How to nail your Christmas prep in October

If you like to celebrate a full-on Christmas, or at least enjoy a few Yuletide festivities, it can be an expensive time of year. Fortunately you can spread the cost by planning ahead, so here are some prompts for easy thrifty Christmas prep in October.

Everybody has their own way of doing things, and these are just a few reminders and ideas for getting ahead this month. Remember, you don’t need to do everything all at once, but it’s also great not to try do everything at the last minute.

Advantages of October Xmas planning

If you’re starting your festive preparations this month, that gives most people three pay packets to spread out the cost. Unless you did some last month, of course!

There are also some good deals around in October, especially for travel, and now’s when most big shops set out their Christmas stock. It’s also the best availability for those supermarket home delivery slots.

The ‘Christmas prep in October’ checklist

Getting organised now can make life much easier in the weeks to come. Here are a few ideas to think about.

General & social Christmas plans

Planning where you’re going to be, and who with, is generally better done sooner than later – so many other variables hinge on these decisions.

• Are you travelling to see relatives or friends?
• Are you going on a festive holiday of some sort?
• Will you be hosting family or friends?
• Are you planning a long celebration or a shorter one?
• Do you want to have a busy/noisy or relaxed/quieter break?

If there’s something you really want to do (or something you really don’t want to do, like hosting your sourfaced Great Uncle Eric who never chips in, stays for 11 days, and drinks all of your whisky before finally effing off) then MAKE PLANS sooner rather than later!

Invite people over, or check if you’re invited somewhere, or make it well known that you’re not hosting this year and having a quiet one / going away (sorry Great Uncle Eric, maybe another time?). There might be a bit of negotiating to do if you’re part of a group that take turns in hosting, but try to have that conversation soonish if you can.

If you’re having guests to stay, now might be a good time to finish that DIY or decorate the spare room (see B&Q offers), or sort out foldaway beds (try Dunelm) etc.

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You might also want to think about social plans, meeting up with friends and neighbours, work do’s, and things to do over the festive break. That could include:

• Cooking a meal for friends, or having drinks and snacks or a full-on party
• Going out for lunch or dinner at a restaurant
• Other activities: shows for kids, pantomimes around the UK, Christmas fairs and other events, carol singing or religious services, Nativity plays or other school events, watching a spooky or cute Christmas movie, or anything else you like

Definitely schedule some quiet nights in too, in case it gets hectic.

Christmas food & drink prep in October

Now is a good time to get ahead of the festive food prep, to spread the cost and make sure you have the essentials in.

Basic planning ahead ideas for this month:

• Researching recipes and planning menus
• Booking special festive slots + food for Click & Collect: Booths Xmas Food To Order (from 10th Oct), M&S Christmas Food to Order, Morrisons Food to Order, Food to Order by Sainsbury’s, Tesco Festive Food to Order, Waitrose Xmas Click & Collect.
• Booking a supermarket home delivery slot: ASDA (from early Oct, not confirmed yet), Co-Op Foods (opens mid Oct), Iceland Foods (for general stocking up – Xmas week dates not released until Dec), Morrisons (Delivery Pass customers from 2nd Oct, general from 9th Oct), Ocado (SmartPass), Sainsbury’s (from mid-Oct), Tesco (late Oct / early Nov), Waitrose (from 2nd Oct for everyone).
• Stocking up on drinks offers: Tesco, Morrisons, ASDA, Laithwaite’s, Majestic Wine, Waitrose Cellar.

There are usually a few good multi-buy offers and 3-for-2 food deals around in October, plus many supermarkets already have 25% off 6 bottles of wine, prosecco or champagne too.

Check out my guide to the best value supermarket prosecco, cava & other sparkling wines for 2024

You could also pick up some of these in October and store them:

• Baking ingredients and decorations
• Anything shelf stable: biscuits, tins of sweets, jars of cranberry sauce, gravy granules, custard powder, jars of pickles or whatever you prefer
• Frozen foods: turkey or chicken, other meats, vegetarian or vegan centrepieces, icecream, showstopper desserts, ready made puff pastry or party foods
• Soft drinks, beers, spirits, mixers, cocktail ingredients

Most things are cheaper if you make them yourself, and October is a month when you can get a headstart on lots of food and drink. From-scratch prep could include:

• Making some sweet mincemeat recipes like this Delia Smith one (may need time to mature)
• Making your own pastry for mince pies and freezing it
• Making cookie dough or gingerbread dough and freezing it
• Baking Christmas cakes (most people like to make them 6 to 12 weeks ahead)
• Making sloe gin, or blackberry liqueur now so it has time to infuse
• Making Christmas chutneys, pickles and relishes
• Putting together savoury pies and bakes for the freezer
• … and anything else you like, as long as it can be stored safely

Travel arrangements in October

Once you know where you stand with the big stuff, you can get booking or sorting:

• Save big on train tickets, bus, boat, rail or plane tickets – early October is generally the best time to find cheap advance tickets
• Get the car serviced if needed, or book a rental such as Zipcar, Hertz or Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Book a cheap hotel room for yourself or your guests at Travelodge UK, Booking.com or Hotels.com

Homemade Xmas prep in October

If you like your arts and crafts, get started early by:

• Deciding what you’re going to make this year, if you haven’t already
• Buying craft supplies and fabric – find some great deals at Hobbycraft, Cass Art and The Works this month
• Making cards, wrapping paper, reusable bags or wrappings
• Making a few room and table decorations
• Creating homemade gifts such as toys, soaps, scarves and jumpers
• Making things for sales and fairs, or charity events

Christmas gift shopping in October

If you’re buying gifts, start by deciding your budget. Talk with other people about it, and manage expectations if you need to.

You might like to keep gifts below a certain price, set a spending limit per person, keep the gift-giving to children only, or do a Secret Santa where everyone gets one thing to open. It’s all up to you, but it usually does help to mention it nice and early.

Start finding out what kids might want, if you haven’t heard already. Ask close relatives or friends if they specifically need/want anything.

Then move on to any of these next steps:

• Work out exactly who you’re buying gifts for (making a list and checking it twice) & track prices.
• Browse gifts on offer in department stores: Boots, Debenhams, Dunelm, House of Fraser, John Lewis, M&S, Matalan, Oliver Bonas, Selfridges.
• Snap up a great beauty calendar before they sell out: Anthropologie, Boots, Charlotte Tilbury, Cult Beauty, Elemis, Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols, John Lewis, Liberty, Look Fantastic, Marks & Spencer (from 24th Oct, £50 when you spend £35, worth £300+), Next, Sephora, Space NK.
• Look out for payday sales, flash offers, newsletter or app discount codes, early bird deals, 3-for-2s and end of season sales.
• Amazon Prime customers have Amazon Prime Big Deal Days on the 8th & 9th of October (but always compare prices with other shops).

Buy a few things this month so you don’t have to do it all later.

Are you doing any Christmas prep in October this year?

Leave a comment in the box below and let us know what you’ve been up to.

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