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

mum2one

Anglea wrote: »

Thanks for all the container ideas mum2one and Mary- there won't be any stopping us now.

Oh no, I threw out some Pringles tubes recently (hangs head in shame) On the plus side, I had let the kitchen get over run with jars and boxes and didn't have anywhere else to keep them, so had to have a cull

Mum2One - I didn't realise if you did a degree you could choose things like sports when you're doing a financial course.

Mary- glad the holiday was a success and you bought some nice bits for pressies. That long coach journey would have finished me off! What happened to the lad you were looking after when you were away?

Is it just me, but for the last week I kept thinking it's challenge time, got all the dates mixed up. I'm with Susan, the heat is too much for a hard challenge from Miss Hoodie.

Its not far off challenge time.......!!

The sports course, I'm going to be the unfittest there is.......its so silly I'm trying to get as many qualifications on route, and Open Uni changed the goal posts, the next qulaification be Dipoloma In Business Studies, but to do a Foundation Degree in Business, have to have 80points that are new, so thought why do a level 2 or 3 and have an exam, but sports was level 1, where most of the free choice comes in, although got 120points level 1, need to back track, but keep me out of trouble!! xx

mum2one

The magic time, don't worry it may look long, but their small challenges / thoughts / etc/ as usual treat as a pick and mix

Santas Challenge - May

Miss Hoodie has helped, as the 24th is circled on her calander - and yes she has suggested cleaning.....

Clean up your computer - you don't have to wash the screen, but I had the whats the recycle box, thought that was u put the spare xmas presents in!! - Thats transformed into

• Check files, do you really need everything that you store
• Ditto for music, and photos - (if need to print look for freebies)
• Check your security is upto date, ur running scans, program updates as needed (some are different plzcheck)
• LAST BUT LEAST - TIDY UP YOUR COMPUTER DESK OR LAPTOP BAGS.......

(big phew- Miss Hoodie been roped in!!)

---

Money/ Vouchers
From reading other posts as well as mine, I came to the impression (hopefully its right), that the surveys were doing, if and when we get them, were either screened out, small payment, and have to be registered with a 1001 sites!!!
More a mini pick us up - so if we don't think we have made as much as our target, or what we made last yr,(my total right down, esp since Mr T stopped accepting vouchers)
please don't take it to heart, whether its 1p, £1.00 or even £100 - remember its money we wouldn't of had

---

Presents
We're well into the year, so lets go positive...... look at your lists, your supplies, pop on the thread - lets the bdays this month - then next month look at xmas presents

Birthday
Either
Person 1 / Cousin george - budget £20 Presents xxx spent £10:T
(or which ever way you find best, I bet ur be better than we thought we would be).

---

Half Term -
Parents - you can have an added extra 30mins just for you...... whether its a soak in the bath at midnight, read a book, something different from your normal plans......(even if you have to wait to late at ngt for the peaceful soak)

Choose one day that is going to be a no spend day, whether thats taking a picnic to the park, having a water fight in the garden, playing game

having a bbq day- raid the freezer (wine and beer allowed)

Grown ups as well, I'm sure we can all remember to do the empty egg shell with a cress head.

Non-parents - you can't get out of the cress one!!

---

The Main aim -Santas challenge to be ready for 24th
Again we all work differently, but I was thinking Christmas cards list, whether you want to spreadsheet, use your notepad, etc, divide the list up-
eg- post - 1 card family, more than one card, do you need any special ones etc...... esp work out if you need stamps....

Those with children leaving classes / changing schools
May sound mad, but if changing schools, do you know another parent with a child there, get a list of the required stuff, a friend of ours spent £300 on intro evening..... thinking of non-grow items - woodwork apron, cookery apron, do they need to supply their own folders, paper, see if we can get any bargains ready.

The change of class - Miss Hoodie
Mum - "what" when we change classes can we get the teacher a present - "yes" - me thinking raid my supply box, then theres the teaching assistant, + 5others who assist, so foot has gone down, so just teacher + TA. Ok she's got a heart of gold, but does get a bit expensive..... so check how many you have to prepare for.


