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Christmas doesn't have to cost you loads this year. Thankfully, there are plenty of easy ways to make it a bit easier on the wallet; from using savings accounts or credit unions, saving up loose change or simply shopping around for early bargains.

The one thing we recommend you don’t do is join a Christmas hamper club where your money is not safeguarded (remember the Farepack fiasco in 2006?) Have a look at these alternatives and you could have Christmas 2009 wrapped-up by November:

1. Do some Christmas shopping now

Shop prices tend to go up and up the nearer we get to Christmas and with so many people beyond just immediate family and friends to consider, its handy to look out for any special offers, sales and BOGOFs (that’s buy-one-get-one-frees) as early as you can. You could end up saving yourself lots of money, plus you can feel smug amongst the stressed-out shoppers in December because you’ll have most of your shopping out of the way.

• Gifts

Amazon has got Harry Potter goodies such as books, dvds and toys starting from just £3.98. They’re also offering free UK delivery on items over £5 sold directly from Amazon – just make sure you select the option to group your order into as few deliveries as possible.

Toys ‘R’ Us has got fantastic deals for popular kids toys. Check out their Ben 10 Omnitrix watch at half price and High School Musical 18” bike with £30 discount.

For bigger kids, check out Argos for over £15 off a Nintendo Wii console with Wii Sport game and £15 off a Playstation 3 with 80Gb hard disk drive

• Wines and spirits

It’s definitely worth taking advantage of early deals on wine and spirits as you can put them away for when you wish to enjoy them! ASDA is offering 3 bottles of a wide selection of red , white and rose wines for £10.

• Food

Iceland has got fantastic bargains on frozen party food [http://www.iceland.co.uk/category/view/1/Frozen+food_Party+food] for the festive season at 3 for £5 or larger 60 piece spreads for £5; perfect for buffet dinners.

2. Use Cashback sites

If you prefer buying presents online to traipsing round the shops, use cashback sites to earn yourself money in the process. They work by sharing some of the commission with you that they receive from selling goods online so you can earn money every time you make a purchase.

Rpoints has no joining or subscription fee and also offers a £5 welcome bonus which you can redeem once you have built up £25 worth of cashback. There is 1p to a point; so 100 points is equal to £1. Your points can be redeemed and converted to money straight into your bank account or by Paypal. You can buy a range of goods from electronics to baby products, clothes and food and drink. Cashback Shopper also offers a £5 joining bonus plus £5 for every friend you refer.

3. Join your local Credit Union

Credit Unions have had Christmas savings accounts for years and their rates are pretty competitive – you can put as little as £1 in each time you make a deposit.

Each credit union has a ‘common bond’ which determines who can join it. This may be people living or working in the same area or those who are members of the same organisation, so ultimately, only your neighbours or colleagues benefit from your investment.

Credit Unions pay an annual dividend on your savings but you can take money out during the year if you need to. As with banks and building societies, your money is protected under the Financial Compensation Scheme (i.e. the first £35,000 of your savings is safe whatever happens to the Credit Union).

4. Collect coins

It’s simple and it’s old-fashioned - but it does work. At the end of the day or week, pick out all the loose change from your pockets, wallets and bags and keep it in a jar or envelope. If you do this every week it’s amazing how much you can save over a year.

At the end of every month, collect up the coins you have saved and haul them off to the Post Office, a Credit Union or a building society. That way you will earn some interest and the money will be safe from pilferers (including yourself!).

5. Buy things early

Ok, you’ve missed it for this year, but save for next Christmas by shopping really early in 2010. It doesn’t just have to be money that you save through the year. Start with any sales that catch your eye throughout the year and buy items for Christmas as you see them on offer. Christmas decorations, cards and gifts are marked down from just after Boxing Day so save money by putting these away for the next year.

Take advantage of the January sales for small presents and stocking fillers and you can always stock up on food like mince pies and crackers for the following festivities and freeze the stuff that won’t keep. Of course, this only works if you have space to spare!