How to control Christmas costs

Rotorua residents should at all costs avoid borrowing money to pay for Christmas, says long- time budget adviser Pearl Pavitt.
"Whatever money you can get very easily is very hard to repay. Too many people go and borrow $1000 or $2000 for Christmas.
"If you can't afford $2000 go to the Two Dollar Shop," Mrs Pavitt said.
With just on three weeks until Christmas, Mrs Pavitt is urging people to plan ahead, if they haven't already, instead of having to struggle with buying 20 to 30 gifts a few days before Christmas.
"When you are in panic mode and grabbing anything, you spend more."
She said people could make homemade gifts like baking or sewing gifts. She said one year she made everyone in her family a sun hat. She also covers the inside of a Christmas card with coins.
"At the end of the day it's the thought, it's not the amount of the money you spend."
Recycling items like Christmas cards was also an option which she had done this year, using pictures and words from previous Christmas cards she has received and creating new cards.
People could limit the number of people they buy for.
Families could draw a name out of a hat and just buy for that person and have a set amount of money to spend.
"If you try to buy something for everyone you are fighting a losing battle."
She said a family could share a meal with one or two other families so the "burden doesn't fall on one person".
Mrs Pavitt advised people against joining Christmas clubs like Chriscos, saying it was better to join a supermarket scheme where you put money aside each week and were given more of a selection.
Meanwhile, Rotorua retailers spoken to this week said people had started their Christmas shopping but it had been slow.
They weren't expecting the rush to start until 10 to 14 days before Christmas.
McLeods Booksellers part owner Lynne Jones said children's books and books on cooking and fashion had been popular.
Simply Different owner Alan Sampson said laybys had been very popular.
He expected the next two weeks to be "nice and steady" and then the fortnight before Christmas to be a "madhouse".
The owner of clothing store Serious Fun, Derek Enright, said customers were starting to shop for Christmas gifts but it had not been as busy as the same time in previous years because of the recession "that we are now coming out of".
He also didn't think many people have given Christmas much thought yet.
 
HOW TO SAVE THIS CHRISTMAS
* Set an overall amount you are going to spend at Christmas
* Give homemade gifts like baking or sewing
* Give vouchers which entitle the recipient to such services as two nights' free babysitting or the lawns being mowed or something similar
* Take advantage of sales
* Know your limit and exercise control
* Share a potluck Christmas Day meal with other families
* Don't put your expectations on to your children
* Make your own Christmas crackers
* Have a list of who you are going to buy for and how much you are going to spend and try to stick to it.
* Each family member draws a name out of a hat and buys a gift for that person to a certain value