Your Christmas
Rough figures are fine. You can change them as often as you like.
Put aside each week
£0.00
How the calculator works
It adds up your Christmas costs, takes off what you’ve already saved and divides the rest by the number of weeks left. A week starts on a Monday, and the last one counted is the week Christmas Eve falls in, so the money is in place before the big shop.
The amount is rounded up to the next penny, so you never end up a few pence short.
Worked example
Sam and Jo expect to spend £800: £450 on presents, £180 on food and drink, £70 on going out and travel, £40 on decorations and cards, and £60 on everything else. They’ve already put £150 aside. Starting on Monday 12 October there are 11 weeks to go, so £650 divided by 11 comes to £59.10 a week once it’s rounded up to the next penny. If they wait until 19 October, it’s £65.00 a week.
Ways to bring the weekly amount down
- Agree a limit per person for presents before anyone starts buying, and write the names down.
- Plan the food shop by meal rather than by trip, so you don’t buy the same things twice.
- Move the weekly amount on the day your pay arrives, before the rest of the week’s spending starts.
Questions about saving for Christmas
When should we start saving for Christmas?
As early as you can. Starting in January spreads the cost over about 50 weeks; starting in October squeezes it into 11. Every week you wait makes the weekly amount bigger.
What should we include?
Everything that only happens because it’s Christmas: presents, the extra food and drink, travel to see family, nights out, cards and postage, and the tree.
Does Tidypot work it out the same way?
Yes. A Christmas pot in Tidypot uses the same Monday-to-Sunday weeks, takes the weekly amount off your safe-to-spend figure and updates it whenever you add to the pot.
General information, not financial advice. Last reviewed 10 October 2026.
Go into Christmas with a plan you both share
Tidypot launches in November. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you when it’s ready.