MAD CHALLENGE - Part 1
Again we all have different talents, I can kick off (or politely put can complain for England), I can knit but not sew. So I'm having a go at making some jewellery, brought few bits and pieces from ebay, (just got to get some tools), (set myself see how much I can get for £10 - maybe hit and miss, but determined to have a go - if successful look at doing jewellery class as well as the art class at school!!) (I use to make earrings bout 20 yrs ago, but have forgetten everything, and that time to get a descent pr of earrings - you were spending £8 onparts)
.
MAD CHALLENGE PART 2
This is a freebie mad challenge, see if you can barter a skill with a friend (yes I watched the vicar on bbc2 trying to live with no money for yr, it didn't last!)
Miss Hoodies best friend and her family, they've been helping teach her to ride her bike,(my health -crutches so can't do anything with holding t he bike while she rides), I have made some crafts (memo box, peg idea - thank you Mary), we've helped each other out, both children + adults get something from it.
The same principle - another friend, shes proof reads my OU assisgnments, one of new course need a mentor, she wouldn't accept anything, so I did her an organised file, with survey links, budget planner, xmas challenges etc..... shes over the moon,as she wouldn't of thought of that.

Whether your skill swopping for the children or an adult, everyone gets the best of everything.

Think we've raided top to bottom and inbetween of the house, were all getting organised for xmas in our own ways, (- MARY glad you back, we really missed your covering ideas, Sarah has the additional ideas crafts etc, we all so well together and its a pleasure to put up a pick and mix -as I always say hopefully there be something you can use).
xx

mum2one

Forgot to say had an outing at my favourite place last ngt - that was after spending 6 hrs in a class room.

You know what its like when u nip into a supermarket on way home - want to be in and out, bumped into a girl I use to work with.....20 mins talking to her, by this time needed the loo....... headed staight for disabled, nowhere else to put crutches in this supermarket ladies..... thought the floor looked really shiny..... needs must..... it wasn't shiny, it was soaking wet..... my right leg went one way, managed to steady myself with the crutch, but unfortunatly my left leg went into the sink or the wall, lucky (fell back on to the loo - been a floor job, needed a ten ton truck or a hunky fireman!!.... Ended up then moving, couldn't put any pressure on my left leg, compained that the floor was leathal, then it was the first aider, the duty mgr, I was put in a wheelchair...... filled in reports, then they wheeled me out to car.....much to dads diguist, was only meant to be 5 mins..... off toA+E, 3 hrs later, I've fractured my knee cap, done some muscles in my leg, and pulled muscles in hip, apparently when I was trying to steady myself, there debating what todo, theone medic - were give her crutches, the other no she plaster..... there was me "hi I'm here", but nicer, said I'm already on crutches, been on for 8yrs...... ah, get plently of rest, keep the weight off and come back to fracture clinic in 4 weeks.

The positions they tried to get me in, thought there was a new Carry on Hospital, or the ex-rayer had just read the karma sutra...... Miss Hoodie went to a party this afternoon, so have to confess got 40 winks ......

Sods law got to go to town 2mor, so I'll be on a mobility scooter, pruping everyone out of my way..... (with my L -plates)

xx

sarahf191979

OMG mum2one:eek: I hope your feeling ok. I can't believe your luck or badluck as it seems. Sending you lots of ((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))

Thanks for the challenges they sound great and some are done already. Well the pressie stash is as I was hunting round in all my boxes over the weekend for my little sis's bday pressies this weekend :eek: and they were in the bottom box :mad: how typical. All done and sorted now ready to post, bet that will cost me more than whats inside.

