Want a really cheap christmas

nicki_2

Until I met OH my mum always paid for and bought the gifts at Christmas so I never really worried as she did it all.

When OH and I got together (1999) we decided we would set a limit of £5 per person and we did it! The following year we were in a rented house with a baby due in the April and on benefits. We set a limit of £10 and managed. For the past couple of years we've set a limit of £10 per person and £30 for us and DD. This year we're slightly more flush than usual and we will be setting the budget at £15 per person (allows us to buy bottles of branded alcohol for some relatives), £50 each (which includes stocking fillers for us), plus school photographs of DD.

I asked DD what she would like for Christmas and we've come to an arrangement. My family will get her Disney Princess stuff, OH's family will be told Fairy stuff and OH and I will get her practical gifts like clothing and we've ordered her a set of 10 bedtime story books for £19.99 (Saving £32.91) from the school bookclub. She loves reading (shes got a reading age of 9-10 and she's only 4!) so that is a good buy. She desperately needs a new waterproof jacket so we are buying her a new one (its on order ATM) but I think that she'll be getting it well before Christmas as her current one is just too small.

My budget for this year (excluding school photographs) is £335 for everyone (14 adults, 1 teenager, DD, a cat & 2 dogs) . I have £261.20 still left in the budget and I'll be surfing Ebay for some of the gifts.
Myself, OH and his two sisters and respective partners are all chipping in together to buy MIL a jewellry box - she's asked for one - and since I am the only one who doesn't go out to work AND has a QVC membership number I'm shopping for it. I love shopping for other people so I don't mind at all. Which reminds me ... I need to get this budget etc on the computer soon

fezza_2

i remember a few years ago, my sons face when he unwrapped a potato as a present from a friend of mine. she then gave him a second gift to unwrap, in it was a spud gun, bought from a pound shop. as she did this to three boys all of the same age at the same time, you imagine the ensuing mayhem as potato warfare broke out! the most fun and memorable christmas's need not cost alot when you use a bit of imagination.

aliasojo

Murtle wrote:

aliasjo - when we were younger and received "a present" ie a bike or something, where it would be the only pressie we would get. Rather then having it under the tree my parents used to do a puzzle for us. One year my sis you got a bike, was given the garage key wrapped up, she had to figure out what to do with it!! We had word clues, where the letters were slipped into an envelope and we had to rearrange them in to a word or sentance and then follow the clue to find the pressie, or the next clue!! We really enjoyed it and it kept us occupied for ages whilst we tried to solve the puzzles.

Hope everyone has a great christmas!

I do this some weekends when the kids are bored. I write silly rhymes and clues and they have to work out where they lead to. Each clue leads to another (how many depends on how annoying I feel ) until eventually they find the prize. The prize usually consists of a bar of chocolate but you'd be amazed at how competitive they get over it, lol. The eldest are the worst!

I also remember being desperate for a Wendy House when I was small and I was so upset on Christmas morning to find Santa hadn't brought me one. I was in tears and Mum told me to go wash my hands and face and when I went to the cupboard to take out the towel....there was the box with the Wendy House. (Thinking back....she must have known fine I was going to cry...evil woman! :rotfl: Sorry Mum, just kidding. )

This kind of thing makes family fun though.

squeaky

My parents once told me that because I was older that they could only get me one big present and a few small ones. On Christmas morning, try as I might, I couldn't work out what my big present was. Was it the pen set for school, was it a posh one? I didn't know.

So, in the end, feeling awkward for not recognising my BIG gift, I hesitantly and apologetically asked them to tell me which of my presents was the big one.

Dad said it's not there, it's on the dining table.

I could see the table, there was nothing on it except the table cloth. So I said so.

He said look under it - so I looked under the table - couldn't see anything...

..and this wwent on for a while with me being told to look carefully.

Eventually I twigged and removed the pristine lump free table cloth to find....


.. a snooker table!!!!

bektoria

Thanks Mrs B !!

jaybee

squeaky wrote:

My parents once told me that because I was older that they could only get me one big present and a few small ones. On Christmas morning, try as I might, I couldn't work out what my big present was. Was it the pen set for school, was it a posh one? I didn't know.

