Preparing for Christmas is sometimes more stressful than magical, but with it just around the corner time is running out if you want to be prepared.

Maybe more than ever parents are looking for ways to keep the festive feeling without breaking the bank, but that might be easier said than done.

Luckily, one savvy mum-of-four shared how she has a stress-free Christmas – and it starts loads earlier than you might think.

Sharing her tips on TikTok, Aylin Eastman explained: "My biggest tip is always going to be to start on boxing day."

Although this might seem ridiculously early to start thinking about Christmas it really helps with keeping costs low, the mum said.

"After Christmas everything is reduced in the shops," she explained.

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"You can buy so much more stuff to put away for next year like toys, gift sets, any of it."

Aylin and her partner Jeff keep a box in the loft were they store any bits and bobs the pick up after Christmas and throughout the year so everything is out of sight from their kids.

"When we buy things that are on sale or on offer we just put them in there," she explained.

Aylin told Fabulous: "I’ve always tried to keep costs down at Christmas and birthdays since my first was born seven years ago, when she had her first birthday and played with the wrapping paper more than her presents I decided that babies didn’t need expensive gifts!"

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As the savvy mum's kids got older their interests switched to specific branded toys and gifts, so she began to track toy sales year-round, comparing prices to make sure she always gets a good deal.

She continued: "I do find the closer it gets to Christmas the more expensive everything is.

"I start on Boxing Day every year, not necessarily for toys because I know their likes and dislikes change but for things like gifts sets, pyjamas and generic gifts."

The savvy mum also recommended shopping second hand to bag some serious bargains.

"We shop at car boot sales especially for gifts for the twins because babies don’t care if things are brand new.

"By doing it this way the children end up with more presents and I end up spending less so everyone’s happy."

And although giving your kids second hand presents might not seem great the mum insists that her kids have never cared if they were brand new or not.

As well as charity shops and car boot sales, Aylin recommended looking on Facebook Marketplace and other second hand pages and community groups that post about sales to grab the best bargains.

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Finally, the mum told viewers not to set the bar too high and talk to family and friends about who you're buying gifts for and any budgets.

"If anyone wants to buy for us we ask them to just buy for the children, because that's who Christmas is all about."

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