Planning for Christmas

Managing money

• Our factsheet ‘Making ends meet’ has lots of advice on budgeting, as well as ideas from other single parents on how to save money.
• The Money Advice Service have a free online Christmas Money Planner that can help you budget for the festive season.
• For a guide to managing finances and debt, read our factsheet on Dealing with debt.
  

Staying Warm

If you are on a low income, you may be able to claim a one-off discount from your electricity supplier under the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Some suppliers have already closed their schemes for this winter but others are still currently open, so it is worth contacting your supplier to ask. You can also apply for a Cold Weather Payment if you receive certain benefits, such as Income Support, ESA, or Universal Credit.

Universal Credit in December

A word of warning about universal credit payments in December. Many people receive an early payday before the Christmas break. But if you receive two salary payments fall within the same month, it can look like you’re earning a lot more than you actually are and lead to a reduction in your Universal Credit payment in January. Please watch out for this and if you think this might affect you, please call the Gingerbread helpline for advice.

If you are claiming Universal Credit and you think your employer may pay you early for Christmas, make sure they have seen the guidance on page 4 of this HMRC bulletin on paying staff in December.

Coping with money problems

Read our information page on ‘Money in an emergency’ for advice about how to access local welfare funds and other emergency financial assistance.

If you run into serious problems with money at Christmas, help is available for food and children’s gifts. It is worth contacting your local Salvation Army centre, as some of them can donate gifts to families in difficult circumstances at Christmas. Similarly many community groups, local newspapers and radio stations run Christmas toy appeals.

To find further information:

• look in your local newspaper
• listen for adverts on your local radio station
• ask at local churches
• contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Food Banks

If you’re worried you won’t have enough cash to buy food, there is a network of food banks operating across the UK, which are there to help. You can contact the Trussell Trust to find your nearest foodbank.

For more information on foodbanks and local support, contact:

• your local free advice centre
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• Jobcentre Plus.

Planning contact arrangements for your children

If your child has contact with their other parent, you might want to plan ahead if your child will spend time with them over Christmas. If your children are old enough, you could include them in the planning to help them feel more secure about how things will work out.

We have lots of extra advice and information that might help you organise arrangements over the Christmas period, including our frequently asked questions about contact arrangements and our frequently asked questions about holidays.

Times when your children are away

If you find it challenging when your children are away from you during the festive period, it may helpful to get in touch with other single parents in our online forum or on our Facebook page.

You may also wish to try websites such as www.netmums.com or dad.info, where you can chat to other parents and get advice and support.

Connecting with other single parents locally

Consider getting in touch with other single parents who will be happy to share the ups and downs of Christmas.

Gingerbread groups can be a great source of local support and many organise activities or social events for both you and your children. You can find your nearest group on our map and postcode finder.