Are you dreaming of a tight Christmas?

Cash strapped commuters who drive to many of the UKís largest cities could save 174 in the nine weeks running up ëtil Christmas – enough to buy 17 turkey crowns, with change to spare for cranberry sauce - if they were equipped to work from home one day a week. The research commissioned by Aastra revealed that commuters making 50-mile round trips by car, on average, could save 19.36 per day by working from home. In London, this figure soars to 41.90 a day – more than twice the national average. Researchers found that London is the most expensive city to commute into, followed by Glasgow and Manchester.

Working from home one day a week could also save penny-pinching parents with young children more than 460 in day care (286)* and travel costs (174) in the build-up to Christmas – enough to buy all of this yearís top 5 most wanted presents, as predicted by the Toy Retailers Association**, with change to spare for more than 130 bags of chocolate coins for their Christmas stockings.

As Christmas looms and inflation hits a decade high, more people are looking to home working as a means to enjoy a better work/life balance and save money. The research by Aastra, a leading enterprise communications provider, found that commuters driving into the UKís largest cities could potentially save enough money by Christmas to buy more than half a kilometre of wrapping paper if they worked from home one day a week.

Michael Calvert, UK General Manager of Aastra, who commissioned the research, said: ìCommuting to work everyday can be a major strain on peopleís finances, and considering the current economic climate itís not surprising that the mood of the country is more credit crunch than Christmas lunch. Commuters equipped with the right, readily-available technology, could save money and lower their stress levels by taking advantage of flexible working practices. With many workers able to do their job equally well, if not better, from home, itís a wonder why more companies are not encouraging home working.î

ìItís not just commuters that could see real economic benefits from flexible working practices, many companies could benefit from lower real estate and energy costs, higher morale, and increased staff retention. Flexible working technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol phones can even reduce the cost of calls, while making corporate communications more effective.î

If commuters with 50-mile round trips by car worked from home one day a week they could save enough money in time for Christmas to buy:

* 3,400 fairy lights
* 1,560 migraine tablets
* 828 Christmas crackers
* 207 mini Christmas puddings
* 58 pairs of menís novelty socks