The Thrifty Gifty Girls 'n' Guys 2009 (Organised & Money Neutral for All Occasions)

pinkladymel

:xmastree: 11 days til Christmas:xmastree:

So here we are from our 3 month countdown right down to 11 days. If you have been with us from the beginning I just want to say thank you for your friendship and for creating a wonderful christmas atmosphere.

If you are new to the thread, I would like to welcome you warmly and thank you for deciding to join us. I hope you find it inspirational here.

Making a list, Checking it twice
Have we all got our organizedchristmas.com planners up to speed? If not.. do we all have our notepads ready with lists?
Don't be caught out this season and feel the stress. Important lists I have made in my notebook to clear my mind include:

• Christmas Food - Essentials to nip out for christmas eve (milk etc), Christmas Dinner, Christmas Party food, Boxing day, Any birthdays, Baking ingredients, Alcohol and fruit juices.
• Christmas cards - A full christmas card list ticked off as you make the cards up.
• Christmas Presents - A full list of the people you intend to give to and if they are covered. I usually make a little note of what I got them too.
• Last minute items - Wrapping paper, stamps, party poppers, crackers, indigestion tablets, paracetamol etc.
• Emergency Phone numbers/ out of hours - Gas and Doctors are the two main ones here that we all dread needing on Christmas day!
• Intended baking - Lists of ingredient, Recipes all to hand.
• Deliveries - make a note whenever you order or receive anything and then you can see what you have received and what you are waiting for.

Tip for today:
When making the roast potatoes today, Make double and freeze the rest for christmas day. That is one less pan on the cooker and less time in the kitchen :T

How I make roast potatoes:

1. Select a good potato for roasting. A nice waxy potato such as a King Edward or a floury Maris Piper are the best. Try to make sure all of the potatoes are around the same size or can be cut up equally to allow equal cooking time.
2. Boil a kettle of water then add to your pan of potatos and bring to boil (Much more energy efficient). Allow around ten minutes cooking time so that you can just slide in a knife but they are still firm.
3. Strain the potatoes into a colander and give them a good shake so the edges break and get rough.
4. If you are freezing.. add oil now and place on a tray, wrap and put in the freezer.. continue on Christmas day!
5. Take your roasting tray and add your fat. Goose fat is of course best here. Put ontop of the gas burner until the fat is bubbling. If you like garlic, add some cloves now (Don't worry about peeling or cutting).
6. Add the potatoes being extremely careful (Water+ fat = BAD lol) roll them about in the fat and season with some good sea salt and freshly ground pepper. If you like VERY crispy potatoes, sprinkle some polenta all over your potatoes.
7. Cook for around half an hour turning occasionally.

DONE!!

I hope you find this useful in your de-stressing this week. Remember.. this is our last full week.. Don't panic over it.. Enjoy it before Christmas is gone again for another year :A

sugaJen

Aww Mel, what a horrible time youve had of it ((((HUGS))))

On the bright side, you are so organised in every other way you dont have the Christmas panic to deal with on top of this nightmare!

I only got half my pledge done yesterday so naughty list for me but in my defense (here we go...excuses, excuses! :rolleyes:) I was supposed to decide, locate and price up pressies left to get but the kids were around me and can be very nosy at times so I couldnt get my notebook out and start looking at toys online. Not shopping for them until tomorrow anyway.

Todays pledge, Lock myself in my bedroom and wrap as much as possible, theres stuff all over my floor and I know temptation WILL get the better of my kids :rotfl:

Also to plan my shopping for tomorrow.

pinkladymel

It has got to be the law to get them presents wrapped and hidden!! I know what you mean about kids being too noisy. My son is in the "what's this, what are you doing, Can I have a go, What's that" stage and yesterday my ears were literaly ringing.

