New, New Thirfty Gifty for Christmas and All Ocassions 2011..Santas Challenge...

I'll pop on December 2010 Santas Challenge on - as there may be something that we've missed or need a recap on.

I'll keep this post for the links for the 2011 Challenges.......

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=39780288&highlight=#post39780288
The new thrify gifty weight loss thread

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JANUARYS SANTAS CHALLENGE

Good morning ladies as its the 24th, that can only mean one thing..Santas Challenge, feels such a lot time since the last one, would say do you want the good news or the bad news???

Good News - Miss Hoodie is in bed

Bad News - Miss Hoodie has been preparing her contributions for the last week, when I looked earlier she was on the 4th side of an A4 paper!!!

We've comprismed to make the challenge easy, medium, hard and fun!

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Ladies, welcome to the challenge, as always treat it like a pick and mix, but hopefully there be something for everyone, break you all in gently...

EASY

As Dec's challenge was on early and involved a start on being organised for this yr, I've just pulled a few pointers incase we have missed any.

Have the lists ready for Birthday, xmas, and other ocassions such as Valentines Day, Mothers Day (2nd April), Fathers Day (usually June time), Easter - we're finishing the christmas sweets and cakes and the supermarkets are selling the eggs already! and have budgets set for them.

Hopefully as well as sale items we have been able to creatively recylce some items!

Find a safe hiding place for any presents brought, and make sure you have a spare list of where everything is, and who's been brought what.

Sales - Most of been and whats left what necessary be the best, but keep an eye out something may jump out, the other reason I mention Sales is Argos have changed the catalogue at the weekend, and this usually means any sale items are reduced further and new items added. (Generally theres an option to check what store you want - clearance section - generally I have found it to be 90% reliable).

VistaPrint - don't forget that Quidco give £2.50 back, if you have freebies or £5 for full price, not sure if its a once a month like topcashback, and like tcb you can have more than one quidco account per household.
(a little tip if you want to order christmas cards throughout the year - at the mo there chargeable, but tonight I went through history, as I wanted same design, put it in basket and it came up as zero!!)

Medium
Not quite the feet up moment, but still trying to be gentle.

Ladies we deserve a treat, we've pulled off Christmas, we've hit the sales, we've been bashed, battered, pushed and shoved...so treat time. Whether thats half an hour in the bath with a book, or take the remote off the kids for the night and you watch what you want on TV. Or even a takeaway.... would say a lovely meal out, but we are mse girls so a takeaway is pushing the boat out.

For those with children, we have half term coming up, the perfect opportunity for them to help tidy and gut their rooms. If you have anything summery kept incase it fits, I find Feb time generally good for summer stuff, whether its 99p for a tshirt - but people start planning hols around them so if they can pick up a bargain - win win all the way round

For those without children, time to gut your bedroom or a room of your choice.
I'm thinking car boot season will be starting generally from March, so there may be hidden items that you put up for when you need them... (hence when I tidyed the kitchen cupboards, I found 3 fondue sets!!) so if we can get a head start, with items, - one step ahead of the competation.

Younger children, try and have some activities ready whether its a dressing up box, through to a box of crayons and a notepad.

HARD BIT
Those who are luckly enough to have a frost free freezer - you get a break....
We're hitting the kitchen / utility / freezer with a vengance, hopefully theres space from all the extras we used at Christmas, so nows the time to get it cleaned and organised.

The same goes for the fridge, and anywhere food is stored, your not gutting every cupboard, (I'm not that cruel - thou it was on Miss Hoodies list along with freezers, fridge, cupboard, bedrooms, bathroom - you get the picture!!) just concentrating on the food.
For a bit of fun, make this element into a mini challenge, the person who makes the oddest meal out of items in the house, will win a prize, Miss Hoodie will choose the meal...

FUN
Challenge yourself to do something that you may have done before andmaybe never finished, or do something new - my challenge is trying to make a make-up bag, and a beach bag out of an old dress - it's not going to be perfect.... but it be fun... just got to get mum to do the sewing machine...
Again there be a prize from Miss Hoodie for the best.


Hopefully we have not thrown you to hard into the deep end, - remember its a pick and mix, - do what you fancy, if the children are old enough, get them to help.

Good luck to one and all xxx

As the new 2011 thread offically starts on Dec 25th........ just recapped on Santa's Challenge from Dec 2010....... , next be 24th Jan - but as Miss Hoodie will be back at school - there should be no cleaning!! xx

1st thing - Your all safe, Miss Hoodie is safely tucked up in bed, so you have a cleaning free month!!

2011 - Use which ever method you find easier, spreadsheet, notebook etc, and set up your present list and budget for Birthdays and Christmas

Save Christmas cards, - reuse the fronts as tags, great if you have kids, as they can use plastic scissors - wavy edges etc

Any good wrapping paper can be kept ready for shredding next yr.

The Christmas morning notebook - handy for 2 ways, 1st if you have children - and they send thank you letter, you know who got them what, and also if any gift is unsuitable and can be recycled - you won't be giving it to the same person!
(I had a friend do that to me with a book - best bit was wrote inside the cover - Happy Christmas 2008 - she recycled it back to me!!)

Xmas sales - online sales tend to start before the high street, worth keeping an eye out for those. Main things to aim for cards, wrapping paper, tags, etc

Have your Xmas treat sorted - by this time ladies and our lovely gentleman - put your feet up and enjoy everyone else doing the headless chic run. xx

Just added a thought re Sales

Argos - Online sale starts Christmas Day, all stores open Boxing Day, at the mo on the home page - near the bottom think its a yellow background, black writing, "Clearance" - it lets you log into the clearance items in any store that you want, - eg general sale 3,000 items, local store may only have 600 lines, - generally found 90% of the stock available in local stores. xx