Getting out of my comfort zone

savingholmes

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1189961

snowman soup - found it

savingholmes

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=622943

how to make flannel yule logs, cupcakes etc

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1283835

pots of gold

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2079905

santas kisses etc

mooomin

Thanks SH! And thanks for the PM :T

savingholmes

I found a suggestion for little bah humbug jars - tin jars, labelled "bah humbug" with humbugs inside... think I will give that a go too!

gilligansyle

savingholmes wrote: »

I found a suggestion for little bah humbug jars - tin jars, labelled "bah humbug" with humbugs inside... think I will give that a go too!

Good idea, I just liked the idea of wrapping some cheap sweets up in cellophane to make them look like something expensive. There is a shop near me that does old fashioned sweets and I had a bit of a browse yesterday, they have cones full of things like flumps and fruit salads, chupa chups lollies, and they sell them for £2.99 so if I do something similar should be good.

also found an idea for 'a perfect man' can't find the link but it was

Perfect Man kit


They are mixing bowls, a wooden spoon, the choc chip cookie mix layered in a cone (like snowman soup), gingerbread man cookie cutter and a laminated poem/instruction tag. All wrapped in cellophane/ribbon etc.

Make yourself your perfect man
He's quiet, he's sweet,
He has no eyes and he has no mouth,
And he has a body with a perfect tan!



I'm thinking of doing a mini version using cheap plastic cereal bowls for my single friends.

gilligansyle

Just realised this is getting a bit crafty, but that's what life is about at the moment.
I consider it to be all debtbusting as it means nice cheap presents for people, especially friends who don't expect me to spend a lot, but over the years have come to expect something unusual. I've set myself up for a bit of a lifetime of crafting really.

Got paid yesterday - £150 so will start to get some extra stuff towards Christmas, its only 4 weeks away!!

So that is £25 gas and leccie
£25 petrol
£40 for normal groceries
£20 for extra bits - maybe

in theory that should leave £40 next Thursday to go off various debts.

gilligansyle

Picture of snowman soup here
other cards on blog
also recipe for Nigellas Christams decorations here

savingholmes

I did loads of craft things my first year with mse - and started in July for xmas! This year I haven't done much. I did do the perfect man thing but last year was able to buy 3 pre-cellophaned ginger bread men and just added tags to them (from b and m bargain) - it was a perfect man poem but ended with and now I can bite off his head LOL

gilligansyle

Need to get the rest of the Christmas shopping done. Arrange a morning to meet sister which goes ; meet, have coffee and cake, sort out lists, agree where to go first, shop, gab, have coffee and cake, shop. have coffee and work out whats left, finish shopping, lunch then home.
Have got money put aside in various pots including a prepaid card, so need to organise myself.
Been working until now, have had glass of wine and whoopsie chinese meal from Morrisons. Wasn't really in budget but too tired to do anything when I get in, and should have had something in slow cooker waiting for me, but because of waiting in, fruitlessly, for DHL, didn't get to the shops. Thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it anyway.
Loan is now only £764 which takes the whole total to under £4k. Not a lot compared to some, but half what it was when I started.

savingholmes

Sounds like you're making good progress!