Christmas Money Quiz
Different people have different attitudes to money. Answer these questions to see which type of money personality you are. It might make you think twice before you go out Christmas shopping.
1. Friends and family are coming round for Christmas dinner. Do you:
A. Book a table at your local restaurant and pick up the bill.
B. Buy everything ready made
C. Look through your recipe books for seasonal inspiration
D. Cost out all the ingredients down to the last brussel sprout and stick to it
E. Ask each person to bring a dish or make sure you invite yourself to someone else’s home for dinner
2. How would you rate your relationship with money?
A. I never think about it.
B. I get by
C. I think I should be better at managing it
D. I’m pretty good at keeping control of it
E. People ask me for advice about their finances
3. Saving for Christmas is:
A. Something other people do
B. Impossible however much you try
C. Something you aim towards
D. An important part of managing your money
E. Something you start doing on Boxing Day
4. How are you saving for Christmas?
A. I’m not – I’m still paying for last Christmas
B. I keep thinking I should do something but never get round to it
C. I’ve started to save but I’ve no idea if it will be enough
D. I’ve worked out how much I need to save each week and am putting it aside
E. I put as much money as I can from January into my interest-earning Xmas savings account
5. How often do you borrow money from friends or relatives?
A. I always seem to owe someone something
B. From time to time
C. Very rarely
D. Never
E. They always want to borrow from me
6. When you go shopping for Christmas presents do you:
A. Buy whatever you fancy
B. Have an idea of what you want but always end up buying something more expensive
C. Make a list of what you can afford but don’t always stick to it
D. Always have a list and stick to it
E. buy whatever is the cheapest
7. Christmas is coming, what do you do?
A. Plan to go to Lapland or somewhere exotic. Christmas is about splashing out and spoiling yourself and others
B. Leave everything until the last minute and end up panic buying far too much
C. Shop around to see what’s on offer and try to get the best bargains
D. Carefully check newspapers and magazines for the best buys from mince pies to Xmas crackers and get the best deals
E. Knit your own Christmas stocking and make your own Xmas crackers
8. Do you set yourself a budget for Christmas spending?
A. I never think about it
B. I think it spoils Christmas if you can’t get people what they want
C. I work out what I have to spend but don’t always stick to it
D. I know exactly how much I am spending on each person and stick to it
E. I have money saved and find bargains throughout the year so I have something left over for unexpected presents
9. At the end of Christmas you have:
A. No idea what you have spent
B. Added to your overdraft or credit cards
C. Spent about as much as you budgeted for
D. Have a full record of all your transactions
E. returned unwanted presents and got your money back
10. In the New Year when the bills arrive, do you?
A. Shove them in a drawer and ignore them
B. Panic and wonder how you spent so much and how you are going to pay for them
C. Work out which are the most important and pay those first
D. Do nothing because you have set up standing orders and direct debits to cover all of them
E. You have plenty of money set aside and use the money saved from paying promptly to add to your savings for next year
Mostly As
You are a debt collector’s delight.
You have so little idea about your spending and finances that you could be in trouble. If you carry on with this carefree approach, you may end up in so much debt that there’s no way out. Take charge now and look at our tips on how to manage your money.
Mostly Bs
You are a Christmas debtor.
Your motto is ‘live for today’. Your idea of planning for Christmas is wondering which Santa’s grotto you’ll go in. As a result you’re never quite sure exactly how much money you’ve got or how much you’ve spent – the road to debt. Planning and budgeting will make your life a lot simpler and more financially secure
Mostly Cs
You are a smart spender
You enjoy spending money, but not just for the sake of spending it. You are reasonably in control of your finances, but could do with a little more help and advice. Keeping a closer track of your spending would make you feel more in control and more comfortable with life.
Mostly Ds
You are a careful controller.
You plan for every penny that comes in and goes out of your life and unexpected expenses cause you a lot of worry. Explore different ways of managing your money other than saving it.
Mostly Es
You are a squirrel.
Your greatest love in life is saving money. You are happiest with a large pile of money in the bank, tucked away for that rainy day. Get advice about other ideas on where to put your money without sacrificing the security you hold so dear.
If you answered mostly A's or B's then maybe you could come in and see us for some free advice , or if you do run into debt problems at any time of the year, don't ignore them and hope they'll go away - they won't. SEEK ADVICE. The Citizens Advice Bureau can help you to prepare a budget and offer suggestions on how best to manage the situation. We can also offer free benefit checks to ensure you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to and the correct amount for each benefit. Torfaen C.A.B. is the only specialist and generalist advice agency operating within Torfaen. We provide a quality assured advice and problem solving service for people from all sections of the community on a wide range of problems such as housing issues, benefit entitlements, debt, relationships, consumer issues, employment and so on. We offer an open door, appointment and telephone service and represent clients at Social Security and Employment Tribunals and at the County Court for mortgage/rent re-possessions. We also help shape policies and improve services through our independent feedback based on our work with local people.