It might be rather close to the deadline to get all your Christmas shopping done online by right now but so long as you haven’t spent up to your credit limit already then you should be able to have some fun dashing around the New Year sales, all from the relaxed comfort of your own home!

Just think, pancacked on the sofa with a lovely mug of Choc Hotlate, scratching the cat as you check out all the offers that are on the high street and even the rest of the world instead of trudging from shop to shop, through the huddled masses in the snow and drizzle of an cold grey January afternoon.

My Christmas list consisted of a macbook, a blender, strictly for Daiquiris and smoothies you understand, and a slimline dishwasher. Not very romantic or thrilling I know but it is something I need and if he manages to find me something rather more exciting, all well and good, I can find the rest in the sales and, hopefully, save myself a bomb!

In fact, I think I’ve come up with a great idea. In order to save a bit of cash and cut out all that pre-Christmas bother leave it all out until the January sales! Sure do all the Christmas lunch and the Queen’s speech but buy your presents a few weeks later. That way you can opt between two things; either buy what you had planned and save all the extra cash for more treats for yourself or buy even more gifts for every-body else. Teach the young ‘uns about deferred gratification by explaining that they could have the presents they’ve asked for now or wait a week or two and rock up at school with all that and more! That might not work for the little ones but offer a teenager a deal like that and they’ll go for it like a dog with a bone.