Christmas: Single mum's simple ways to save this festive season

There's just 97 sleeps until Christmas but don't panic! That is plenty of time to start planning your budget for the festive season.

All you need to do is make a plan, which sounds pretty simple. The trick is to stick to the plan.

That means it has to factor in all Christmas expenses, not just gifts but food, travel and incidentals.

With a plan in place you are free to enjoy the festive cheer. Most of the stress that comes with Christmas will have been removed.

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So let's start planning.

Step 1

Write a list of people you will be guying gifts for in order of importance. Immediately family comes first, followed by family, friends who are like family, and then everyone else you wish to purchase a gift for.

Step 2

Jot down any ideas you have for gifts for each person. This will help when it comes to planning. If you can't think of something for everyone, that's okay. This is a rough plan for now.

Step 3

Look at your budget and see what you can set aside between now and Christmas. You may have already started setting money aside. If you are planning to put Christmas expenses on credit, focus instead on paying down your most expensive debt in preparation.

Step 4

Do some online research into the gifts you'd like to buy for each person to find the most affordable option. Add it all up and you'll be able to see what remains to be divide up among the rest of your gift recipients.

Step 5

Make a list of Christmas foods you will need depending on if you are hosting or bringing a gift to the host and buy one or two of them each week when you are doing your weekly grocery shop.

Step 6

Head to a discount store and stock up on Christmas wrapping paper, gift tags and cards so you don't spend too much at more expensive stores out of convenience. The Reject Shop is good for this.

Step 7

Dust off your Christmas tree and ornaments and see what you'll need to make it look awesome. Ask family and friends if they have any they aren't planning to use that you can borrow or keep to top up your own. Your kids can make some too.

Step 8

Get the kids busy making special gifts for loved ones. A hand-written card or beautiful drawing will always pull on the heart strings of special relatives and be treasured much more than something expensive and meaningless.

Step 9

Set aside an extra $10 a week, or whatever you can afford, for incidentals such as travel or unexpected guests.