Christmas saving for 2010 has started already

21 January 2010

UK savers have already set aside £3 million for this coming Christmas, according to one financial institution.

Members of the Yorkshire Building Society's Christmas Saver account have started saving in the first month of the New Year in order to spread the cost of the festive season.

The society has offered customers a fixed interest rate of 3.5 per cent, however the firm plans to close the account to new customers at the end of the month.

Sarah Lawrence, Yorkshire's senior product manager for savings, said: "It's great news that people are already getting into the savings habit for Christmas 2010.

"Whilst I'm sure next Christmas is the last thing on many people's minds, there's no better time than the present to start saving. A small amount put away each month from now will help ease the financial burden during next year's festivities."

Spreading the cost of the holiday season can be a worry for many people struggling to cope with the economic downturn.

Those who own their own home could ease the financial burden of Christmas by looking into financial schemes such as equity release.

Such policies allow property owners to boost their income with money taken from funds which are tied up in their assets.