Christmas 2010 Let's Get Organised

itsybitsygoth

Everyone thinks I'm a nutter for starting my shopping so early but I've picked up some bargains already.

For anyone making pamper packs/kits etc Quality Save have a good selection of 'little extra' things really cheap- you can get a pedicure kit inc pink toe separators, orange sticks, nail brush and pink nail files for 19p, foot shaped file 19p, body puff 29p, and face cloths in a variety of colours for 29p.

I've got a lot of nieces and nephews to buy for this year and the ages range from 6 months to 19 or 20 years old and considering the t'other half is on JSA so it's only my salary coming in we're on a pretty tight budget already. I've decided to buy the kids presents first so if the worst comes to worst and we can't afford to buy the adults something then at least the kids won't miss out.

My budget for each 'non immediate family' person is £2. Sounds bonkers? maybe, but i've made some really nice hot chocolate/pamper mugs for my older nieces, which include a mug, 2x sachets of hot choc, a deep conditioning hair mask, a face mask, a miniature deodorant, a miniature shower gel and a sample of Lush foot cream for £1.91 each (though I have to confess I was given the shower gel and foot cream as samples but they may as well have them).

If I buy for a couple the £2 is obviously doubled and they get a bottle of wine, Tesco do pretty good offers by the case on sparkling stuff so you can actually something pretty nice for £4.

cleanonme

Can I just ask a quick question about cello wrapping?

I've made up some pints of socks, some sock cupcakes and also some flannel reindeer.

Are there any bags I can buy that mean I won't have to wrap each one individually? I could be here until next Christmas otherwise! :rotfl:

Thanks for any help.

x

Kinski

I've done a search but can't find this.
A great present for doting grandparent or even parents is to make a picture collage, I make them using Picasa ( free download ) and then I just shove them in a cheap frame from a pound shop. This is one I did for my dad, it's pictures of my mum who has dementia and is in hospital, he loved it and had no idea it only cost £1 plus the cost of printing the picture ( A4 ), I've also done them for my brats with pictures of my grandbrats.


Terri

abdonz

:jthank u very much sammy kay some brilliant ideas.
i have been in to town and got all the baskets i need, most of stuff for my mums hamper just waiting calendar from vista print and need some slippers.
thorntons have a big box of chocs for £5 at the mo(half price) so picked up a couple of them, got ribbon and gift bags ,finished all my cards, im running out of space to hide thing lol.
going shoppinh with husband on fri :eek:so hopefully get a few more bits then.
wilkinsons have boxes of biscuits cheap at the moment to.
we have decided to now do a hamper for mother in law, why i have never thought of them before i dont know they are so cheap or expensive as u want and it shows the thought is there, my family are hard to buy for normally not this yr thou:D:D:D

itsybitsygoth

The card factory are selling Christmas gift bags at 6 for £1 has anyone found any cheaper than this? also does anyone know of any offers on jam at the minute? (random I know) as I want to include some in my hampers but i'm not really the jam making type.

Chasing_The_Dream

Hi everyone, I thought I was quite organised for Christmas until I came on here! I've had a few ideas for what I'm giving this year and have a shabby notebook with some ideas but I'm going to set up a spreadsheet :j (I love spreadsheets and lists!!). This year I think my mum wants us all to stick to a budget for each others presents but I still want to give decent gifts so really need to start planning now!!

xxx

chasingsunshine_2

Struggling a bit to get much done today as I'm stupidly tired and baby is happy & hyper and wanting to play...!

Snowman soup cones (2nd lot thanks to DH "misplacing" the first batch!:mad:) arrived this morning along with cello bags and ribbon for my flannel reindeer so I put one in to see how he looked and its okay but think it needs more too it... maybe some coloured tissue paper and some sparkles - still not too sure how to go about wrapping those little fellas

DS's birthday blanket was finished on the weekend and I'm now a good 1/14 of the way through my sisters Xmas eve hamper blanket... Its a BIG one and is going to take me ages- especially as its my 2nd proper blanket. I had a go at one last year but it was more of a large hankie than a blanket hahaha!

Also did my first blog post - which is quite embarrassing compared to the fantastic things you all have on your blogs but it'll get there - I hope!

All my fridge magnet memo pegs are made and just need to be put into the bags I bought and tagged with my HM labels which I'm about to print (fingers crossed I can work the printer today!)

So plan for the next 24hrs:
-Print fridge magnet labels
-Print Reindeer noses and poop labels
-Bag up poop and noses
-Buy some coloured tissue and/ or sparkles to jazz up my flannel reindeer bags (if anyone can share any ideas of how you wrap yours I'd be ever so greatful!)
-Print letters from santa
-Knit 15+ rows of the blanket
- work out how to put together MILs hamper!

Happy organising all!

jemtom

wow chasing sunshine where do you get the time to do that with a baby!
today got some more gift bags (decided not to use boxes this year just going to buy big gift bags and medium ones. managed to put, mil's, aunties, sil and uncles in bags now just to wrap everything when im finished buying. feeling rather productive done more than i thought i had, ds godmothers is done for the grand price if £4.05 when it all should have been £19.99 so really pleased with that. my younger brothers total is £11.15 everything should have come to £28. my aunties came to £5.34 the total should have been £21! got everything in sales or when they have been on offers actually feel better this year than last year have been much stricter with myself mostly down to this thread and the site and the lovely people.

Mrs_Ryan

Right, just made a list! Done some research and am pleasantly surprised to find I can get everything I wanted for everyone within my £350 budget. Now I just have to get it done! I only have 2 weeks to do it in so am planning on one big day trip to Leicester in that 2 weeks and hopefully get everything then. Not looking forward to carrying it home though :rotfl:

mummyslittleboy

cleanonme wrote: »

Can I just ask a quick question about cello wrapping?

I've made up some pints of socks, some sock cupcakes and also some flannel reindeer.

Are there any bags I can buy that mean I won't have to wrap each one individually? I could be here until next Christmas otherwise! :rotfl:

Thanks for any help.

x

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260652238066

Found these not sure if there big enough so you would need to check the size:D

Chasing_The_Dream wrote: »

This year I think my mum wants us all to stick to a budget for each others presents but I still want to give decent gifts so really need to start planning now!!

xxx

You can budget and get some lovely presents have made my mum a hamper for under £25.00 and it is crammed full of stuff!

chasingsunshine wrote: »

Also did my first blog post - which is quite embarrassing compared to the fantastic things you all have on your blogs but it'll get there - I hope!


Happy organising all!

Your blog is fine hun and you know have a follower I have just started mine but havent added it to my username yet as was like you and worried so we are 2 newbies to blogging together:D


jemtom well done on those bargains:T

Mrs_Ryan Goodluck with the shopping hope you have someone to carry those bags for you, I remember one year I thought I was being super efficent went into town after work and bought all the kids christmas presents went back to works car park only to remember I had taken oh's car to work a 2 seater sports car :eek:
Had to ring him up to come in my car and get the shopping:rotfl: