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

mum2one

Santas Challenge....

As usual treat it as a pick and mix...

£2.00 challenge
that was earlier mentioned...... ladies and gentleman, the task is to look through your birthday and xmas lists and buy a present / make a present for £2.00 thats the maximum spend, can be for anyone, if you upload picture by the 20th July, ready for next challenge and I can announce the winner.
The prize = A set of 12 1st class stamps, donated by Miss Hoodie (from my stamp supply!!)

Miss Hoodies Santas Challenge -
Yes you guessed it, the dreaded cleaning, - the freezer, I know we did it earlier in the year, but thought mid way through challenge, have a good route, make some lovely wine ice-cubes, just for emergency purposes.....
Lets see who can make the best meal with the "I didn't know I had those in the freezer, and you can use store cupboard - no buying any extras -
Prize for that as well - decoupage (excuse spelling) ready for home-made xmas cards

Summer Checklist
This may sound mad, but July and Aug challenges both school holidays, so we're get the kids involved!! But big cleaning jobs etc, no-no!! (bet theirs a few big sighs of relief)
Now is the time to check those summer items, do you really need that 3rd paddling pool, (while it was on offer).... check all the summer items, to make sure there working, there not broke, and anything that has been grown out of can "grow legs and go walkies" before the children (or the men) realise they still had it.

Summer care pack.
Just a thought to have an old ice-cream tub, etc as an emergency pack, plasters, wet wipes, antiseptic spray, tissues, bandage, paracetomal etc, hayfever relief tablets, diarrohea tablets. Hand sanaitizer etc - depends on what ur liable to use in the house. Keep it accessible - hopefully none of us will need it, but in case of emergency.

Icecubes
This is very mse..... if your having a party, get together etc, over the few days before make the icecubes as normal in the icebox, but transfer them to cheapie food bags in the freezer.

Sewing Kit
Handy to have a small sewing hit handy, either in handbag or the glove compartment, small pair scissors, couple needles,black and white thread, sewing pins

Name tags
See if you need name tags for the new term, can u recycle them from this years clothing.......

School Uniform
If your children are anything like Miss Hoodie, I'm sure she sleeps in a grobag at times, the supermarkets, and M+S, are starting their offers, may be worth looking at getting shirts, polo shirts, socks etc now, things that can be brought gradually, less of a strain on the budget


Christmas Planning
Nows the month to start getting the christmas plans into action, this section will be spread over the next 2 months as well....
This month
Check your xmas present list - start getting organised.
Person and the maximum budget
Aim to have a couple of spares (even if there listed as female 1, female 2, male 1, male 2, boy 1, boy 2.

Leaving Presents
As its nearly end of term, start planning who you have to buy presents for - is it just the teacher, the teaching assistant, or the 1001 people that come to the class.

Days Out
It may be a long shot, but look at local papers, and the website of where you want to visit, they may have offers on, early booking, web booking, family packages, espically if somewhere like Alton Towers etc....

Carboots
Have you found enough items for a carboot, can you share with a friend, my tightwad tip, park car sideways, use 2tables, just over the length of the car,great if you have a lot of items, or sharing with a friend, split the costs, got someone to cover loo break, and keep the money safe and help the unpacking.
Right weather, as people will come out in the sun.

School fetes
Parents and non-parents, may be worth a look, as a lot of the schools have a mini car boot, or table top sellers, outside people in to sell, you may find a bargain or 2

Fathers Day
This sounds mad, as we only just had fathers day Sunday, but if shops have overstocked, there be selling off, a lot of items have granddad as well as dad, good things to put up for xmas.



Argos
Although its advertised on TV, Argos are doing their end of catalogue sale, again its hit and miss, personal choice, but may be worth spending half an hr or so going through the online section,
Got bargain - needed new travel hairdryer, set with brushes reduced to £7.49, instead of £15, when I got to the till, the cashier said, it may be alaternative.....ok I'll have a lot... Bargain of the year, travel hairdryer, travel iron, combination lock, passport holder, luggage tag, all in nice pink bag.

Just pulled this off as a good example of the sale price
Coleen Make Up Collection.


261/0814

• <LI class=saving>Less Than Half Price <LI class=mainprice>£6.24
• was £24.99

Another thought re Argos, the new catalogue must be comingout 24th/25th July, so that will be a good time as well to shop, reduceing further the items that are not going forward in the catalogue

Hopefully not been to bad ...... thought we'd have an organised month, but little things, (bar the freezer), Hopefully we have been gentle. xx

rufusdog52

Good lot of choices for the challenge mum2one, I have just defrosted my freezers so one up there, and I dont drink alcohol so wont be making the wine ice cubes. As for using up things forgotten, I have just made something for tea tonight for the others, its not from freezer but from left overs in the fridge. Cheesy mash with bacon, just small pieces of bacon fried in a pan and then mash potoatoes with some grated cheese mixed in and then the bacon stirred in, then a little more grated cheese over the top and put in oven for 15 mins until the cheese on top melts.

Will have a look at Argos in a bit and see if they got anything suitable for the few people I havent got for yet.

I like the £2 challenge as well, will be having a good think about that one too.

Thanks for the nice comments everyone on the quilt, this one has taken much longer than the other ones, I started it just after Christmas. Hadnt done one with triangles before so it took longer to do. Glad its finished though xx

Anglea

Hi all

Mum2One - that's a brilliant challenge lots to keep us out of mischief. What a good idea for putting icecubes into bags. I've been whacking mine with a wooden meat mallet to get them out of the icecube pack every time I need them and never considered keeping them in a bag.

