What kind of Christmas shopper are you?

The big day is nearly here and for many of us, that means lots of frantic, last-minute rushing round packed-out shops.

If that’s you, you’ll probably be wishing that you’d started early rather than wait until the last minute.

So if you change your approach next year, remember that you’ll be in good company.

New figures from LINK show that around one in four people (26%) who celebrate Christmas and plan to buy gifts had already finished their shopping before Black Friday.

But at the other end of the scale, 7% have left it late.

Younger shoppers, in particular, are cutting it fine this year, with one in ten under-25s doing their shopping right at the last minute.

And in between these two extremes, nearly half of us (48%) are spreading our purchases throughout December.

Why it’s good to shop early

If you’ve found Christmas stressful this year, either financially or emotionally, it could be worth thinking about starting earlier next time.

Buying gifts earlier or over a longer period means you can spread the cost, rather than rely on a single pay packet.

And it means there’s one huge task off your to-do list in December, so you can concentrate on other jobs like planning your Christmas dinner and actually enjoying the festivities.

Planning ahead can also save you money, as you’ll have more time to shop around, compare prices, take advantage of early and avoid panic buying.

Shoppers keeping a close eye on spending

Of course, not everyone will be in a position where they can get their Christmas shopping done early.

But even just thinking about how much you plan to spend over the festive season could help to ease the pressure.

LINK research found that nearly one in five (18%) people have set money aside throughout the year to cover the cost of Christmas.

And over a third (35%) of people celebrating Christmas say they’re keeping a close eye on how much they spend.

Simply knowing how much you plan to spend and setting a budget for presents could make a big difference in the long run.