New Thrifty Gifty - Organised for Christmas and all ocassions 2010- Santas Challenges

Janebo12

Half_pint wrote: »

Janebo12: we had this problem when our loft was insulated. The damp is because there is not enough ventilation. You can buy small air vents which go into the wood that the guttering is attached to (can't remember the name sorry!). They are cheap and means you can start "hiding" things in the loft - translates to me buying Christmas presents and hiding them in the loft as it is "far too early to be buying Christmas presents" according to Hubbie

Oh Brilliant - thank you for this - I really miss not using the loft - we currently have Christmas decorations, camping equipment and suitcases on top of our wardrobe - not exactly good for promoting a good night's sleep :rotfl:. I will have to consult DH and get him to go and have a look for some.

mum2one

We had the loft insolutated, but put some wood over it and store sum things stuff up there, the original stuff when we had to clear the loft out, isin the garage...... you have about an inch spare each side!

Janebo12

Thought I'd write mine down so I know what's what:

mum2one wrote: »

Santas Challenge - March.

ME EVENT
(this applies to child free ladies as well) - have a "me day" - ok we not be that lucky - more like a "me hour", treat yourself, whether its a long soak with half bottle bubblebath, read a book, watch a dvd - don't forget the chocolates!! just to chill. - I did manage to have a lovely hot bath without being interrupted by the kids as they were all in bed - I just sat there with my book for an hour getting shrivelled up lol!!!

COOKING
for those with children, find a recipie for something sweet, whether its cornflake cakes for the little ones,rocky road for the bigger ones.
No children - Your cooking task, pick a recipie from your cookbook that you haven't cooked before......
Let us all know what you've made. - Have made some flapjacks for the kids today (Using Twinks Hobnob recipe - do a search on the Old Style board - it is gorgeous!) , also, had a go at "Impossible Pie" from the Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best series - you mix everything in a bowl and bung it in the oven - think mine is a bit overcooked - oops!

EASTER
Nows the time to see who we need to buy Easter Eggs for,as its proce war with the supermarkets,
Maybe have an Easter egg hunt (then again its British weather!!) my money saving way - instead of having eggs everywhere, consider buying a bag of pick and mix lollys/sweets then use these as hiding places, then when they've got the allocated amount (great if you have more than 1 child), they then collect the prize of the Easter Egg. (each child has an egg, but they've worked for it. - we were away the week following Easter, but I didn't buy my kids eggs: DS got a swimming bag (from Halfcost thanks Mum2One) and a digital money box and DD1 and DD2 both got swimming bags , barbie jeans and shoe jewellery boxes - I don't but them eggs as they get loads from our relatives!

CARDS
Don't panic its not Christmas cards yet! but check your bday cards, and whether you need to craft any (or like me buy in advance) espically if you need a semi-personal like Aunty, saves mad rush to local shop and pay £2 when you could have paid £1.00 (if that was 10 cards over the yr difference £10 overspent). - Went to card warehouse yesterday and they have 10 cards for £1 so got 10 which will cover the rest of this year's birthdays.

HOUSEHOLD KIT
The thought come to me earlier, set up a household kit, scissors, pencil, tape, candles, matches, torch, notepad, pen, string, - if we had a poweer cut, everything is to hand/ Have put everything in a Quality Street tin inside my kitchen drawer so it is all in one place.

KIDS BEDROOMS
Hopefully there be tidy from the half term clean up, but see if theres anything that they don't need, carboot it, ebay it. - tidied girls room when they went back to school and playgroup - it was trashed again the next day :mad: - sorted some clothes out for school clothing collection - nothing there can get rid of yet.

CAR-BOOT
Their starting to spurt up, though I know our school were starting after Easter, Could be the time to consider a car-boot, in our area dd's school has the best reputation for carboots, and even thou it says 8am start, theres people there at 5am!
Very MSE way, instead of parking normally and have the boot up, park sideways, that way you can get 2 paste boards up, so you could share a pitch with a friend and go 50/50 with the cost, - I don't do car boots sales other than buying stuff, but am steering clear at the moment whilst I am short of money!

