% discount on party packages.

Early Shopping

Saved: £48

Start your shopping early to take advantage of discounts.

Morrisons offers a 25% discount on six bottles of wine or sparkling wine until September 30.

Baileys was reduced from £22 to £14.99 on Amazon.

Boots has slashed prices on popular brands like Lynx, Bulldog, and Dove by 50%.

John Lewis offers a 'three for two' deal on gift wrap.

Use price comparison tools to find discounts – good deals can be found on Dyson, Shark, and Ninja auctions.

The 'Bookend' Challenge

Saved: £130

Try the 'Bookend' challenge by saving £3 in your savings bank every Monday and Sunday.

By Christmas, you'll save £90.

Additionally, you can save £5 each time you hear one of your favorite Christmas songs. If you hear it twice a week from November 25 to December 25, that’s another £40 in your savings.

Check Bills

Saved: £150

Check your bills for unnecessary subscriptions and save that money for Christmas.

If you have a standard variable energy tariff, consider switching to a fixed tariff.

“Depending on how hard you are willing to negotiate, you could save £150 by Christmas,” says Sarah Coles from the investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown.

Switch to SIM Only

Saved: £80

One in five Brits are “paying twice” for mobile phones, according to Uswitch data.

This means you no longer have a contract, but haven’t switched to a SIM-only plan. By switching, you could save an average of £321 a year or £26.75 a month simply by choosing a new plan.

The switch could save up to £80.25 by Christmas, depending on your billing cycle.

Refund for Energy

Saved: £1177

If you've accumulated too much energy credit over the summer, you can request a refund.

Check your balance by subtracting payments for two months.

Last year's average costs for excess credit were £215, according to Ofgem.

Don't forget to check for payroll errors that can lead to overpayment of taxes.

The most common code is 1257L. If it ends with W1, M1, or X, you fall under the emergency tax code and are paying too much tax.

The average tax refund in 2023 was £1562, reports Rift Refunds.

Search for Lost Accounts

Saved: £450

In the UK, an average of £450 is sitting in forgotten bank or savings accounts.

About £4.5 billion is in such accounts, according to Moneyfacts.

Fill out the form at mylostaccount.org.uk. You will search through records of banks that have closed or merged.

You should receive a response about all your lost accounts within three months – just in time for Christmas.

Declutter

Saved: £179

If you have an item you haven’t worn since last Christmas, sell it on Vinted.

For larger items, try Facebook Marketplace.

The average seller earns £716 a year on eBay, according to Post Office data – averaging about £60 a month. This could bring in up to £238 from November to December.

Don't forget to upload many bright photos.

Boost Your Balance

Saved: £175

Be smart about saving and switch to new accounts – many banks offer new customers free money.

First Direct offers the largest bonus of £175 for signing up.

Switch £1000, make five debit card payments, and set up two standing orders or payment orders.

If you switch to NatWest, you could receive £125 or £100 from TSB.