“The Christmas shopping splurge is about to start. What are your best Christmas savings tips?”

There was a guy doing the talk show circuit two years ago and his suggestion was to “cancel Christmas”.

“Visit friends in the week before Christmas and share a cuppa. Christmas is about spending time with people, not presents,” was his message.

Mmmm. Sure. Nice idea. Remember you’ll wake up the loneliest person on the planet on December 25. And December 26. If you’re okay with that to save money, then enjoy watching reruns of Home Alone on your own, too … Grinch!

It’s not an option for most of us, particularly those with kids and big extended families.

My best savings tip is to put away all year for Christmas. If Christmas is going to cost you $2000, then stash around $50 a week from the start of February.

Given that won’t help you much in early December, let me dig a little weirder for Gen Xers.

Kris Kringles in large groups rock. Yes, it saves time and money, but if you’re a completely talentless present buyer like me, it means you only get one present badly wrong, rather than 10.

Bulk-buy booze. You can pretend you won’t drink much over Christmas/New Year. But you probably will.

Ditch the surprise element. Tell people what you’d like and ask the same. You’ll save a bundle on unwanted presents.

I’m always nice to my mother-in-law (bless her). Are you saying I only have to be nice to her one day a year? Cool!

Bruce Brammall is the author of Debt Man Walking (www.debtman.com.au) and a licensed financial adviser.