Want a really cheap christmas

angela110660

skintchick wrote:

My mum asked me for my Christmas list yesterday, and all I could think to put on it was magazine subscriptions, pyjamas, my Clinique moisturiser and exfoliator and garden centre vouchers.


I spend £20 on special people (immediate family, best mate), £10 or less on others (less close friends) and nothing on everyone else (people I speak to four times a year, cousins' children/partners). No-one seems to mind. Brings it all in under £200 even before I check for cheap bargains.

I agree with you. It is much nicer to have the things you really want than things you will chuck in the cupboard and never use. I always ask for book or music vouchers, Body Shop items that I use regularly and/or something that I have specifically seen in a shop and tell them the size/colour etc. so there is no room for error!! I never know what I will get at the end of it all so it is still a great treat.
In our family, the adults have agreed not to buy for each other anymore - only to spoil the grandmothers and the children in the family. I buy for my mum, mil and her partner, nephew, own kids and husband. Rest of the family do the same for their own. We buy for birthdays though.

moggins

Arrrgggh, need some help please?? I have always bought presents for my niece and nephew and a joint present for my sister and her husband (normally a big tin of biscuits). However my niece got married this year to someone I can't stand and will not buy a present for and my nephew is now in his mid thirties. I really don't feel like I should be buying for them anymore and money is going to be so short for us this year anyway. What should I do??

jen_jen_2

i had an idea to buy things more cheaply without the christmas packaging, ie smellies, lingerie, cosmetics

however, what is the best way to present these as gifts so they look nice and not cheap.

i was thinking, get a box and tissue paper but will spend fortune on boxes.
any ideas folks??

calleyw

jen_jen wrote:

i had an idea to buy things more cheaply without the christmas packaging, ie smellies, lingerie, cosmetics

however, what is the best way to present these as gifts so they look nice and not cheap.

i was thinking, get a box and tissue paper but will spend fortune on boxes.
any ideas folks??

I have used ream boxes either cut down or just the lids.

And best of all they are free. Most companies will chuck them away. So if you work in an office or know someone who does I am sure them would not mind getting a couple if you ask nicely.


Yours

Calley

Yorkielass

jen_jen wrote:

i had an idea to buy things more cheaply without the christmas packaging, ie smellies, lingerie, cosmetics

however, what is the best way to present these as gifts so they look nice and not cheap.

i was thinking, get a box and tissue paper but will spend fortune on boxes.
any ideas folks??

If you have a cross cut shredder (a strip shredder works too but not as well I think) then you can shred some sheets of coloured paper and it makes lovely packaging, my mum's done it before - but then she works in a school so probably "accquired" a few sheets of paper from there

Yorkielass

Fantastic post Hester. I hate the total commericalism of Christmas and the fact that it all seems to have to start months early and goes on for so long it takes all the fun out of it - went to meet a friend in Leeds on October 2nd and their lights were already up, went into B+Q this afternoon for some screws and the Christmas light selection - the ones for the outside of houses were in there right in the entrance to the shop :mad: :mad: :mad: . And of course the whole 'you better be coming to our house over Christmas' thing from in laws has started too long story but can't help feeling it takes something away from Christmas.

Have decided this year both sets of parents are getting Oxfam unwrapped presents and then a couple of little things to unwrap that are thought about - will probably cross stitch some bookmarks for mums. 4 grandparents in total and they will get little things, for example one of my grandads had a few packs of carefully selected thorntons sweets (very few teeth and won't wear false ones) for his birthday and was over the moon with them, a treat and just what he liked. Not sure about OH sister and my brother yet and that's about it for normal pressies for relatives.

Anyway I think that the best thing to do is try and do something for others over Christmas, last year (apologies if I've already posted this on this thread - can't remember ) I collected the boots toy tokens from people at the university and then gave the toys to the local homeless shelters Christmas Present appeal - didn't cost me anything but I had more enjoyment doing it than most of the rest of my Christmas shopping - getting stuck for ideas for parents who don't really need or want anything - although managed to get my in laws to be a nest box which they seem to have enjoyed this year with blue tits in it.

Am going to make a real effort to make Christmas special this year, it's partly hard I think because there are no children at all on either side of our families (well there's a 17 and a half year old). Mostly cousins aged 17 to 23 and then one in their early 30s and none have any children and I think people tend to make more of an effort with Christmas when there are small children involved.

Anyway off my soap box - need to sort through all the blank Christmas cards and new wrap I found when we moved left over from last few years - trying to work out if there's enough there for this year.

ashmit

https://www.heifer.org (american but they can just send out emails rather than a card with details of the gift - so more environmentally friendly!)
https://www.carbonneutral.com - trees (good for 'special' birthdays, weddings etc too)


there were loads of these posted on the old board last year - the archive is here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/archive/index.html/t-6550.html
not sure if the links are still up to date but a choice few are here
https://www.greatgifts.org
http://www.chocaid.com/html/index.html
secure.wwf.org.uk/adoption/index.asp
https://www.donkeyrescue.co.uk/adopt-frames.htm
https://www.sendacow.org.uk

elmer

I dont want a cheap xmas, I want the best xmas possible on my budget

We had an awful xmas last year as I was guilted out by my husbands family and gave in and had my inlaws ( my xmas pressie was wooden pegs and chewing gum!) it was awful nothing was good enough, and they expected to be waited on .
so this year we are hibernating, and celebrating just being us, so I have bought presents for other family members on a strict budget of £15.00 per person (less for certain people) and the rest of my budget will be spent in a glorious blaze of celebrating usness I sharn't go over the top financially but with the help of this web site we are going to have a wonderful family christmas, no guilt and no stress.

Elmer

elona

Elmer

Have a great christmas - it sounds lovely.

Your present that you were given of clothes pegs and chewing gum on the other hand sounds - well words fail me - at least printable ones!:eek:

Pooky

moggins wrote:

Arrrgggh, need some help please?? I have always bought presents for my niece and nephew and a joint present for my sister and her husband (normally a big tin of biscuits). However my niece got married this year to someone I can't stand and will not buy a present for and my nephew is now in his mid thirties. I really don't feel like I should be buying for them anymore and money is going to be so short for us this year anyway. What should I do??

I'd have a word with your sister and say that money is tight and you're not doing pressies this year. If you can't face actually saying it then maybe write a note to her just saying that you don't want to make a fuss but would prefer not to receive pressies from them this year as you can't afford to give in return.

Either that or just send a nice xmas card to all concerned and don't feel guilty, they are hardly likely to phone you and demand a pressie now are they?? (and if they do - pretend they've got a wrong number? :rotfl: )

Seriously tho - we told all our family that it would be children only under the age of 16. They all seemed to welcome the idea - I think most people are in the same situation of not know what to buy or not having the money to spare.