Great Last Minute Christmas Present 2008 Hunt

Former_MSE_Andrea

This is a full list of vouchers, days out, mag subscriptions and companies you can order from, and a free album download from Amazon... plus we want your top last minute spots too.

What's it about?

With just hours left to go the Christmas clock is now ticking; and as for most stores it's too late to order online, unless you pay huge sums for delivery, now we’re left at the mercy of high street prices.

What to do?

So we wanted to tap MoneySavers' ideas for the best last-minute bargain gifts; whatever your ideas please share them. We've added some of our own below to get started.

Last of the last delivery dates:

It's possible to order from electronics giant ebuyer and web staple Amazon right up to 8:30 AM on Christmas eve for same-day delivery. However, do so and you'll pay a hefty delivery charge, so it may work out cheaper (and'll certainly be far less of a gamble) to hit the high st.

First of the high st. sales:

While ordering online's become more difficult, shop on the high street and you can pick up some bargains, since many stores have already started their sales. Check the High Street Sales note for an up-to-the-minute rundown.

E-Gift Vouchers

Here's a list of retailers that offer near-instant email gift vouchers; the links should jump directly to the voucher offers. You can either send a voucher directly to your recipient's email address, or for extra points, send it to yourself, print it out, and stick it in a card. Vouchers generally start at £5, and can go up to over £200.

• Amazon. Books, CDs, DVDs, Games and nigh on everything else. Free delivery on orders over £5. Link: Amazon.
  
  Free Album Download courtesy of Amazon: Use the code "FREEMP3S" on Christmas Day or Boxing Day and you'll get £3 to spend on MP3 downloads. There's no minimum spend and album downloads start at £3 so you could get a full album by artists such as Guns N Roses, Rihanna and Leona Lewis for free! More info on the Amazon site.

• Asos. Fashion for men and women. Standard delivery costs £3.90. Link: Asos

• Play. Books, CDs, DVDs, Games & pretty much anything electronic or gadgety. Free delivery on everything. Link: Play

• CD Wow. CDs, DVDs, Games. Free delivery on everything. Link: CD Wow

• Sendit. Cheap CDs, DVDs, Games, Electronics. Free delivery on most products. Link: Sendit

• iTunes. Music & Films for iPodders - you can only buy these gift certificates via iTunes software. Link: iTunes

• Games Workshop. Warhammer 40,000 & similiar paint n' play strategy board games. For confirmed fans only. Link: Games Workshop

• Boomkat. Alternative music & culture for the proper musos out there. Delivery costs vary. Link: Boomkat

• Lastminute.com. From holidays to theatre tickets via spa days, at a discount. Check restrictions first though. Link: Lastminute

Important note

While not a big issue for most retailers, it is worth being aware, if the company were to go bust the vouchers would effectively be worthless, so it isnt as safe as cash. Yet with most big retailers (e.g. Amazon) this isn't a worry.

Charity Gifts

If you're buying for somebody that already has it all, or just want to do something different, virtual charity gifts are a great bet. All those listed below offer a customisable e-card which'll tell the recipient what you've bought on their behalf.

If you just want to give a direct donation to charity on somebody else's behalf, be sure to use gift aid. Read the Charity Giving article for the full lowdown.

• Must Have Gifts (Worldvision) - Get 10 fruit trees for £10, feed 70 children for £12, train a nurse for £25. Link: Must Have Gifts

• Oxfam Unwrapped - Safe water for 12, £9, a goat for £25 & Emergency Communications equipment for £50. Link: Oxfam Unwrapped

• Cows 'n' Things (Help the Aged) - A year's schooling £17, 5 Mosquito nets £14, 100 Medicare treatments £32. Link: Cows 'n' things

• Goodgifts.org - The only site that guarantees your cash goes to exactly what you've bought. Also offers vouchers. Link: Goodgifts

• Presentaid (Christian Aid) - A can of worms (!) £15, A Christmas Turkey £35, A brood of chicks £31. Link: Presentaid

• Gift of sight (Sightsavers) - Adult cataract operation £17, White canes £8, a school eye screening £45. Link: Gift of sight

• CARE International - Blackboard £10, Disease prevention kit £43. Thanks to competitionscafe for posting this below. Link: CARE International

Magazine Subcriptions

You can buy subscriptio ns for most magazines online, and any others over the phone. What's more, you can take advantage of any number of magazine offers, which'll either reduce the overall cost or get you a free gift in the process.