Off to clean my laptop now

cdsmiler

Sarah - that course sounds fab! He'll love it!

mum2one wrote: »

Another bit of good news got full refund from the travel ins from when dd had chicken pox..... thou she has asked can we go to Tunisia again, or maybe Mexico would be nice....... I'll just find that money tree. So plzed. xx

BRILLIANT news!! So jealous - going to try to persuade hubby that Tunisia would be a possible holiday for us in a few years, especially when Bethan is a few years old! Loved Tunisia! Which hotels/areas have you stayed in? I've only ever stayed in Hammamet, in a hotel called Hammament Village, and it was so fab I've been back to the same hotel twice more!

Oh and I've LOVE to see the Northern Lights!!

Mary-op - good to have you back, glad you had a lovely time!! Any other tips on how to cover baby milk tins? Love the sock idea, but will they stretch?! lol Anything you know is not worth trying??

elysia - your kitchen looks lovely!!!! Hope your dd feels better soon and you both get some sleep!

Well we've been virtual spending the money from my injury - did a trip to Ikea yesterday to work out the new bedroom furniture! Can't wait for the money to actually arrive now....

Had a bit of an MSE moment on Saturday. Hubby had booked us tickets to see "Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Demise" by Spike Milligan in the New Theatre in Cardiff (Fab show btw, very energetic, very musical!) this past Saturday afternoon - bought tickets up in the gods, so about £8 a ticket. When we arrived, because Cardiff was so quiet (many people in Wembly watching the footie, or in the pubs!) and the show isn't that well known, they hadn't sold many tickets, so we were re-allocated to seats in the stalls! Then, just before it started, as the place was still pretty much empty, we were told we could all move forward if we wanted to, so we ended up dead centre, aisle seats, about 10 rows from the front! Fab!

Someone mentioned kitchens being overrun with jars?? I have quite a lot building up! Will definitely be making jam again this year, but hoping Mum will have a bumper crop of tomatoes too and we'll be making chutney!

Anyway, hope you all had a lovely summery weekend and didn't get too burnt!!

(Btw, Bethan slept through properly Saturday night!! Yeay! Shock to the system that was! Back to waking up just the once last night, but hey, I can deal with that!!)

Clare x

P.S With regards to the santa challenge:

PC Clean up - recently did all that when I got my new laptop! yeay!

Vouchers - thought I'd share which companies I use and get the most back from:
Pinecone - although I think you can't easily join them! Get about £4 pre survey!! And rarely timed out...
New Vista
Valued Opinions
GFK - I do their daily TV review and often get a £5 voucher in their price draw! They have two sister sites too, which are about shopping and you only have to do a longer survey once a month (plus follow ups if you HAVE purchased something) and from them I've recieved £2 and £5 vouchers, and my Mum won £100 in their prize draw!!

Presents - well behind on this, but I have some ideas on the 'makey' pressies. I'm going to start looking towards Christmas pressies from about August. SHould still get cheap stuff, but I'll be in better Crimbo mode! However, will be doing the same as last year - using my spread sheet to write down RRP and actual price and letting the computer do the clever stuff to work out my savings!

Christmas Card list - will update it. I send SO many each year I was a little mean and made a list of those who sent one back (or sent a congratulations card for Bethan) and I'm going to be tight and with the exception of one or two this year I'll only be sending to those who sent back!

Mad Challenge - hmmmm, well I bearly have the time to cross stitch at the moment, so something new....although saying that I'm getting into cake decorating!

Thanks mum2one! And MASSIVE hugs for you with your bardy knee!!

Oh, and anyone remember the 'clean out/defrost your freezer' bit of the challenge last Autumn?? lol Well we finally cleaned ours out yesterday - didn't have time to defrost it, so will do that soon, maybe tomorrow! lol Better late than never eh?

Phew - sorry for the long post!

Anglea

Mum2One - I'm so sorry to hear your latest news - you poor thing. I did laugh when I read your description of the Karma Sutra you found yourself in. And I couldn't help but notice that you mentioned booking another holiday in your recent posts - was this tempting fate?

Thank you (and Miss Hoodie) for setting us the new challenge - lots of different and interesting projects. Yes, I still remember the cress heads.

