News | Personal Finance
4 Jul 2025 12:14
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Business > Features > Personal Finance

    Plan ahead to give yourself a debt-free Christmas!

    Beaches and barbecues may feel a long way off right now, but while summer holidays may be the last thing on your mind - they shouldn’t be.

    13 August 2011
    August is a smart time to start making plans for Christmas, because the sooner you start, the better off you’ll be when the weather turns warm.

    We all know Christmas should be a time of celebration and relaxation, but for many it is a time of stress, over-commitment and worry, especially as the resulting bills mount up.

    To ensure you get through this Christmas without getting in the red financially make a plan now to put money aside so you can enjoy the festive season. Even a small amount saved regularly can make a difference - you’ll be surprised how quickly it adds up.

    Think about how you want to celebrate Christmas this year. Consider whether you’ll be with family and friends and if you’ll be travelling or staying at home. Include the cost of gifts. Once you know what you’re planning to do and how much it’ll cost, use Sorted’s Goal machine calculator to work out how much you need to put aside each week to achieve it – without going into debt.

    If you are planning to take a holiday away it’s worth booking accommodation and travel early, as many campsites, ferries and baches are secured months in advance. Booking in advance also gives you greater choice of price options and you’ll know exactly how much money to put aside.

    If you did find you were paying off your summer holiday long after the warm weather ended this year, think about how you got into that situation. What do you need to do this year to stop it happening again?

    There’s plenty of time to get yourself on the right track if you start today. Christmas seems to come around more quickly each year – so the sooner you plan for it the more likely you’ll be able to pay for it in cash, rather than with credit.

    Sorted.org.nz is a free independent money guide, run by the Retirement Commission. As well as providing a range of information and tools to help you make the most of your finances, their savings calculators can help you save up for this Christmas.

    © 2025 sorted.org.nz, NZCity


     Other Personal Finance News
     10 Sep: Spring clean your finances
     10 Jul: Wise up to clear credit card debt
     07 May: Ways to prepare for the unexpected
     30 Mar: Time for a financial progress check
     10 Feb: Studying up on NZ Super
     10 Jan: Managing the back-to-school bills
     10 Dec: Stay in charge of your Christmas spending
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Fourth seed Jack Draper has been ousted by 2017 finalist Marin Cilic in the second round at Wimbledon More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Central Otago's Cardona Hotel is on the market for the first time in more than a decade More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Cardi B feels proud of her Whipshots success 12:06

    Rugby:
    Fourth seed Jack Draper has been ousted by 2017 finalist Marin Cilic in the second round at Wimbledon 11:57

    Entertainment:
    Liam Gallagher has no desire to perform on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage 11:36

    National:
    NZ will soon have no real interisland rail-ferry link – why are we so bad at infrastructure planning? 11:17

    Cricket:
    England finishes day two of second Test at 3-77, India scores 587 in first innings 11:17

    Politics:
    The Pasifika Medical Association continues to refute allegations of impropriety, over its funding of Moana Pasifika 11:07

    Entertainment:
    Jake Paul wants the "challenge" of fighting Anthony Joshua 11:06

    Environment:
    More weather warnings today for the upper South Island - with a Heavy Rain Watch in effect until 2pm 10:47

    Politics:
    A West Coast Tasman MP wants a 'mini-version' of the Government's fast-track system, to speed up consent processing 10:47

    Entertainment:
    Olivia Rodrigo expressed her "love" for England as she closed the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 10:36


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd