Build Your Christmas Savings

You might not thank us for pointing that out, but it really isn’t that long until Christmas is with us again. We’re almost three quarters of the way through the year, and before we know it we’ll be spending money on everything from gifts and decorations to all that lovely festive food and drink.

And for those who like to have their home renovation projects ‘done by Christmas’ there’s also the possible costs of redecorating a spare room so relatives can come to stay or buying new furniture. Whichever way you look at it, Christmas is an expensive time of year so thinking about your Christmas savings early, could make all the difference.

While lots of our members know us for the ethical and affordable loans we offer, helping people to save money is our primary focus. Every single one of our members is a saver – that’s something we’re hugely proud of – and encouraging people to get into the saving habit is one of our primary functions.

For lots of people, their first introduction to the credit union is when they open a Christmas savings account. For anyone out there who hasn’t already, it’s still not too late to open an account and start putting money away for your Christmas savings .

When you open a Christmas savings account with us you can choose exactly how you want to put money into the account, and how much. Options include payroll deduction, bank transfer, direct debit, standing order or benefit deposits. In each case, the payment can be set up to occur automatically, without you having to think about it or remember to make it happen. You can choose how much you want to pay into your Christmas savings account we can work with you to ensure that the amount you choose is something you can afford to set aside on a regular basis.

One of the big advantages of a Christmas savings account is that once the money is paid in it’s locked away to ensure it benefits you at the right time. Members can’t withdraw from a Christmas savings account until the start of November, and any withdrawals must be made by the last working day before Christmas, and the money is then locked away until the following year.

We do it this way for the Christmas savings account because our members have asked us to. We know how hard it can be to resist the temptation to take a little bit out of the savings pot when an unexpected cost arises. For that reason, we often encourage people with a Christmas savings account to have another, standard savings account which is accessible all year round, that they can dip into anyway.

But by putting money aside into a specific Christmas savings account you can ease that huge pressure on the December wage packet by building up a pot of money to take some of the strain. We know from experience that even putting a small amount aside on a regular basis can soon build up to become a useful amount of money, and that savings in the run up to Christmas can make all the difference. During the period that your Christmas savings account is operating you’ll be able to view the savings balance using online banking.

Just knowing that you’ve got an amount set to one side could help to bring some calm to what can often become a highly stressful time of the year. When the time comes, you’ll be able to fund that spending spree safe in the knowledge that you’re not running up credit card bills or eating into the money you need for everyday expenses.