MEDICATION
I appriciate that this may only apply to a couple of us (me included),our house we have 3 old icecream boxes, (me, dad and mum, although we have a box each, mum or I do them. When mum was poorly last week dad had no idea what tabs he should of been on, so I'm chaseing labels to see what he needed.)

Print off a list and tape it to the inside lid of the container, whether there morning, afternoon, night tablets, so if any reason someone got your tablets - you know you'd be getting the right ones. We don't have any regular medication so have filled a tub with paracetamol, piriton etc and put on top shelf of kitchen cupboard where the kids can't reach!

It wouldn't be a proper challenge without a small bit of cleaning!!
Do you have an understairs cupboard, an airing cupboard, draws under the bed...... or your stash area, - when was the last time they were sorted...... this is the month to empty ans sort. - have had a look in my craft cupboard but there is nothing that can be thrown away - in fact it is expanding due to my mum kindly buying up bargains from Tesco for me :rotfl:

Now looking forward to the next challenge!

mary-op

Hello all :j
Two more scrapbook pages done..............:j Tomorrow I really must resist it all out and sort out some washing and stuff we might need for next week when we go away. OH says weather forecast is supposed to be good but I'm still packing jumpers..............;)

Any ideas what to get MIL for her birthday in June ? She'll be 90 !! Feel it ought to be a bit special but like a lot of people her age she's got everything she needs/wants -doesnt want anything that needs dusting etc. Trouble is, also has to be cheap ! Not me being mean, it's our 'budget' we're trying to stick to.

Anglea

Hi all

I need to tell mum2One off for the 'cards' part of the challenge. I think I'm going a bit loopy this week. A while back I bought some birthdays (men and women) and thought that was ok. I knew I needed some blanks but thought I'd do that another time.

Well this week my ex fil asked me to buy some cards for him as he's immobile. So I went to the pound shop and got some nice ones - 8 for £2, then went next door to the proper cards shop as he wanted a large one too.

Surprised to find they had a special offer of 7 cards for £1, which made it cheaper than the pound shop! So I bought cards for me, it wasn't that easy as I had to think ahead about the recipients as they were posh modern cards but wouldn't suit everyone.

I got home and realised that I'd completely overlooked a card I needed for next week (either a blank or else a Thank you). So more cards needed. Not sure if I'll find one in that special offer that will be suitable or not.

Garden challenge, only done the mowing so far and planted some whatsits (forgotten the names) but it looks tidier than before.

Mum2one - hope your mum will be pleased with the birthday present and all will go well.

Talking of cross stitch - did anyone see Create and Craft today? They are now printing designs onto Aida and it looks like it's stitched.

Must useful cross stitch I've made is a sturdy clip with a tiny design stitched in that very thin plastic that looks like aida. I use that to clip my special occasions notes together.

I keep procrastinating the new recipes challenge, I was considering making naan bread with yoghurt, rye bread or a jam suet pudding. Still, I've got a few days yet.

cdsmiler

elysia2003 wrote: »

Silly I know - but I wait up until 12 am to play the next days free scratchcard on the sites I'm on, just in case I forget during the day. I was waiting until clock struck 12 and while there I thought I'd have a go on the slot machine. OK it kind of defeats the object but it doesn't when you win!!!!

Lucky me - I stupidly thought it was £1 a go, until they took £4 off my account. First and only go, I won a couple of quid and 15 free spins, well I got up to about £15 and won another 20 spins, and then another 15. I just cashed out £190.

Sorry to everyone. I'm just excited and don't think I could sleep now if I tried! LOL.

Drinks all round. Everyone's having a double. :beer:

Oooo lucky you!!! Hubby had really good luck a few years ago - he joined a gambing site through quidco (for the cashback and £10 free play!), played a few games on it, and on one of the fruit machine things won £1000!!!!! We couldn't believe it! He bought a laptop and a long weekend away for us in Vienna! Anyway, I'll have a Bailieys (original!).

foxy - hope you're ok!!