Please thank your DD for not setting a 'clean the attic' type challenge

Rufus, that was a quilt worth starting, I wonder if you will make another like it but in different shades?

mum2one

Just had some brillinat news, took dd to doctors so she had her vercurra done, not good, but while I was there, thought i'll jump on the scales, expecting to of put on weight, as been away and Devon, - clotted cream, icecreams with clotted cream and flake...

I'VE LOST 5KG WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 1 STONE.......

Anglea

Brillian news mum2one, I think we all need the clotted cream diet now

mary-op

Hello all :j

mum2one - what a lot of challenges :eek: Thankfully some don't affect me..........schools, kids etc. and as OH is in charge of freezers/cooking I'll whisper in his ear and see what he says.
Think boot fair will be out the question......(who'd want to buy my rubbish ???) Young girl who cleans for me takes a lot of bits I don't want but she does or the charity shop have them

As for £2 pressie...........like that idea...........done a few already (aiming for cheap as poss christmas)

Button necklaces........cheap as chips if not cheaper.........mums old buttons and some thread I had kicking about..............total cost - nothing:T

Pamper pot -pringles/cheeselets tube covered with paper and filled with free samples of bath stuff
Cost of paper and glue - ooops........can't work that out but no more than 50p:j

SOS box.......Praise be to the 98p shop in Torquay:T
Thats the price of the box and I've filled it with stuff we had surplus of so didn't have to go out and buy anything :j

Thats just 3...............sorry no piccys cos don't have all the digi stuff to do it. Done loads more...........covered notebooks, covered pens that were freebies, specs cases (fabric & foam blanket stitched round the edges)............pebble key rings -pebbles with holes in out the pots I've got in the house.........attach key ring (used odd ones I'd got in my drawer)

Can't wait to see what you all come up with..........I need some ideas for more stuff.............:rotfl:

Had two days of de-cluttering our bedroom but did manage to make another button necklace this afternoon.............and I've still got buttons left:eek:
Somehow I always seem to have the same amount in the jar...................:)

elysia2003

Mary do you have instructions for button necklaces? I do have one that came with a top I bought, everyone comments on it but I really don't want to take it apart to find out how to make them incase I never figure it out.

mary-op

elysia - one site I found is this one:
http://pinefeather.typepad.com/pine_is_here/2009/09/holiday-jumpstart.html

There's also www.buttonjewellery.co.uk

Don't think I've done mine as well as on the links....they've used wire where I just used whatever strong thread I'd got and much as I love the bracelet on one of them no way can I seem to do it........:( Still, found some cheap beaded ones so have made gift bag for both.

mum2one

mary-op wrote: »

Hello all :j

mum2one - what a lot of challenges :eek: Thankfully some don't affect me..........schools, kids etc. and as OH is in charge of freezers/cooking I'll whisper in his ear and see what he says.
Think boot fair will be out the question......(who'd want to buy my rubbish ???) Young girl who cleans for me takes a lot of bits I don't want but she does or the charity shop have them

As for £2 pressie...........like that idea...........done a few already (aiming for cheap as poss christmas)

Button necklaces........cheap as chips if not cheaper.........mums old buttons and some thread I had kicking about..............total cost - nothing:T

Pamper pot -pringles/cheeselets tube covered with paper and filled with free samples of bath stuff
Cost of paper and glue - ooops........can't work that out but no more than 50p:j

SOS box.......Praise be to the 98p shop in Torquay:T
Thats the price of the box and I've filled it with stuff we had surplus of so didn't have to go out and buy anything :j

Thats just 3...............sorry no piccys cos don't have all the digi stuff to do it. Done loads more...........covered notebooks, covered pens that were freebies, specs cases (fabric & foam blanket stitched round the edges)............pebble key rings -pebbles with holes in out the pots I've got in the house.........attach key ring (used odd ones I'd got in my drawer)

Can't wait to see what you all come up with..........I need some ideas for more stuff.............:rotfl:

Had two days of de-cluttering our bedroom but did manage to make another button necklace this afternoon.............and I've still got buttons left:eek:
Somehow I always seem to have the same amount in the jar...................:)

I tried to think of the challenges like a cream cake, naughty but nice, def like the idea of whispering to OH with the cooking.

Your crafting ideas are brilliant there really insprirational, I know your not digital camera, but when (being cheeky), you have 5 mins here and there could you write up the creations for us. they sound brilliant and very money saving. xx

mum2one

From Half Cost - £1.99

My aunt loves pigs, and does bit of the watering of the plants, - my uncle won't let her near too much, she once dug up the plants and left the weeds she thought they looked pretty, so all she does (allowed to) is water the plants.
This kills 2 birds with one stone, looks brilliant, xx

Thou Miss Hoodie was the best she said is nanna Pat going to leave home now we've got her another pig, shes keeps threatening to go, I keep buying pigs but her stays!!

(basically as we don't see her other grandparents from day 1, my uncle and aunt took over the grandparents role, and have been nanna and grandad since day 1,she collects pigs, so every bday or xmas we make sure theres a pig involved, 2 yrs ago we got her a toy pig, but was 3ft long...... after that she says if another pig comes into the house I'm going, and of course my uncle jokes hurry up then!!) xx