DFW @ Christmas ?

lynzpower

I do remember my folks when I was little having a boot sale "to make space for santa coming"

If theres stuff laying around unused, do a car boot, and get some extra money coming in from that.

Personally, Xmas isnt something Ive budgeted for yet ( I cant believe it either ) and I expect that depending on my circumstances, I will probably have to reduce my CCs down to min payment for December only then I will have a couple of hundred there to spend. Not ideal, but a way that will probably have to work for me this year.

QueenB.

Like everyone else i will be using vouchers to help pay for some gifts.

Buying cheap in sales/carboots/charity shops.

Homemaking most of the gifts for the extended family (so will have to really get started this week:rolleyes: )

Make all my own cards anyway and have lots of wrapping left over last year.

All new decorations will be handmade by the children and I which is always a wonderful way to make christmas feel that bit more special.

Last year OH and I didn't even get each other anything but that felt so miserable that this year we will be giving each other just a little something.

Kids have already made their list and picked out their one MUST have pressie, youngest sons is a rucksack:D so i have begun looking around for deals and have a budget put aside.

I used to budget £10 for some family £20/30 for grandparents, this year i don't have an actual budget as nearly everything will be handmade so it has an large sentimental value rather than actual price tag.

Check out the OS xmas threads, a must

*zippy*

I think a list and budget is essential, Pre mse I used to pick up bargains all year and throw them in the cuboard, one year when i got them out to wrap them these "bargains" added up to £500 for just one DD and none of it was what she really wanted Now I finish everyone else and then do the children to try and stop last minute panic buys (why do they bring out new toys a couple of weeks before xmas? just when you think you have finished :mad: )

I have also reduced the amount of people we buy for, i mentioned it to SIL and we now just buy for the kids

I started buying pressies this week. DD wants DS games so will keep an eye out for deals of the week and sales

I buy all my cards and paper in the Jan sales

I start a christmas food box and buy a few extra food items each week and save them from about Nov.

I too have saved my pigsback vouchers for christmas and nectar points and I save £50 a month into an isa

I think the main thing it is just one day, we wear ourselves out trying to give everyone the perfect day, we spend the rest of the year paying it off and most of it doesn't even get played with and is discarded within days. I wish I had the guts to downsize it, have fun trying to find funny gifts for no more than £5 each etc.

Sallys_Savings

oops I forgot...how about trying to get a few R & R's from Tesco??

Have a look on the forum thread and you may be lucky

dlb

Love all your ideas,
I am making scrapbooks, mini ones for friends and family this year, puting pictures kids have drawn, photos, and some nice poems.
FIL+MIL are having a hamper made up from odd extra items i buy each week and will thrown in some cookies kids will make.

QueenB.

I think that is what we sometimes forget, that it is, in most cases, just one day and that the true meaning of christmas is not about the presents etc, even if you are not religious. Christmas for us is a time of just coming together at the end of the year and remembering the year and being thankful.

We have a tradition of the kids getting to open one pressie on xmas eve, main pressies on the day but we try and stretch this out so it takes a few hours rather than minutes. Several times we have had a treasure hunt and the kids loved it:D , then they get another small gift on boxing day.

Basically we spend the whole month celebrating, the children and i start making some decorations in Novemeber (and any bits that have to be sent early) Tree and decs go up on the 1st and then i do something christmas related everyday with the children, even if its just a chrimbo wordsearch. We go on local woodland walks and drive around looking at all the lights, so many little free family moments that have now become tradition.

We also always do soemthing for others, like operation shoebox so that it makes the children, and us think about others rather than just focus on ourselves and the idea of presents.

We finish the christmas period with a panto on the 1st of Jan:D

Can you tell its my fav time of year:rotfl:

My daughter and most people i know say i am very over the top, anything not moving gets decorated (though sometimes the cats can't escape;) ) but they all love it

Just like everyone else i have spent too much most years on christmas presents, yet it is the small things and traditions which we have created as a family which have survived, that is now my main inspiration (that and my debt;) ) for this year.

So try and remember the real reason we/you celebrate christmas and have fun making a celebration that means something to you rather than one which is shopbrought by the masses.

benbenandme

I know its really early .... but I've already got NEXT years Christmas sorted !!!! :eek:

My bills are all done by direct debit but I only have to pay the water and council tax for 10 months of the year not 12. Therefore the money that would normally go on this in January and February (£232) will go straight into my savings account for Xmas 2007 !!! Added together with some pigsback vouchers and other survey vouchers I should have enough to get done without stress!!!

mintymoneysaver

Fortunately for me, I hope to have all my debts cleared by Christmas so it will be cash for my presents( or rather my cashback credit card but cleared when the bill comes in ).We never go toally overboard anyway, but I will be using all my vouchers from online surveys etc towards presents, and I've already got some cards and paper bought in the sales.Last year I made great use of Boots 3 for 2....this year I plan to use quidco to help even more....

*zippy*

Thats really sweet QueenB it brought back fond memories of when mine were younger.

Interesting alot of you make pressies, I gave the grandparents a framed photo of kids last year and SIL once gave me a lovely basket of bulbs she had made herself, what sort of things do you all make?

QueenB.

Thanks zippy, my eldest is almost 14 and she does the big pretend moan, trying to be cool, about how over the top i go, but she loves it:D , luckily i still have the two younger ones so plenty of years left to indulge. Though to be honest even before the children i made a big fuss over christmas, so even when it is just me and the OH for most of dec (many years from now:D ) i am sure we will still enjoy ourselves and plus then we will have more time and money (hopefully;) ) to spend on each other:j

Personally i make everything from baked goods, to hand stitched items, decoupaged pieces, scrapbooks, hambers and so on.

The children get out one of their making books and pick a project to work on and that could be anything. Last year they made a treasure chest for one of their grandfathers and filled it with things about them and from them, afterall what greater treasure can a person have than family, he loved it.

Plus i always give a nice photo of the children at christmas, i buy a cheap frame and decorate it myself when possible.