Okay, so it may seem a little early to be talking about Christmas, seeing as Halloween has only just gone (and I've been buying Christmas gifts since September!) but it's worth talking about that magical, yet somewhat scary word now, so that you don't end up in trouble... yep, that's the one... money!

So this series of posts will give you a few handy hints to make your money go further this Christmas!

Part 1: Setting a Budget for Gifts

It can be incredibly stressful buying gifts for people, and knowing exactly how much to spend on each of them. I have a lot of friends, but I'm closer to some than to others, therefore I spend more on them. It's not unfair, it's just common sense!

So here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Firstly, you need to make a list of everyone you need to buy for this Christmas...

1. Nick

2. Carla

3. Sam

4. Laura

5. Stuart

.... and so on ...

Step 2: Give them a score of 1-10 depending on how important they are...

1. Nick    10

2. Carla    8

3. Sam     6

4. Laura    8

5. Stuart    5

Step 3: Total these up.... 10 + 8 + 6 + 8 + 5 = 37!

Step 4: Right, now let's say you have a budget of £50 to spend on friends... Divide £50 by this number...  so £50 divided by 37 = £1.35

Step 5: Now multiply £1.35 by your score out of 10....

1. Nick   10 x £1.35 = £13.50

2. Carla   8 x £1.35 = £ 10.80

3. Sam    6 x £1.35 = £8.10

4. Laura  8 x £1.35 = £10.80

5. Stuart  5 x £1.35 = £6.75                 

.... and that's how much you need to spend on each person!!!

It's quite a long, formulaic way of doing it - and trust me I definietly do not have a mathematical brain - but it works and helps to keep you on track!