First comparing results from the following sites: Great Magazines, Magazine Group, Discount Publications, Subscription.co.uk, iSubscribe. And if you've got Tesco Vouchers, you can use the Tesco Deals Brochures to get them a quarter of the price (though it may note be there in time for Xmas)

There are also discounts listed in the dedicated magazine offers thread.

Online Music Subscriptions

Sites like eMusic & Napster offer Mp3 music downloads on a subscription basis; pay a monthly fee, and you get to download a certain number of tracks (in Napster's case it's unlimited, but you never fully own any). Various download packages and introductory offers are available.

Experiences

Days out vouchers can be purchased on the spot for the promise of a trip at a later date. Select the gift and you can either pay delivery if you’ve time or get an e-voucher if not. All kinds of gifts are available from chocolate tasting to gokarting and theatre tickets or a meal out. These sites have a selection of gifts to choose from:

• Theatremonkey. Reduced price theatre tickets such as Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat £22 and BOGOF seats to see The Sound of Music Link: Theatremonkey

• Lastminute.com. Loads of experience gifts for the adventurous for £47 including Chocolate Making Workshop, Bungee Jumping and Quad Biking. Link: Lastminute.com

• RedLetterDays. ideas include Aston Martin Driving £97, Dumper Truck Racing £47 and Spy Academy £48 Link: RedLetterDays

• Other sites. There are several other experience sites if you’re looking for further ideas and possibly don’t mind giving a card (or making your own voucher) now until the official voucher arrives. These sites include: Buyagift, Intotheblue, Virgin Experiences

• Gig Tickets. If you know of something they'd like to see, you could grab them some event tickets. Sadly, big sites Ticketweb, Seetickets, Ticketmaster don't offer instant email gift vouchers, so you'll have to know your stuff pretty well before buying.

To add your suggestions, please click 'post reply'. Thanks, and Merry Christmas!

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Hush-Puppy

I bought this on Saturday - I thought it was a good bargain for my 2 year old dd. Double dolls buggy, £5.79.

Poundland have lots of kids 2009 annuals in ... I got a Marvel heros one, an Indiana Jones one, a Tom & Jerry and a 'The Boys Annual' - all 2009 editions. Also, Hawkins have a 'facial hair' set ... but Poundland have a version with more moustaches (sp?) etc and it's £4 cheaper. Good as a gag pressie for my almost-14 year old ds.

Boots have some large character bubble baths in (which double as bath toys), I bought an Upsy Daisy and an Iggle Piggle (with removable wash cloth) along with a metal bucket containing a santa soft toy and some sweets ... £9.70'odds for the lot, as part of their 3 for 2.

Hushy

DNF

This Xmas has been all about saving for me (wel more then other years)

I found that buying vouchers as gifts helps me keep to budgett and still gives me cashback, and it's kind of making the most out of the money i spend.

AND you can still get them online and print yourself.

mirrorimage0

i just bought a couple of football days training for my boys of buy a gift website and if you go through greasypalm they have a £5. off voucher as well so paid something like £2.82 each for them and you can print off the voucher for them to open xmas day.

also bought the 52 vouchers of love one for each week with the voucher off it reduced it to £11 something

brycat

We got an old style Tonka truck for DS reduced from £20 to £8 and a fantastic spiderman set, with spiderman and a baddie action figures reduced to £1 in Woolies, along with some little cars, power ranger toys and a small Matchbox plane, all for only 25p each!

Also got him a superman set for around £2.50, a spider glove puppet for 50p and a Shrek electronic game for £1.49 in the paper shop (Lewis Meesons?).

Have picked up several great bargains in Asda and Primark too, including a very nice mans fleece jacket for only £3 and a brown leather-look handbag for £2.

Going to do our main Crimbo shopping tomorrow so will report back then!

