Tracking the weather forecast could help you save up extra money for Christmas

Could this savings challenge be the help you need ahead of the festive season? (Picture: Getty Images) Are you looking for ways to save some extra cash before Christmas? Whether it’s to shower your friends and family with gifts, book a last-minute festive getaway, or stash some cash for your future, there’s a new savings challenge in town. And, it’s weather-related. Dubbed the ‘weather savings’ or the ‘check-the-temperature’ challenge, the idea is simple: your daily contributions to your savings account are weather dependent. Ultimately, it’s a fun way to ensure you’re still planning for your future. Especially for those who struggle to save traditionally or prefer a more ad hoc approach due to financial constraints. But before we get into the crux of this challenge, remember: saving in whatever capacity you can is still good monetary practice. You should never compare yourself to others. What is the ‘weather savings challenge?’ In a nutshell, you check the weather forecast for the day (the highest temperature), and transfer that exact amount into your savings account. Today, for example, is set for highs of 19°C. Meaning you’d need to put £19 away. While this all sounds very simple, you do need to have a plan. Some people may be able to afford to do this every day. Others may need to reduce to weekly deposits. Whatever you can afford, it’s a challenge that you can dip in and out of. And, one that you don’t need to think about: it provides you with an exact amount you need to save. This challenge is weather-dependent, so the higher the temperature, the more money you save (Picture: Getty Images) Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. After a long, hot summer, you might assume the colder days ahead will make this challenge rather pointless. But the Met Office recently hinted that we may not have seen the last of the heatwave just yet, with temperatures expected to reach the upper 20s next week. So, now is the perfect time to get saving. How much can you save? In the UK, weather can be unpredictable. But if you start the challenge now, with 98 days to go until Christmas, you could build up quite the chunk of change. How much would you save over the next week? Based on the Met Office’s weather predictions for the next week, here’s how much you could save if you start the challenge today. Friday 18 September: £19 Saturday 19 September: £21 Sunday 20 September: £20 Monday 21 September: £23 Tuesday 22 September: £24 Wednesday 23 September: £22 Thursday 24 September: £22 Friday 25 September: £23 Total: £174 If it’s a cooler day and you can afford it, our advice would be to double the temperature to ensure you can save more. Or if daily saving isn’t doable, why not put the highest temperature recorded over the past month into your savings instead? Just a few weeks ago, in August, the highest recorded temperature in the UK was 38.5°C. Bank yourself a few of those, and you’re on your way to having an extra hundred quid in the bank. This savings challenge is perfect for anyone keen to put aside some extra cash before the holiday season (Picture: Getty Images) If this savings challenge isn’t for you, don’t worry. Metro has been sharing plenty of other savvy ways to save money. For example, why not try out the 50/30/20 method, which involves dividing your spending into three categories: needs, wants, and savings. We also have an easy-to-use guide to investing for beginners if you’ve been toying with the idea. 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On Martin’s list of 15 ‘ho, ho… oh no!’ savings tips, he advised people to ‘beware’ of this ever-popular present, which 43% of Brits put under their loved ones’ trees each Christmas. ‘Many find giving a gift card more socially acceptable than cash — I get it, cash gifts just aren’t very British!,’ said the consumer finance guru. ‘Yet unfortunately, vouchers have risks.’ First off, if the store you got them from goes bust, your vouchers ‘usually become worthless’, effectively meaning you’ve thrown your cash down the drain. Martin also highlights the thorny issue of expiry dates ‘which often aren’t made clear enough.’ In an Ipsos study, more than one in 10 UK adults admitted they’d let vouchers expire unused in the past 12 months, with the total amount wasted averaging at £75.30 per person. As such, Martin advises: ‘Think carefully about the likely financial strength of the retailer, and how quickly they’ll be used. 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