It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

jediteacher

I also knit but none of my family appreciate any gifts that I make for them. My sister pokes fun at anything homemade be it knitting or crafting and my brothers just throw stuff in the bin so, complete waste of time. We now have a £5 budget for each adult and the children get what we get them. It's a shame as I keep getting good ideas for gifts and could make them for pennies but it is soul destroying seeing you well thought out homemade gifts wasted and scoffed at. One year I made baskets for everyone with their favourite theme but again that went down like a lead balloon. :mad:

On a slightly more positive note I got my car back after a week and a half in the garage. Cost £891. :eek::mad::eek::mad: Of that anoumt £400 was labour. Now I just have to see if the car actually runs! :cool:

Wee_Jo

lambanana wrote: »

Knitting is brilliant when you get into it, it's wonderful being able to wear something you've made yourself or to give handmade gifts

What sort of things do you think I should start off with?

Jediteacher - that's just awful that your family don't appreciate homemade gifts, I think they are worth much, much more than shop gifts because of the time and effort that goes into them.

babyboysmommy

I love being given home made gifts but it's a rare occurrence which is a shame.

I always get DS (age 4) to make all our cards, I just buy blank ones & let him lose with paint, pens, glue, various things he can stick on etc depending on what the card is for, much cheaper than shop bought cards & they are always well received. He also makes presents, tree decoration for Christmas, decorate eggs for Easter etc, again saves us money & thankfully he loves doing it or I might be had up for using child labour. :rotfl: I also make gifts & have never had anything other than a positive response.

I find it really sad the reaction others have got in response to giving something that's been home made. I would have thought that something that has been made by hand with thought & care should be appreciated even if you don't necessarily like it or want it? After all, I've been given shop bought things that have been gifted forward or ended up gathering dust but I'm very thankful for any gift I'm given, no matter where it came from or who made it. How sad that not everyone simply appreciates the gift rather than being disappointed they didn't get something else.

jackieglasgow

My boys always made my Christmas paper up until about two years ago, think I will restart this year. we always have one of those rolls of drawing paper on the go, and we simply spread it out on the floor, had some stampers, Crisitmas sponges and all sorts of cheapie Xmas stickers from poundland etc., usually bought in May or at Easter, and I simply let them loose decorating the paper we would spend a few days doing it, and the paper was spread all over the house to dry, but it was fabulous fun for us all. They loved it, and the family all loved getting their homemade paper presents. Gran has a wall full of clip frames with a piece of paper dated in each one, it's gorgeous. Wish I had thought of it!

Wee_Jo

What a brill idea Jackie, I have never heard of that before I might have a look in our 99p shop when I head up to the bank!

jediteacher

Wee_Jo wrote: »

What sort of things do you think I should start off with?

Jediteacher - that's just awful that your family don't appreciate homemade gifts, I think they are worth much, much more than shop gifts because of the time and effort that goes into them.

I started off by knitting scarfs. They are really easy to do and it's easy to follow a pattern. I also started off by knitting squares which I made into a patchwork for my daughter when she was born. She loves it it's her favourite blanket and goes everywhere with her. I'm making another for her as she's going into a big bed soon and needs a bigger one.

I've just had to resign myself to the fact that my family will never appreciate things I make. It's not all of them just my siblings. My grandmother loves stuff that is homemade especially if it's from her great-granddaughter. I do make my own christmas cards but don't bother sending any to my siblings.

Wee_Jo

jediteacher wrote: »

I started off by knitting scarfs. They are really easy to do and it's easy to follow a pattern. I also started off by knitting squares which I made into a patchwork for my daughter when she was born. She loves it it's her favourite blanket and goes everywhere with her. I'm making another for her as she's going into a big bed soon and needs a bigger one.

I've just had to resign myself to the fact that my family will never appreciate things I make. It's not all of them just my siblings. My grandmother loves stuff that is homemade especially if it's from her great-granddaughter. I do make my own christmas cards but don't bother sending any to my siblings.

Okay, scarves sounds like a good idea - and they would be good Christmas gifts. Maybe I could make some for my nieces. The blanket idea sounds just lovely and how special for her to have that. I still have my wee cosy blanket (pink ) from when I was a wee tote - I love it.

Making Christmas cards is on my list this year too - I have been making birthday cards since about May this year and I really enjoy it.

pagangirl

Just coming out of lurkdom - Wee_Jo - congrats on being debt-free - thats a massive achievement :money:
(was also going to say try charity shops for knitting needles, wool/patterns, but lambanana got there before me):)

jediteacher - sorry your family don't appreciate all the hard work that goes into home made presents, it must be awful to see your work being cast aside like that - I love anything hand made/home made as appreciate all the love thats been put into it.

Good news here is new water bill received yesterday has now gone down by £15 for coming year. Not a lot but when dicussed a while ago, mine was the highest on this thread so well pleased.

Hugs to all, have a great weekend.

alec_eiffel

I think the handmade gift thing is a weird one. Everyone complained when I stopped making cards as they loved tham and kept them apparently. But a few years ago we did hampers and Oxfam unwrapped gifts and people were openly critical of them. It was doubly strange to me as I have worked for charities for yonks so it is the kind of thing they'd expect. Anyway, it was the year of the tsunami so in the days after Christmas people came back to me and said how timely it was that I'd bought the charity gifts, how grateful they were etc.

Alongside that, people who rejected jams, knitted and embroidered stuff will go out of their way and pay a fortune in the shops for the chunky scarves that look handmade and for embroidered bags and vintage style brooches, and head off to little shops selling homemade jam and cakes. Unless they genuinely didn't like my choice of items for them I think it's a very odd mentality. Especially when you couple that with the fact people would say don't spend too much we don't want people going into debt just over Christmas gifts. It's a complex mental process obviously.

gailey_2

Morning.

well feel slightly refreshed had lie in hubbys deepcleaned the kitchen.
Hes binned 2bags of plums as said they looked manky not siure if in pastic bags anyway they were free so must not grumble will tgake kids later and pick some more as having lots of free frozne fruit in freezer makes me feel happy and secure as plan to do jams, crumbles and other gifts.

Got some cornish pasties on oven so exited and hungry made filling 2days ago only just had chance today to do pastry.

got white bread mix rising for son.

trying to scape dried pizza dough off top of chest freezer as its large enough use as my pizza station.

was going to do tuna pasta for dinner as kids like hubbys not keen thinking tough he can have readymade frozen readymeal and kids can have pasta.

doing a mango chutney tonight when kids in bed and maybe soem mini quiches as my 2nd attempt at homemade pastry turned out better than first.

Want to do some hibnobs and toffee cake but now run out of butter.

really gone over on gc challange this month as did a couple of umpulsive silly expensive shops before doing big lidls one.

nearly out of boy roll wondering if should buy 10packs of 12 as hate running out down to last 3rolls.

stepsons had 1pack of crips this mornibg asked for 2nd I put my footdown as we run out of crips hubby then goes shopping with pretence of buying crisps and coming back with other stuff and 30quid lighter.
I know stepson thinks im harsh.

taking kids plum picking later
focussing on bathroom and laundry today hubby can take kids and kitchen.
baby asleep at mo and sona nd daughter gone to libary and nannys house.

most if my xmas gifts foodie and everyone appreciates that, especially dad brfought us closer together.

Would love some more me time or couple time but never seems to be enough time but realise some days im overambitious.

Not much more cooking wnat to do now until payday just ensure we got enough doen as hubbys off work and stepsons here.
least girls are easy.

Hope everyones having nice weekend