Gifts - the DFW way....

carriel_2

All the adults I normally buy for are getting knitted items, Scarves or wraps for the ladies & socks for the men. Got some nice cheap & cheerful wool from the charity shop for 50p a ball.

My major expense is my children 4 & 7, I refuse to not buy for them, so I have set £100 each budget, our local newsagent is starting a christmas club, 20% discount on orders before the end of September, then I will pay £45 per month.

Snaggles

lazy&indebt wrote:

The only one I can think of is a photo album filled with old and new photos for my Dad because he is moving out to S.Africa this year.

When one of my friends moved abroad, we got a big address book, passed it around all her friends and family, and everyone filled in their contact details (address/email/phone etc) and added little messages of good luck etc. She was really pleased as she hadn't really got around to getting everyones addresses together, and she was touched by everyones little messages too. Practical AND thoughtful!

irishgal_3

Bizzimum wrote:

or a nice big box to keep it all in!

Aha! What a brilliant idea! he'll be kept busy for hours; like every child - i mean person- on Christmas day!

bargainbetty

irishgal wrote:

But, I havent a clue what to get my bf..the man who has everything and has expensive tastes!!

Hi Irishgal - I worked for a guy like this once,who announced that to 'avoid any embarrassment' he was going to buy us all Xmas presents. That way, we could decide for ourselves what to do.

I discussed it with a friend, and we realised there was nothing we could think of that he would want that he didn't have. So, after a bit of research, we decided to give him something that was ecologically sound, useful and we knew he didn't have one already.

We called a Zoo, and adopted a Yak for him We called it Graham. He was so impressed with Graham, he kept the framed photo and certificate in his office, and showed it to lots of clients and visitors!

You can also do the Red Cross thing of buying chickens for a family in the Sudan etc... got to be better than more junk, and limited in cost.
x

x_raphael_xx

lazy&indebt wrote:

Here goes.....

CHRISTMAS

There I said it, don't start throwing things at me! I know it's still August but I want to start planning now so I know everything is sorted!

Has anyone come up with any really good ideas on what to buy/make for friends/relatives for the dreaded 'C' word this year? Thought we could have a thread with some gift ideas from people because I'm stuck! The only one I can think of is a photo album filled with old and new photos for my Dad because he is moving out to S.Africa this year.

Any suggestions?

I always try to make my xmas presents, its cheaper and mean more as you've put effort into them. I was scanning the web for ideas and I found something called a Terramundi Pot, its like a piggy bank but with no stopper at the bottom, just a slit for the money, so no-one can raid it early!
When it is full the pot is broken as you make a wish (if you just break off the lid you can use the pot as a planter!).
There are loads of websites that sell them around £15-£16, just type it into google, there are also a couple on eBay.

Great for kids to help them save!

smilermonkey

I have been buying bits and pieces all year. There are only 12 months in a year, so I figure that with my list a couple of presents a month spreads it. I have made a deal with my family that there is a £10 limit and we score bonus points if we have bought it from a carboot or junk shop.
Our family is xmas mad and even my daughter gets that it is the silly games etc that make it, not the presents.
Also, where I do kids parties I have an account wih a wholesalers called Tobar (easy to set up) and many people will be getting the same present (you have to buy in sixes or more) at cost price! Often only £3 or £$.

julesangles

i have bought loads of my Christmas presents. my 3 nieces all sorted one with a 10 boots voucher from pigsback. one from the Disney sale. one from the next clearance 50p box(have bought her quite a few things) got loads of bits for my kids from various sale places. home bargains?quality save 3 Clint Eastwood videos for 2.50 for my dad, made my Gran some earrings to match a necklace i bought from sales for under 2 quid. mum a bracelet i sent of for from the womans weekly. i have bought some little boxes from superdrug to put all the bits in so they look very smart. Hubie a t-shirt and a couple of bits, thats all for now.
i am determined to give everyone a decent present without spending too much.:money:

flowerofscotland

Great Idea Lazy.

I know that I need to make a huge effort not to spend more than absolutely necessary this Christmas. Part of the reason I am in so much debt is that I LOVE shopping. I know lots of people dread Christmas shopping but I look foward to it - I will happily spend all day searching for the right present for everyone on my list. And it is a long list - we have a large extended family and although we don't buy for many of the adults there are lots of children so not buying anything for them is not an option.

So I am looking at what I already have available on: M&S vouchers, Tesco clubcards points, Boots advantage points. Then I've just started with pigsback, quidco etc so should be able to get some presents there.

Got one "free DVD" voucher from the Odeon cinema last week and will get another this coming weekend so that will be 2 presents sorted out.

I've been making jam the last 2 weekends - perhaps a jar or 2 would be suitable for someone on my list.

Looking forward to seeing more ideas so that I don't add to my debt this Christmas.

saubryn

I cross stitch my christmas cards - I'm not crafty enough to make entire presents, but making the cards is nice and people appreciate the effort it took.

As for gifts, I find an interest people have, and shop around to find something cheap but related. I have a relative that is obsessed with Transformers from his childhood (he's in his late 20s) so I bought him a set of Optimus Prime figures from the pound shop. He loved them

Queen.Bess

Oh yes! Last XMas we did homemade presents. DH made up some CDs of music from his vast collection and people thought that was quite unusual! I planted in pots some hyacinth bulbs in october and they were perfect for Christmas day! Also baked some biscuits and made some rum truffles for friends. Will turn my hand to homemade again this year I think!

Keep the ideas coming!