Christmas Saving Tip | Look after the pennies

This tip is a little late for this year but definitely something you can think of and plan ahead for next - I know I know we haven't even got this Christmas out of the way!

I have a cute vintage piggy bank which sits in my hall keeping watching over my front door and every evening I go through my purse and any 1, 2 and 5ps are thrown into the pot. I also take any 10 or 20ps that don't add up to 50p and throw them in too and then just leave it to gather throughout the year.

At the beginning of December I took a heavy bag of change to my local change machine and cashed it all in. I was impressed to find I had nearly £70 in change which I promptly used towards presents and cards. I was good last year and actually brought a lot of cards in the sale but those for parents and best friends I like to buy at the time and this extra cash makes things a little easier on my bank balance.

Having seen this cash mount up and spent wisely I'm definitely encouraged to keep it up in 2014.

Does this sound a good idea to you? Don't forget to comment and let me know your thrifty tips for making Christmas expenses easier.