Clare, glad you you enjoyed your show. I think I've been to Hammamet too. It was me that mentioned all the jars. I have some relatives that always make lots of jam and they insist they you can't re-use the lids so send away somewhere for lots of new ones. What are your views on this - I'd never heard of such a thing until they said about it.

I'm wondering how you all got on with your previous challenge? I'm going to post my report soon.

lizalloareds

Mum2one sending you hugs

rufusdog52

Does anyone know how the shopping site is going to pay you? I have been trying to log on but its having none of it. Dont want to find out I should have filled in details that I havent done yet.

elysia2003

Rufus - payment s by paypal to the email address you supplied when you signed up. If the email address is not linked to your paypal account, you go go into your profile bit and edit it.

DD2 has a mystery pain. She's getting cramping in her stomach that comes and goes. She has medicine to relax it and stopping it spasm-ing. She won't take it though, as it's 'nasty'. Have tried everything under the sun, disguising it, pinching her nose, trickery, bribery - you name it we've done it!!!

Funnily enough, she slept through last night, but I was on edge thinking she'll be awake in a minute, so I woke up at ten to 4 and haven't had a wink of sleep since.

Sorry to hear about your accident Mum2one. If anyone gets in your way when you're on the scooter tomorrow, just run them over!!! My Mum's disabled (had knee replacements that went wrong, about nine years ago. She'd rather not go out than use her scooter, so she stays in now.

Thanks for the challenges Mum2one. Please give Miss Hoodie a big hug from me for her help in setting them.

CDsmiler - now I realise why I've not been paid by GFK! You only get entered into a draw - have been doing it since July and not won a penny. So, I've sent them to my Junk folder.

mum2one

cdsmiler wrote: »

Sarah - that course sounds fab! He'll love it!



BRILLIANT news!! So jealous - going to try to persuade hubby that Tunisia would be a possible holiday for us in a few years, especially when Bethan is a few years old! Loved Tunisia! Which hotels/areas have you stayed in? I've only ever stayed in Hammamet, in a hotel called Hammament Village, and it was so fab I've been back to the same hotel twice more!

Oh and I've LOVE to see the Northern Lights!!

Mary-op - good to have you back, glad you had a lovely time!! Any other tips on how to cover baby milk tins? Love the sock idea, but will they stretch?! lol Anything you know is not worth trying??

elysia - your kitchen looks lovely!!!! Hope your dd feels better soon and you both get some sleep!

Well we've been virtual spending the money from my injury - did a trip to Ikea yesterday to work out the new bedroom furniture! Can't wait for the money to actually arrive now....

Had a bit of an MSE moment on Saturday. Hubby had booked us tickets to see "Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Demise" by Spike Milligan in the New Theatre in Cardiff (Fab show btw, very energetic, very musical!) this past Saturday afternoon - bought tickets up in the gods, so about £8 a ticket. When we arrived, because Cardiff was so quiet (many people in Wembly watching the footie, or in the pubs!) and the show isn't that well known, they hadn't sold many tickets, so we were re-allocated to seats in the stalls! Then, just before it started, as the place was still pretty much empty, we were told we could all move forward if we wanted to, so we ended up dead centre, aisle seats, about 10 rows from the front! Fab!

Someone mentioned kitchens being overrun with jars?? I have quite a lot building up! Will definitely be making jam again this year, but hoping Mum will have a bumper crop of tomatoes too and we'll be making chutney!

Anyway, hope you all had a lovely summery weekend and didn't get too burnt!!

(Btw, Bethan slept through properly Saturday night!! Yeay! Shock to the system that was! Back to waking up just the once last night, but hey, I can deal with that!!)

Clare x

P.S With regards to the santa challenge:

PC Clean up - recently did all that when I got my new laptop! yeay!

