BELIEVING EVERYTHING YOU READ

A RECENT survey of 15-24-year-olds by Barclays found a third (30%) regularly look at celebrity or influencer social media accounts for shopping inspiration. While it’s great to get ideas, just remember you may not have the bank balance to match the lifestyle you’re trying to emulate. Clare Francis, savings and investments CHARITY shops are full of children’s toys, many of which have hardly been played with.

Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, says: “Younger children aren’t going to care whether it comes in the original packaging, so you can pick up second-hand toys for a fraction of the price.

“Adults, meanwhile, may well love a vintage gift.”

MANY of us will search online to see what other buyers thought before making a purchasing decision – but watch out for fake reviews, which could potentially mislead you into buying something which isn’t as good as you were led to believe.

Consumer group Which? says the signs of fake reviews could include them being repetitive, the language not sounding natural, such as sounding too much like an advert, or being too short or too long.

FINALLY – FORGETTING WHAT YOU’VE ALREADY GOT

IT’S EASY to get carried away when you’re rushing around the shops with Christmas songs being blasted into your ears, while stores’ special offers and bargain bins can also prove a distraction, making it easy to forget what you were looking for in the first place.

To stay focused, try setting out with a shopping list – and only sticking to the items that are on it.