ThriftyBelle

Superdrug always has great offers around christmas, I have bought loads of presents from there. I recently bought a little pack of mini bath bombs and a mini bath set for 65p each. Also, for a novelty present, they have a fish and chip pack which consists of paper plates, chip forks, serviettes, a salt shaker and the ketchup and vinegar bottles you see in most cafes. And best of all it was only £2.99.

New Look also tends to have gift ideas, and reduce them way before christmas. They have lovely makeup bags in there for only £2 reduced from around £4 and other nice stuff for the girlies.

Merry Christmas Everyone :beer:

competitionscafe

One to add to the charity options:

Care International.

DELIVERY INFORMATION: If you have missed the Christmas postal deadline, we now have downloadable gift vouchers for you to print off and pass on to loved ones in the meantime. You can also send a personalised e-card with an image of the gift you have bought.

Gifts

• A duo of ducks
• A desk and chair
• A pair of piglets
• A pair of trees
• Two chickens
• A blackboard
• A mystery CARE package
• A warm woolly sheep
• A pack of school supplies
• A wood burning stove
• A water tank
• A pair of breeding goats
• Safe water for a class
• Weighing scales
• A disease prevention kit
• A bicycle
• Train a teacher
• Water for a village

CARE International is one of the world's top aid agencies, fighting poverty and injustice in nearly 70 countries around the world and helping over 65 million people each year to find routes out of poverty.
Registered charity number: 292506

lynneinjapan

Another site for charity gifts is Plan UK. The reason I know them is that I sponsor a boy in Guatemala through them.

On a more moneysaving note, my local discount shop has (for the last couple of months) lots of La Redoute fleece jackets for just £1. They're all the same size (L, though I'd say it was more of an M so maybe they were mislabelled and that's why they're so cheap) and colour (light bluey-grey) but if you're a woman who takes about size 12-16 then they're great! I've bought two for myself and a couple for family Christmas presents - though I'm so proud of my bargains that I will be telling the recipients how much they cost!

justpeyton4now

Thanks everyone for the great spots on bargains. Although Christmas shopping is done for this year, I'll head out today to see what I can get reasonably for next year and for birthdays in the coming year.

May you all have a blessed and joyous Christmas/Holiday Season.

Peyton xxx

competitionscafe

Couple more ideas for last minute gifts:

Very last minute: (From 12:01 am on Xmas Day)
Free album on MP3 from amazon with £3 voucher (order from 1 minute past midnight tommorrow night and burn to cd or put on ipod)
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1372471

And Another Charity gift idea: FARM-Africa PRESENTS:

FARM-Africa PRESENTS won't get caught in the post because they're sent by email! Each virtual gift has a fantastic film to send your family and friends via a unique email link – with a guaranteed happy ending supplied by you. Shot at a FARM-Africa project in Tanzania, each our four films star real people who have been helped by our work and end with your personal message.
See how it works and how we use your donations.

Personalised film clip or ecard with charity gift:
"For something a bit different, visit FARM-Africa PRESENTS! It's a unique ethical giving website which allows you to personalise a movie, e-card or photo gift pack showing one of FARM-Africa's projects in action in Africa. Simply visit farmafricapresents.org.uk to find out more!
It's a great new way to help make a difference to the lives of African farmers, and there are 11 FARM-Africa PRESENTS to choose from, including quirky and traditional gifts to suit all budgets.

eg:
The Constant Gardener
Seed starter kit - £5.00

Splash
Fermented cow's urine - £20.00
One for the mother-in-law?

Banana Beer:
http://www.farmafricapresents.org.uk/buy/item/12

Some more ideas here: The best charity Christmas gifts.

And another idea: 'Be your own Dragons Den Dragon' with a Kiva.org Gift certificate for a loan to an entrepreneur:
(Make a loan to an entrepreneur in the developing world for as little as $25 [£17].)http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=gift&action=giftPromotion when the loan is repaid it can be loaned again or the cash can be withdrawn.

daisyduck1976

You can also print an instant gift voucher from Bravissimo.com. So if you have a sister, mother, girlfriend who wears a D up to a J cup then it's a good gift.They also sell clothes and pyjamas specially cut to accommodate those of us with larger chests!
Bought one for my sister's birthday and printed it off then and there. She was very pleased with it.
:T