Ok, so I'm THIKING about doing something garden related. We have a tiny front garden which I reckon is manageable enough for me to tidy and put some nice pots out on. So that's a start..... Will throw myself properly into the next challenge, especially as Miss Hoodie's been banished for this next one! (No offence to her!! lol)

Janebo12 wrote: »

Had to smile when I read this Nicky - I bought a cross stitch kit when my DS was a couple of months old - I stupidly thought that when he was asleep I would do some - I did start but it was very slow going and it kept getting put away for quite a while and then brought out again - then I finished the picture and there was quite alot of french knots to do for snow (I hate them and cannot do them so gave up again) - finally I cheated and did a half cross stitch but you can't really tell unless you are up really close!! Anyway, considering everything it has taken me over 8 years to finish it :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:but I am really pleased with it - it is a victorian street scene with a horse and carriage and the ladies and gentlemen out shopping, it looks really good - now I just need to find a really nice frame (let's hope that doesn't take as long ).

Oooo my mum did one years ago that sounds very similar but it was a spring/summer feel and had loads of french knots too! (for the leaves on the trees!) Wonder if its the same style/look?

Mary - glad your heating is working again!

Half_pint wrote: »

Janebo12: we had this problem when our loft was insulated. The damp is because there is not enough ventilation. You can buy small air vents which go into the wood that the guttering is attached to (can't remember the name sorry!). They are cheap and means you can start "hiding" things in the loft - translates to me buying Christmas presents and hiding them in the loft as it is "far too early to be buying Christmas presents" according to Hubbie

Oooo we're having terrible trouble with damp in our bedroom which has always been there but seems to have gotten worse since our loft was insulated......

Clare x

mum2one

Miss Hoodie is extremely exicted as the shoots have started to come through in her sunflowers, presently in a plastic cup on kitchen window sill, have to keep getting them down everytime she goes into the kitchen.... not sure what difference 30 minutes will do!!

Have to take back seat from the gardening, - the back garden half patioed, and 2 patches of grass, 1 has Miss Hoodies trampoline on it, for some reason Bailey thinks its fun to go running round the trampoline 100 miles an hr...

leave the rest to dad, - front borders we put heathers in to save time. few rose bushes, got my favourite, blue moon, thou its a pale lilac, and the bush looks like its on its last legs but keeps going (bit like me).. !!

We're have to find room for the sunflowers. xx

sarahf191979

cdsmiler wrote: »

Oooo we're having terrible trouble with damp in our bedroom which has always been there but seems to have gotten worse since our loft was insulated......

Clare x

We had loads of trouble with damp in the frontroom, and had to get onto the landlord, when they eventually came out the guy spent hours removing the skirting board and putting it back on and said he couldn't understand where it was coming from, in the end he cleaned the wall down with bleach, left it to dry and then painted it with an anti fungal paint, which you can buy in B&Q we have since painted over it and touch wood it hasn't come back. It might be worth a try

rufusdog52

Morning everyone.

Had email from Amazon at the weekend to say OH's dvd box set has been despatched then got an email yesterday to say they had refunded me the money. I thought the price was too good to be true. I paid £30 fro supposedly new and they are going for more like £95 new. Have ordered another set the same but this time a used set for the same money, I am sure he wont mind it being second hand as he buys me second hand dvd's for Christmas.

Got Grandaughter some nice reading books to go with the one I made for her, got 4 for £4 in the works, might get her a packet of sweets to go with it.

Checked my list yesterday and thats nearly it, just want to make the teddies for the boys for Christmas, need to get to a fabric shop and get some white and red fur.

mary-op

Hello all :j
Well, don't know where I left my brain but if I've got it, its not working very well.
I know I had some purple coloured bed socks bought me for christmas (never wear them) so put them upstairs for christmas along with a very long pair of black socks.........can I find them ????? No way !!!!!:eek: They must have grown feet and gone walkabout............:(
Thought I'd take a break from scrapbooking and play with socks, seems its not meant to be.........then my back started playing up -just what I need when I'm off to see my son next week...............oh poo !!! (pardon french !)

Rant over ! OH has sorted out washing (bless him:A)
and I've done nothing except scratch my head over lost socks and groan about my back............:(
On plus side.........just had delivery of two packets of seeds and some potatoes I forgot I'd ordered off the 'nearly freebie' board............pink fir apple potatoes they are...............not a clue what they're like but anythings worth a try..................lol