So, in the end, feeling awkward for not recognising my BIG gift, I hesitantly and apologetically asked them to tell me which of my presents was the big one.

Dad said it's not there, it's on the dining table.

I could see the table, there was nothing on it except the table cloth. So I said so.

He said look under it - so I looked under the table - couldn't see anything...

..and this wwent on for a while with me being told to look carefully.

Eventually I twigged and removed the pristine lump free table cloth to find....


.. a snooker table!!!!

Awww. . . .what a lovely dad to do that! Hope he's recovering from his surgery now.

beautifulgorgeous_2

I bought blankets etc from the world vision site for neighbours and thanks to lift givers etc. You can personalise the card with names and interests etc and it is better than biscuits, wine or chocs. Also good for birthdays and they will post the card so if you dont have to leave the house or find a stamp. Starts at a fiver.

skylight

This year, I have written four lists! One for things we are getting the kids, one for what we are getting others (should funds extend that far), the third what I would like others to get the kids, and the fourth for things I want!

Concentrated on the kids first (have 4 DD's - 14, 11, 3 and 1) - then priced them up in Argos, Amazon, Boots etc and decided what was cheaper where, making adjustments for things I found along the way.

Have sold lots of stuff on Ebay (upto £300 now!) to pay for the presents, used the boots 2 for 1 and the mis-price the other day on Botanics for the adults ladies - filling in online surveys for Amazon vouchers and I have bought half the kids stuff and every other family member has a gift too.

Only need £100 more to go!

So, I know exactly what the kids are getting, others know what to buy the kids - and with a bit of luck there will be no duplicates this year!

And I'm getting a breadmaker!

I did splash out on Vistaprints full colour printed Christmas Cards - took a nice photo of the girls and paid about £7 for 10, which have turned out great! Ideal for grandparents, great grandparents, old aunts and the like!!

Looking forward to Christmas already!!!!!

Quackers

aliasojo wrote:

So far the conversation has mostly been about pressies for adults but as the pressies mentioned are not really suitable for kids and most parents would spend much more on their offspring than their parents or siblings anyway, it would be good to hear tips from those peeps too?

I 'aint got no tips but would like some

I have been good throughtout the year and have presents for nieces/nephews/friends etc. I buy in sales and bargains as I see them.

I just have my main presents to buy. One daughter wants a nintendo ds thingy and the other doesn't mind. I think the nintendo thingies are about £90 ish pounds. I'll also fill a stocking for her bed and spend about another £60 - £80 on 'bits'. Maybe up to £100 - it depends on how much cash I have in Dec!! Its always the bits that costs more. I'll spend the same (obviously) on my other daughter but I've no idea what on!!

This sounds like a HUGE amount of money compared to the rest of you but I dont think its probably half as much as what some parents spend. How many things can you realistically buy for £10 - £20 for a teenager. That is all I spend on other peoples children but not on my own. They would have nothing to open

My children do appreciate the value of money and I really do believe they do not ask for much. I think asking for one main present like the nintendo ds (i do hope I've got that right - lol) is not over the top considering what some children ask for.

I adore Christmas - I cant wait.

Yorkielass

My brother (now 20) and I (now 22) both used to get lots of little bits and a few bigger bits for Christmas from our parents, we hardly got anything from grandparents etc (not that I'm complaining) so our parents probably did spoil us a bit but never bought us 1 big present, they were normally reserved for Birthdays.

Last year was my 2nd year with my now fiance and he comes from a family who don't really do presents, especially ones with much thought put into them, so we decided we'd get each other 8 presents and spend a maximum of £40. I had a great time shopping around, using this site and others to look for bargains, getting rebates using cashback sites etc. It meant I really thought about all the gifts and because most were less than £5 I could spend £10 on a nice book for the 8th gift. OH had a bit more trouble but hopefully will get the hang of it this year.

Can't decide what I'm going to get my parents etc yet. Just suggested the oxfam unwrapped goat idea for OH's parents, they never want anything aren't really into gifts etc so we think the goat might be a good idea, I got them a birdbox last year, that went down quite well.

Last year I collected the boots toy tokens up after putting an advert up at the university and collected up the toys for the local homeless shelter which distribute them on Christmas day, was one of the best things I did, so much better than getting gifts myself over Christmas.