Use our interactive 100 days to Christmas calendar to help you save more than £600

THERE’S 100 days to go until Santa comes down the chimney – and our countdown savings calendar can help save you over £600 in time for his arrival. Families spend a small fortune on presents, food and booze, but you can cut costs by planning ahead and bagging the best deals. We’ve rounded up the key dates and the cheapest times to buy your essentials to save you £600. Bank of England data suggests the average family spends over £1,600 in the festive period – with gifts the biggest cost. The average spend is a whopping £420 per child. Rather than leaving everything until December – when panic buying, last-minute extras and festive food can quickly blow the budget – savvy shoppers can spread the cost and take advantage of sales, loyalty events and seasonal price drops along the way From the first big toy promotions this month to Black Friday bargains, supermarket savings schemes and Boxing Day clearance sales, there are certain dates when your money could go much further. We’ve done the hard work for you – here’s your money Christmas calendar to save up to £600. September Start price tracking so you can benchmark what everything costs and can spot a bargain Credit: Getty September 16th: Start the 100 day Christmas challenge by saving £1 every single day from now until Christmas. By the time the big day arrives, you’ll have £100 ready to cover the turkey and trimmings. September 17th: Start toy shopping. Asda and Argos have already launched big sales and the Tesco Clubcard Toy Event launched yesterday, offering 50 per cent off some products. September 18th: Start price tracking. Make a list of what you need to buy and record today’s prices. This will give you a benchmark so you can spot a genuine bargain later. September 20th: Stock up on Christmas chocolates as supermarkets start the September price war around this point. Tesco has already cut the price of 550g Quality Street tubs to £3.95 with Clubcard until the 29th. Check best-before dates before buying. September 25th: Do a Christmas ‘inventory’. Before buying wrapping paper, cards, decorations, stocking fillers, or candles, get every Christmas box out of the loft and check what you have left over from last year. Don’t waste money on duplicates. September 30th: Start scouring Vinted or other second-hand sites for preloved Christmas outfits and toys. Whilst not necessarily cheaper this month, there will be less competition than there is closer to the big day – which can drive up prices. Make offers between 6pm and 9pm as Vinted data shows this is when sellers are most likely to accept. October Buying a frozen turkey now can save money and prevents a panic closer to the big day Credit: Getty October 1st: Set a family Secret Santa. This could be particularly good for adults. Instead of buying five gifts for siblings or friends at £20 each, agree to buy one £30-£40 gift each, saving yourself £60. October 5th: Morrisons is expected to launch its Christmas toy event today and it’s one worth watching if you’ve got a More Card. In previous years, Morrisons has offered loyalty customers savings of up to 50 per cent, with Barbie toys, Hot Wheels and Squishmallows all included. October 13th: Buy your frozen turkey. Frozen birds are typically cheaper than fresh ones, and mid-October is when budget supermarket Christmas ranges start appearing. Last year Aldi started selling theirs for £15.99 on the 13th. October 21st: Smyth’s Toys and Sainsbury’s are both predicted to launch big toy promotions with discounts of up to 50 per cent on some products on this date. Aldi’s toy event will begin shortly after, on or around the 25th. October 25th: Tesco Clubcard Christmas Savers deadline. Make your final top up by 11.59pm. If you’ve put in £200 more, Tesco will add a £12 Christmas bonus. October 31st: Retailers will be keen to shift Halloween stock to make room for festive ranges. It’s a great time to stock up on sweets, candles and partyware that aren’t Halloween branded. November November is when you need to think about booze and chocolate advent calendars Credit: Darren Fletcher – The Sun November 1st: If you’re buying for a gaming addict then now is the time to start shopping for video games. Research from Idealo shows games are typically cheaper in November than September, October or December. The average cost is £26 in November, compared to £29.29 in December. November 15th: Asda Christmas Saver Deadline. If you’ve got at least £30 on an Asda Christmas Savings Card by 5pm, you’ll qualify for a bonus. The maximum is £15 when you’ve saved £280 or more. Bonuses are added by 9am the next day. November 16th: Start shopping for booze. Supermarkets often begin big pre-Christmas wine promotions in mid November. Last year, Asda and Sainsbury’s offered 25 per cent off when you buy six bottles. Make a note of the normal price of your favourite bottles so you know whether you’re really getting a bargain. November 24th: Buy Advent Calendars. Don’t automatically pick them up when they first appear in September. Standard chocolate ones are widely available and retailers often discount them as December approaches. For example, a standard 90g Cadbury Dairy Milk calendar cost around £2.50 in October last year, but by late November Asda had it for £1.50. If you’re prepared to gamble on availability, shopping for them on November 30th or December 1st can bring clearance reductions. November 27th: Black Friday. MoneySaving Expert analysed 50 popular products and found 37 of 50 (74 per cent) were cheaper on Black Friday than they were shortly before Christmas, with an average Black Friday saving of 34 per cent. However, Which? Analysed Black Friday pricing and found many discounted products were the same price or cheaper at another point in the year so do your research before you buy to make sure the discount is genuine. November 30th: Cyber Monday could be a good time to shop if someone has a laptop, headphones, gaming accessories or other tech on their Christmas list. But don’t simply trust the percentage discount advertised – use a price-history service such as PriceRunner before you buy. December With just days to go don’t get sucked in, stop shopping early to save cash Credit: Getty December 1st: Co-op Christmas Stamps. Collect a paper stamp book in store and buy £48 of £1 stamps. Cash in during December and you’ll get £50 off your shopping bill – a £2 bonus. The scheme runs year-round so you can buy stamps at any point. December 4th: Stock up on stocking fillers. B&M’s 3 for £20 toy promotion is due to start on or around the 4th. It’s a great sale for smaller children’s presents and stocking fillers rather than big-ticket Christmas toys. December 15th: Stop buying presents. Don’t get lured in by last-minute deals. Five extra presents for £10 each can quickly add another £50 to the festive total. December 20th – 24th: Yellow sticker reduction time. Supermarkets will start reducing fresh Christmas food that has to be sold quickly. If you are flexible on brands – or have freezer space – look for reductions on meat, vegetables, bakery items and party food.