ME ORGANISED??? Yeh right.. ahhahaha!!! I have got to make these lists myself yet SugaJen

chocolate.orange_2

mum2one wrote: »

Is there any chance that were related, you sound as thou ur describing my family!! x

:rotfl:

Well i am proud to report that managed my pledge.Mum ended up sitting next to 'her' and she wasnt very pleased about it. But i kept waving across the table which kept making mum giggle ..... her is my grandads 'friend' who is a really nice woman but..shes very bossy to grandad which makes us all cross.Shes ill also so never smiles ,much.She wasnt too bad yesterday though so that helped me get through the day without throttling her..:D

I then came home and had every intention to wrap a few bits but started watching x factor..Then i spent all night bawling at Alexandra singing hallilujah ( sp ?) I have downloaded it this morning. It keeps making me cry !!:o

So my pledge for today. Is to stop playing that song then i wont cry. Get all gifts ready for Goddaughter and her mum. I have them all bought i just need to wrap them. Cook a mini christmas lunch ...well okay roast chicken :rotfl:

Pinkladymel sending your dd huge get well hugs. You sleep hugs and you slap tesco in the gob with a kipper hugs !!!!! It makes me sooo angry that they just seem not to care. Give them hell..

Jammy hope you had a great night.... But get thee back here !!! I keep being very very good and need to be on that good list :rotfl: Just kidding.. I have been good though

Sarah191979 So pleased that the party went well At least now you can just worry about christmas.

mum2one So pleased that you enjoyed the panto.Mum usually takes the boys but this year DS went with school.So mum has really missed going.

Right off to try and get sorted. Sorry if i have missed anyone. I will catch up and post back to everyone where i can

chocolate.orange_2

pinkladymel

Has just upset my sunday !!!

:eek: :eek: :eek: 11 days till Christmas :eek: :eek: :eek:

I will be organised.... I will be organised....... and breathe :rotfl:

Now after reading this i MUST get sorted

pinkladymel

You must surely be organised Orange one with all of your shopping i can just imagine your bin FULL of cardboard boxes.. recycling bin that is.. OF COURSE Domestic godesses we are

chocolate.orange_2

pinkladymel wrote: »

You must surely be organised Orange one with all of your shopping i can just imagine your bin FULL of cardboard boxes.. recycling bin that is.. OF COURSE Domestic godesses we are

Hmmm bought maybe ... but wrapped :eek: :rotfl:

I am making up hampers for people this year. But should of worked at one at a time, instead of doing them all at the same time:o . I have 6 3/4finished ones here. 1 finished. H's gifts are wrapped and under the tree. DS s are hid up the loft ( mostly wrapped) Lots of half finished bits and bobs all over the dining table

But if you say we are domestic godesses thats good enough for me :rotfl: I shall reming H of that later

Shevs

Oh my god I AM DONE, Im done im done im done!!!!!!

Yeeeeee haaaaaaaa baby!!!!!!!

Yesterday Ifinished cleaning my mum and dads house and it looks like a show home and I put up there tree and decorations!!! this morning I put up my tree and decorationsand decorated my bunnys cage and I have wrapped all my presesnts!!!!!!!!
I wll give out my christmas cards for dance class out today as going to the panto as our christmas outting and will give work christmas cards out tomorrow. I will give my best friend her pressie on Thursday which will be the last time see her before christmas and everyone else who is getting pressies I will see on Christmas day. I just need to keep on top of the house work and make sure my mums house will stay tidy which it will cos I threatened my dad that if he messed it up before christmas he was going in a home when he turned 60 :rotfl: I was only messing of course

pinkladymel

Aww Shevs you are so wonderful to do that for your mom and dad. I don't know where you get all of the energy from!! Mine is slowly starting to drain from me. I feel lifeless!!

Then again I guess you do dance and that keeps you on the go

I am reminiscing last year choccy orange where I had 4 hampers on the go trying to wrap them with tape everywhere getting very narked off!!

sylphraven

Hi :hello:
Well, I'm feeling re-energised, motivated & ready to get cracking again after my rest yesterday. Have wrote a list for a room to get "perfect" each day this week & what needs doing in each, a list for whats left to get, & another for whats left to do & when.

Today I'm cooking a few treats, mince pies & christmas biscuits.
Also getting the things I've sorted out to go on ebay into the roof to put on next year.

Think I'll put my alternative christmas songs on while I do it, get eneryone in the festive mood :xmastree: