There’s no hiding from the Christmas mania now. Decorations and advent calendars have lined supermarket aisles for a month already and most conversations have turned towards counting down to the 25th.

As a December baby I love the festive buzz, but as I get older the financial burden of covering the mortgage, bills, and Christmas costs – especially as a freelancer with irregular income and delayed payments – weighs heavily on my mind.

As a child, I remember wanting to buy Christmas gifts for all of my school friends which, rather embarrassingly, came out of my parents’ pockets. My mum encouraged me to start saving for the festive season so I could buy my own gifts, so I started squirrelling £1 away every week from chores into a dedicated “Christmas pot” in the same way she always h

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