Thrifty Gifty - Organised for Christmas and all ocassions 2009- Santas Challenges

moneytree1

Hi to all really must get back on track DD birthday went well and she loved her presants also she is back to school now need to get all my lists sorted as due back to Uni next week so wish me luck.
Moneytree1

rufusdog52

Hi Shevs, I thought you were already a member xx

blah11

Cripes, I just wrote my daughters list out (her 1st birthday is on Jan 4th) and it came to almost £300?! I've got £90 in her jar already which I've managed to save in about a month. Doesn't help that I'm on maternity leave and only get £120 a week. Gah. Gonna be tight this year.

Shevs

Rufusdog Hiya, yeah I was already a member but I havent been on mse sincce May, so thought I'd best ask if I am allowed to return :oxXx

jamtart6

Shevs wrote: »

Rufusdog Hiya, yeah I was already a member but I havent been on mse sincce May, so thought I'd best ask if I am allowed to return :oxXx

:rotfl:OF COURSE! Gone but not forgotten welcome back to the fold! how has your year been?

foxy219

Okay, so all is quiet and I have a little time to type so here goes:

Fruity Christmas Cake
Ingredients listed makes one 23cm round cake (serves 20) Preparation: 50 mins Cooking time: 4 hours Price per slice 50p!

200g glace cherries
225g plain flour
1½tsp ground mixed spice
150g ground almonds
175g butter
175g light soft brown sugar
4 large eggs
Grated zest 1 small orange
Grated zest 1 small lemon
1000g dried fruit
6tbsp rum - or orange juice, plus extra rum (optional)

1. Line 23cm deep round cake tin (or 20cm deep square tin) with 3 layers of baking parchment. Preheat oven to 150 degrees c or fan/gas 2. Rinse the glace cherries with hot water, cut into quarters and pat dry with kitchen paper.
2. Sift the flour and mixed spice together, add the almonds and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition and adding in a tablespoon of the flour mix with the last two. Stir in the rest of the flour mix followed by the orange and lemon zest, cherries, dried fruit and 6tbsp rum or orange juice.
3. Put the mixture in the tin and make a shallow depression in the centre. Bake for about one hour and then reduce the oven to 140degrees and cook for another 2½-3 hours. Cover the top of the cake with a piece of foil when it has been cooking for 2 hours to prevent it browning too much. Remove from the tin and cool on a rack - don't peel off the baking paper. When totally cold, wrap in cling film or aluminium foil and store in an airtight container.
4. After a week, !!!!! the cake with a fine skewer and spoon or brush over another tablespoon of rum(skip this step if you use orange juice). Continue to do this every week or two until a week before you are ready to decorate it. This will keep the cake moist, and you can keep it for up to 6 weeks before eating.

Hope this helps - I am making my first taster cakes this weekend - just because I can!!!

foxy219

Tesco are starting to put out their Christmas goodies, got mince pies on BoGOF, and their Finest range of Christmas cakes - now I know I am well on the way to being organized but if I were to cheat and buy the mince pies how long would they last for?

SugarSpun

Foxy, check the box and see what the BBE date is and if you can freeze them

My present shopping's finished - including spending this month's gift budget on myself as everyone else is done :rotfl: I bought myself a DVD box set of Jonathan Creek (saw it was reduced on HMV.co.uk, checked the price on play.com and it was £12 cheaper!) and two Hot Milk maternity bra/pants sets from secretsales.com (£45 for both sets, when one bra at full price was £51!!).

I've also ordered the wine (case of really lovely Argentinian malbec on special offer) and made an approvedfoods order and an Asda order for all the non-fresh stuff we'll need. I think I'm going to order the veg and the duck from Abel and Cole closer to the time - I'm just wondering if their £50 back when you spend £60 is worth it, will commune with my mother, to whose house I would send the four £15 veg boxes required.

I'm now planning the gift shopping for 2010 :rotfl:

Early birthdays:

4th Jan - old friend, gets smellies (bought)
1st Feb - mother, gets a watch (bought) and a National Trust membership
7th Feb, brother turns 21, gets two Tshirts (bought) and a National Trust membership

The National Trust memberships can be bought three months in advance, so I'll buy them both on November 8th through Topcashback with 3 months free, free binoculars and 40% cashback. It's on my calendar.

The next birthdays aren't till May and are:
30th May - Very Best Friend turns 30
31st May - Husband

VBF will probably end up with a wine appreciation book, a couple of nice bottles and possibly a wine tasting if I can find a cheap one.

Husband ... no idea, but I suspect I went a bit overboard on his Christmas presents so may pillage them to make up his birthday gifts

Shevs

jamtart6 wrote: »

:rotfl:OF COURSE! Gone but not forgotten welcome back to the fold! how has your year been?

Thanks Jammy!!! How are you hun? Have you finished doing your house up? I've been a bit busy to be honest, I did a course a month or so ago and I am now a qualified gym and studio instructor and on monday I am starting a part time hairdressing course. After being made redundant I have decided to give everything I ever wanted to do a go and if I dont like then no harm no foul at least I can say I tried it and it didnt work out but so far I have loved everything. I did a cake decorating course aswell which was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to halloween to decorate a halloween cake and christmas aswell........ Sorry for rambling:D xXx

rufusdog52

Shevs wrote: »

Thanks Jammy!!! How are you hun? Have you finished doing your house up? I've been a bit busy to be honest, I did a course a month or so ago and I am now a qualified gym and studio instructor and on monday I am starting a part time hairdressing course. After being made redundant I have decided to give everything I ever wanted to do a go and if I dont like then no harm no foul at least I can say I tried it and it didnt work out but so far I have loved everything. I did a cake decorating course aswell which was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to halloween to decorate a halloween cake and christmas aswell........ Sorry for rambling:D xXx

Wow I would like to do cake decorating but think I would be too heavy handed to make a decent job of it. Will stick with my kniting sewing I think.

Bought set of 3 smallish excercise boks in Tesco yesterday for about 32p and have just covered them all with pics of a certain Twilight person who my youngest is mad on. Then covered over the top with clear sticky back plastic left over from her drawer sets I did (same kind of thing). The plastic can be a bu$$er to get on but only got a small crease in one of them. Sure she wont mind.