Vouchers - thought I'd share which companies I use and get the most back from:
Pinecone - although I think you can't easily join them! Get about £4 pre survey!! And rarely timed out...
New Vista
Valued Opinions
GFK - I do their daily TV review and often get a £5 voucher in their price draw! They have two sister sites too, which are about shopping and you only have to do a longer survey once a month (plus follow ups if you HAVE purchased something) and from them I've recieved £2 and £5 vouchers, and my Mum won £100 in their prize draw!!

Presents - well behind on this, but I have some ideas on the 'makey' pressies. I'm going to start looking towards Christmas pressies from about August. SHould still get cheap stuff, but I'll be in better Crimbo mode! However, will be doing the same as last year - using my spread sheet to write down RRP and actual price and letting the computer do the clever stuff to work out my savings!

Christmas Card list - will update it. I send SO many each year I was a little mean and made a list of those who sent one back (or sent a congratulations card for Bethan) and I'm going to be tight and with the exception of one or two this year I'll only be sending to those who sent back!

Mad Challenge - hmmmm, well I bearly have the time to cross stitch at the moment, so something new....although saying that I'm getting into cake decorating!

Thanks mum2one! And MASSIVE hugs for you with your bardy knee!!

Oh, and anyone remember the 'clean out/defrost your freezer' bit of the challenge last Autumn?? lol Well we finally cleaned ours out yesterday - didn't have time to defrost it, so will do that soon, maybe tomorrow! lol Better late than never eh?

Phew - sorry for the long post!

Hi Claire

That is so weird, as I've only stayed in Hammamet. thou done a few of the hotels. started off at The Kilma, then Miramir (half way between Kilma and the hotel strip in to the ld Medina), then Hammament Gardens, Le saphir, visited friends at Pardis (that is one nice hotel), the other side of Hammamet - friends they staed at Bel Azur, that was old fashioned tradational hotel, but heck of a lot of steps. Now its The Phenicia, use to be called the Iberostar Phenicia, but they sold it last yr, now caled SENTIDO PHENICIA its a 4star, First choice have it as their premier hotel, its 10/10, I've stayed 3 times there, and were off again June..... yes I spent the refund.... thou dd doesn't know yet, nor does mother, as we fly the day before her bday!!

Really weird when I went out the 1st time in 1999, I met a family from Cheshire, and we've stayed in touch, sometimes weve stayed same hotel, or different. or just me and the mum go, last yr, I'd booked the Phenicia, (just me + dd), there her, hubby and her youngest (thou shes 27....), price wise we had paid £1200 (dd has to pay adult price) we were all inclusive, they were half board in the Bel Azur - they liked that hotel, (think they paid £1,400 for the 3 of them the dd had her own rm) when they came to the Phenicia for a look they were amazed at it, but was bit expensive for the 3 of them.would it would have been about £1800... that was till the last day and they worked out with all the extra trips to the cash point, they'd spent nearly 1,000 on drinks and snacks, nothing to show for it, so they booked the Phenicia this yr, we'd all be under one roof, but sods law, but they've decided they want to go back next yr.

Some of the companies are pushing the newer hotels at Yassmine Hammamet,but myself personally its lovely, but its to big, there roads with hotels galore, you could have a 15min walk to the beach, 10 min walk to a little shop, whereas the "original Hammamet" you've got the charm and everything close by.

The best thing was last yr, we were opposiate ends, so we said we'd go to another hotel for the evening in Yasssime Hammamet, me and dd texted them o say were leaving, give us 10 min head start, the taxi driver chattin as they do, then says "do you know where the hotel is, because I don't...... we ended up at 5 different hotels for directions, he did a 3 point turn in the middle of the road, where its full of plants.... then said what time do you want picking up!!"

As u can tell very passionate about tunisia, think it was the 1st proper time abroad, rather than 2 days in France, 4 days in Holland with the school.

bet the stuff in Ikea was fab, your shopping list be bottomless.

Congratulations on the freezer... your be safe for a while!!

You fell lucky with the play, that must of been brilliant that seating alloction.

xx