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Want a really cheap christmas
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calleyw
Posts: 9,896 Forumite
I thought this site might a real money saver for all of us who stress about christmas. It seems to be a interesting site. Not read all of it just skimmed. It does seem to be about bringing christmas back to what it was about. So it does have a slight relgious slant. (nothing wrong in that. Just thought I would warn you in advance.)
Of course it is not for all. But then I keep my christmas presents down to about £5 per person. A little more for my parents and £10 for my husband.
Help keeps the costs down and makes you really think hard about what to get. Rather then rushing in to boots and buying gift sets.
Yours
Calley
Of course it is not for all. But then I keep my christmas presents down to about £5 per person. A little more for my parents and £10 for my husband.
Help keeps the costs down and makes you really think hard about what to get. Rather then rushing in to boots and buying gift sets.
Yours
Calley
If you have joined us from the book:-
Welcome
Pull up a nice comfy chair, have a drink of your choice
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all spent hours browsing the fascinating posts and help
that is to be found here on Moneysaving Old Style.
If you'd like to read more on all sorts of subjects then do
please click on the link below:-
Money Saving Old Style
Please scroll down for more on Christmas
(Board Guides are asked not to merge these threads in order to preserve links from the book)
Welcome
Pull up a nice comfy chair, have a drink of your choice
beside you, and be prepared for a long and interesting
read. Many new visitors frequently find that they have
all spent hours browsing the fascinating posts and help
that is to be found here on Moneysaving Old Style.
If you'd like to read more on all sorts of subjects then do
please click on the link below:-
Money Saving Old Style
Please scroll down for more on Christmas
(Board Guides are asked not to merge these threads in order to preserve links from the book)
Hope for everything and expect nothing!!!
Good enough is almost always good enough -Prof Barry Schwartz
If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try -Seth Godin
Good enough is almost always good enough -Prof Barry Schwartz
If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try -Seth Godin
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Comments
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I would dearly love to turn back the clock about 20 years tbh. I made the very foolish mistake of splashing out big style every Christmas and spoiling everyone. It made me happy to make them happy. Some years I could easily afford to, others I struggled but did it anyway. Every year I regretted it in January when the latest gadget was discarded in the corner of the room.
Of course fast forward to now and the expectations are firmly set in stone. I have raised children who would not be happy with anything less than the best or latest this that or the other. What's worse is the fact that it's not their fault.....it was me that raised them this way.
calley, when I first glanced at your post, I thought the amount of money you spent was very little tbh and I thought you couldn't possibly have much of a Christmas on that type of spend. Having thought about it some more however, I think you've got the right idea and I expect your family is much more appreciative than mine.
Well done and have a pat on the back from me. (Ok...you'll just have to imagine the pat on the back....I don't have a suitable smilie! :rotfl: )Herman - MP for all!
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This year OH and I have decided to limit our spending on each other. It is making it more difficult (as all my ideas cost more than our limit), but Xmas should be far more interesting as a result.Baby Year 1: Oh dear...on the move
Lily contracted Strep B Meningitis Dec 2006 :eek: Now seemingly a normal little monster. :beer:
Love to my two angels that I will never forget.0 -
aliasojo wrote:calley, when I first glanced at your post, I thought the amount of money you spent was very little tbh and I thought you couldn't possibly have much of a Christmas on that type of spend. Having thought about it some more however, I think you've got the right idea and I expect your family is much more appreciative than mine.
Well done and have a pat on the back from me. (Ok...you'll just have to imagine the pat on the back....I don't have a suitable smilie! :rotfl: )
Thank you. But I buy all year round. Finding presents for 75% off. One year I bought some duvet sets and they where really nice and looked expensive but they where one about £3.75 so it mean I had a little extra to buy another small present and it looks like you have spent loads. When you have not. And spending so little makes you very creative as well.
The only people who do get a bit more is my stepchildren we buy about £10 in gifts and then write a cheque for £20 each to put in there savings accounts. As they get far to much having two families anyway.
Maybe you could tell a little white lie and say money is tight this year and you can't afford to spend a lot.
As we got older the amount of money spent on us for presents when down. I would not fancy having children today. Mind you I expect I would be mean mummy. :rotfl:
Yours
CalleyHope for everything and expect nothing!!!
