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Like most reasonable members of society I make some charity donations. I do not contribute to every charity and I also try to contribute to local less well known charities. One of the main charities I donate to is involved with research into heart disease, it is a local charity specialising in research into chest and heart disease. I donate to this charity because it is actively involved in trying to find cures to various heart and chest diseases, it also provides care and assistance for people afflicted with heart and chest disease.

I totally hate being accosted on the street by those people trying to sign me up to donate to various charities, all it does is completely put me off contributing to the particular charity. I like to be in control of my choices and some student trying to get my details off me in the street to set up a direct debit to give to a charity just makes me angry. Another bugbear for me is getting tickets for prize draws through the post, the charity expects you to sell the tickets and send on the donations, I just return the tickets in the envelope provided to the respective organisation.

For my family money is tight, we are not extravagant and we try to live within our means, however we know that there are people worse off than us and we do make charity donations when we can. We are all aware of major charity campaigns that appear after a major natural disaster, but there are loads of less well known charities trying to survive that are not able to afford major advertising campaigns to encourage donations.

Heart disease is still Britain’s biggest killer and it is a major concern for me and my family, there are very few families that have not experienced a death from heart or chest disease, and therefore I do like to make a regular contribution to a local heart disease charity. I don’t give by direct debit but I do make regular donations, I also buy the charity’s Christmas Cards and support their other fundraising events. Clothing made by companies like Damart also appeal to me because a portion of the proceeds from their sale goes to the charity.

There have been many major advances in the treatment and prevention of heart disease and most of these have been funded through heart disease charities, research is ongoing into new treatments and also there are many campaigns to encourage all of us to change our lifestyles.

Donations to charities usually decrease in times of economic hardship, therefore it is essential to make some sort of contribution, however small to the likes of heart disease charities. I may have to reduce the frequency of my donating but I am fully aware of the absolute necessity for care and research to continue, therefore I will still try to make some donations.

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Although is it October and many sensible people have bought their Christmas presents there are still large numbers of us who have still to get the majority of our shopping. Whether present requests range from modern electronics, gadgets, clothing, fine jewellery or toys and play things we all like to get a good deal on what we buy. It may be a bit too late in the year to start any major savings schemes or plans for this year, but we will be wiser and better prepared next year, it is still possible to make really good savings on our Christmas gifts.

The key to saving money at Christmas is preparation and information. We need to inform ourselves of all the various sources from where we can make our purchases from shops, markets, fairs, and the internet to catalogues, product parties or even auction sites or house. Although it is too late to save money into an account for spending it is not too late to take some practical steps to make savings. Such steps should include:

Firstly, make a list. Lists are underrated but it is essential to know who we have to buy for; then set a budget, it is much easier to decide what to buy when we know how much we have to spend, then decide what to buy and for whom. Only buy some presents, perhaps agree with other relatives that each family will buy for a specified person. Some friends or relatives may prefer a visit from you rather than a present. Research the items, uses price comparison sites and look for the best deals, both locally in shops and more widely on line.

Look for deals such as 3 for 2, or buy 1 get 1 free/half price. When buying locally use cash, it is easier to stick to a budget when you can see the cash being spent, it is very easy to present a credit card and not monitor the spending, keep an eye out for local sales. If you are shopping online, use a debit card rather than a credit card, unless it’s for larger purchases where a credit card will offer better consumer protection.

Not all presents need to be bought, consider making presents, these could be knitted items such as scarves or gloves, or even bake Christmas shortcake or mince pies and hand deliver them. Although it is perhaps a bit risky, it could be very fruitful to leave buying presents to the very last minute. Many shops start their January sales on Christmas Eve or in the immediate days before Christmas.

Christmas shopping can be very stressful but if we are prepared it makes it a whole lot easier.

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