Make the most of the Christmas sales

Find out how to make your money go further in the Christmas sales and get your hands on real bargains!

For those people who find the lights tacky, the carols annoying and the Christmas TV rubbish the festive season means one thing - the Christmas sales. When the clock struck nine on Boxing Day, hoards of bargain hunters headed down to the high street to cash in on the latest deals.

However while naive shoppers will simply be satisfied with the price reduction, savvy shoppers know there's much more to it than that. With a little know-how and the odd trick you can get a little bit more for your money and make the most of the post-Christmas sales.

Discount vouchers

Since the credit crunch hit there's been little to be pleased about when it comes to finances. But one upside of the recession has been the influx of discount vouchers. Websites like hotukdeals.com, vouchercodes.com and myvouchercodes.co.uk feature dozens of print-off vouchers for everything from 2-for-1's at restaurants to half-price vouchers for some of the major department stores. There's no law against using these on sale items so before you hit the high street in January get online and print yourself some money-saving coupons.

Use and abuse store cards

When you're at the till and waiting to pay the smiling shop assistant will no doubt ask you if you'd like to save 10% by taking out their store card.

But remember, shop bosses are not stupid. They're not offering this as a kind gesture in the season of goodwill. These cards come with a whopping interest rate - typically around 30% APR - meaning any money you make taking a card out is recouped by the shop threefold. Find out more by watching our video on the worst store card in Britain.

Instead of getting in debt, why not play the stores at their own game? Take out a store card, make the most of the discount (on top of the sale reduction) and then pay it off immediately.

If you can't repay the full balance then don't even consider store cards. If you must take out credit then go for a 0% on purchases credit card instead. This means you can spend interest-free for a set period. The current market-leader is the Tesco Clubcard credit card, which offers 0% on purchases for a year. Just make sure you don't transfer a balance to the card, or you'll get caught out by negative payment hierarchy (where you'll be forced to pay off you cheapest debts first).

Do not take out a credit card purely to splurge on things you don't need though. The sales can be great for buying those household necessities but even F. Lee Bailey could not argue that taking out a credit card to buy a Nicole Fahri faux fur coat is wise.

Advantage cards

Too many people are too blinded by the reduced price tag to consider they could save even more money and one of the most misused tools in shopping is the points card. These cards allow you to collect points while you make purchases through the year. Points mean pounds so the points you've accumulated can be used to spend in the store. Using these points in the sales mean you can really maximise what you've got. Don't collect points on your card just to leave it sitting in your purse!

RRPs just recommendations

We all know the old adage is true - size counts, when it comes to discounts that is. In fact, for many shoppers, it's not the final price tag that counts but the amount it has been reduced. Paying £100 for a rather plain cardigan may seem ludicrous at first but, find out it's reduced from £200 and it's a bargain!

But beware, recommended retail prices (RRPs) are exactly that, recommended. There's no law that says the shop would have had to sell the item for that price to begin with so while the RRP may be £200, the cardigan may have actually been selling for £120 before the sale. With just a £20 reduction it no longer seems such a bargain eh? Make sure you're not taken in by the RRPs on sale items.

Comparison sites

The sales may turn normally calm and collected adults into bargain-crazed fools. But before you hit the shops with nothing but your bank card and a desperate need for a pair of discount designer shoes, take some time to do your research. Comparison sites enable you to discover who's offering the best bargains and whose sales are nothing short of pathetic. The early bird may catch the worm but remember slow and steady wins the race - work out where you can get the most for your money before getting carried away in flurry of red sale signs and discount labels.

Try pricegrabber.com or nextag.com.

Set your limit

Regardless of how great the sales are you can't spend what you don't have. A bargain loses its point if you get yourself in debt buying it! Set yourself a spending limit and regardless of how strong the temptation, don't go above it. Remember the sales are supposed to save you money, getting to February with a pair of knock-out Jimmy Choos that you saved 30% on and a credit card bill that scares you to your very core is not the aim.

For more tips on how to save money on your shopping, read The best way to shop online or hop over to Q&A to get advice from other lovemoney.com readers!

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