Where will you be doing your Christmas shopping?
We all have our own way of doing Christmas shopping. Some of us are ultra-prepared, buying gifts early and spreading out the cost; others will leave it all until the last minute.
Whatever your method, there`s a lot to be said for where you do your shopping. Retailers will be doing everything they can to attract your business this winter, so play your cards right and you could save a lot of money.
Supermarkets
You obviously won`t be able to do all your Christmas shopping in the supermarkets, but it`s probably the place you`ll buy most of your food, decorations, etc. - and they`ll be putting on plenty of offers and promotions to tempt you.
Indeed, Asda has announced that it will be reducing prices to save customers a combined £150 million - and Tesco`s offers will, it says, save customers over £250 million. Regardless of whether the other competitors make similar statements, you can be sure that they will all be cutting some of their prices.
Combine this with the various discount and promotional vouchers you can find in magazines, newspapers and in-store, and you could take a significant chunk out of the cost of the festive season.
Online
Done properly, shopping online could well save you the most money overall. Online retailers - in many cases - serve the whole country with relatively low administrative costs, and they can offer highly competitive prices on most things, as long as you don`t mind waiting for delivery.
This is great if you`re well-prepared and know exactly what you want to buy, but many people still prefer to go to the shops, browse and buy things in person.
Markets
Markets might not be as popular as they once were, but it still stands that they can offer a wide range of items at good prices. Food prices in particular tend to be good, and if you`re stuck on what to buy for someone, the sheer range of items on offer can help you to make up your mind.
Markets also give you the opportunity to `haggle` - especially if you`re buying in bulk - so you could make significant savings this way.