Good enough is almost always good enough -Prof Barry Schwartz
If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try -Seth Godin0 -
There's a thread from last year called "Skinflint's Christmas" I think, that might help you out. The links may be abit dated though - I'll find it...Hi, I'm a Board Guide on the Old Style and the Consumer Rights boards which means I'm a volunteer to help the boards run smoothly and can move and merge posts there. Board guides are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an inappropriate or illegal post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. It is not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Any views are mine and are not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.DTFAC: Y.T.D = £5.20 Apr £0.50
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More likely to be "MSE Mummy"Baby Year 1: Oh dear...on the move
Lily contracted Strep B Meningitis Dec 2006 :eek: Now seemingly a normal little monster. :beer:
Love to my two angels that I will never forget.0 -
Ok, this sounds awful I know, but I dont do Christmas presents. It started because I have been paying off a large chunk of debt, and couldnt afford to buy anything (even buying the train fare home was a struggle) (see signature), and although I'll be debt free this Christmas I still dont think I will......
I might attempt to make soaps or truffles or something like that, but now that im debt free I want to save as much as I can. That does sound selfish, but my family arent "well off" so I would rather them buy themselves something on buying me anything.....
xx0 -
We've found each year that the more time & effort & thought we put into Christmas the better it is.
Money isn't the only way to have a good Christmas.
The standard old style meal planning idea is a good one, and a shopping list before getting tempted with all the expensive specials in the supermarket.
We have family votes for the holiday meals. One year it was Egg Mornay for Xmas dinner!! A current family favorite is Xmas Dinner Soup, I had to explain that they needed to have the traditional Xmas dinner that provides the leftovers to make it, they say they'll put up with it!0 -
I looked for the challenge and it's on the old yabb forum before this one and is no longer available. Sorry.Hi, I'm a Board Guide on the Old Style and the Consumer Rights boards which means I'm a volunteer to help the boards run smoothly and can move and merge posts there. Board guides are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an inappropriate or illegal post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. It is not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Any views are mine and are not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.DTFAC: Y.T.D = £5.20 Apr £0.50
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calleyw wrote:And spending so little makes you very creative as well.
I do agree with you here.....a normal Xmas list for me involves very little thinking as most items have already been asked for on the wish lists compiled from the telly adverts!
I have been buying stuff since last January. My youngest will be getting mostly stuff from the last Argos sale and friends and other family members will be getting Boots mispriced (i.e. free, lol) bargains. My eldest two (22 + 16) are always a headache though as their wish lists always include some sort of expensive electrical gadget thing. My problem in the past has been that if I buy the expensive thing, it never looks much sat there by itself so I always end up buying more to sit under the tree. Before you know it your Xmas bill is huge!
I'd love to know how other people cut down with teenagers in the family, lol.
Although I love them to bits and will miss them when they leave....I'm sure Christmas will be a whole lot cheaper then!Herman - MP for all!
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ms_london wrote:Ok, this sounds awful I know, but I dont do Christmas presents. It started because I have been paying off a large chunk of debt, and couldnt afford to buy anything (even buying the train fare home was a struggle) (see signature), and although I'll be debt free this Christmas I still dont think I will......
I might attempt to make soaps or truffles or something like that, but now that im debt free I want to save as much as I can. That does sound selfish, but my family arent "well off" so I would rather them buy themselves something on buying me anything.....
xx
Does not sound selfish at all Ms London. Sounds a very good idea as the whole gift giving gets out of hand. It is not competition to see who can spend the most. To me it is about a well thought out present either bought or handmade never use the term homemade as it sounds naff. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!.
My parents are not that well off. So now my mum bakes us a cake for our birthdays. Something we don't do very often for ourselves. Last year she told me in hush tones that the bottle of whiskey my husband had as a christmas gift they had been given but they don't drink it.
I am always recycling presents if I they are not really me. And as long as they don't go back to the person who gave them to you. Who cares. I also try and give gifts that can be consumed. Like bubble bath sounds boring but then you are not left with something naff you really hate.
I think the most expensive thing my husband has ever bought for me was my wedding ring. Does that mean because he does not spend hundreds on me on my birthday or christmas that he loves me any less. No. Why people get so hung up on what things costs I don't know.
Yours
CalleyHope for everything and expect nothing!!!
Good enough is almost always good enough -Prof Barry Schwartz
If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try -Seth Godin0
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