The Gift Cupboard!

tiff

My two are 7 and 4 and always going to parties. In January I started buying presents, bought 5 bead kits to make necklaces and bracelets. They were £1.65 each and for the boys bought 5 hardback question and answer books for 99p each. We would usually spend about £5 on each childs present so I'm pleased. Our local newsagent sells birthday cards for 59p each, and they're all really good ones so I have bought 5 girls and 5 boys ones. Thats as far as I got though lol

Lillibet_2

I don't bother with cards except for elderly/ long-distance relatives. My experience is : Children only appreciate them if there is money in them & whats the point of giving them to adults who you are going to see on/around the day anyway? I send free e-cards to adults who I am not going to see to wish many happy returns, the sentiment is the same & I haven't just spent £2 on a tacky card & 24p on a stamp. It really annoys me that the marketing men are now inventing more and more celebratory days to spend cards on. Now we have Grandparents day (but there are already cards available for them on mothers & fathers days), Boss day (like I'm going to send a card to my boss!), St Patricks day (I'm not Irish, forgive me if I don't celebrate it, I have nothing against it but I don't see why I should be expected to send a card over it) and goodness only knows what else being pushed at us. The Victorians invented Christmas Cards as a way of communicating with people a great distance away, not for the person you sit next to at work & can wish a merry Christmas to on Christmas eve! I stick with the origianl intention behind greetings cards (thats my excuse for being too tight to buy them, anyway!)

Sorry, will get off my soap box now. Just one of my pet hates, being pushed around by advertisers creating an expectation!!!!!

Leothecat

My granny had a part of her (walk in) wardrobe that was called Edie's house. This was where she kept all her pressies and goodies. As kids we used to love getting there to see if there was anything for us! As we got older, it became a big family joke as she used to 'recycle' the gifts that she received and of course we found this totally hilarous!
Now, to my horror I am slowly becoming my granny and have an Edie's house of my own BUT can now understand why she did it. LOL

Sofa_Sogood

Just had another item arrive that'll go really well with something else that was bought. Spent £2 on a Winnie the Pooh 2005 Organiser, (2 quid - no wonder M&S are down on profits - that's all that was delivered!), but it's lovely and it'll go with a sleep suit I bought, also £2, for a friend who's baby's due any day.

How good is that?

Agree about the cards too, that's why I'm only sending via World Vision. And talking of hampers, I got one of the Boots 75% off ones for an OAP friend, but it wasn't suitable, so I emptied it, gave away the olives and kettle crisps etc, things that she wouldn't have liked, and saved the packaging. So I'll make a hamper with things like biscuits, maybe port etc, later on in the year.

Might need to send someone up to the loft with it all

ejh1977

Sofa_Sogood wrote:

After wrapping up what I've bought (in the sales), I usually end up forgetting what's what and opening them all again

I also like to buy Xmas gifts throughout the year - and used to wrap as I went along. But you know how you tend to go through phases of buying clothes in a particular colour? This apparantly influenced my choice of presents too. By Christmas Day, my mother unwrapped not one, not two, but three green silk blouses (different shades and styles but... still all undeniably green.) To this day she thinks it was a deliberate joke. Nope - I'm just that blonde.

I no longer wrap until December!!!

Galtizz

Queenie wrote:

Great idea to take/keep a pic!
The obvious danger is that someone will stumble across your stash and will suss out their own gifts (hmmmm, nosey child/hubby syndrome - very common!).

Hide it in the washing basket that's one place kids and husbands never look

I get really organised in about September and write a list out for Christmas but for birthdays I just put stuff in a draw and hope I'll remember I bought it for their birthday, if I forget, they get it for Christmas!

Sofa_Sogood

ejh1977 wrote:

Sofa_Sogood wrote:

After wrapping up what I've bought (in the sales), I usually end up forgetting what's what and opening them all again

I also like to buy Xmas gifts throughout the year - and used to wrap as I went along. But you know how you tend to go through phases of buying clothes in a particular colour? This apparantly influenced my choice of presents too. By Christmas Day, my mother unwrapped not one, not two, but three green silk blouses (different shades and styles but... still all undeniably green.) To this day she thinks it was a deliberate joke. Nope - I'm just that blonde.

I no longer wrap until December!!!

Hadn't thought about that to be honest. (Made me laugh though )

The clothes I've bought as presents are mainly cream, lilac or black though (M&S main colours in the sales) but when I get the printer, I'll print the pictures out, if it's cost-effective, and stick those on too. The rest are mainly toiletries that don't tend to change colour

This is all looking a bit disorganised now lol.

Edinburghlass_2

Galtizz wrote:

Hide it in the washing basket that's one place kids and husbands never look

Ah my favourite hiding place, exposed :D

Jeryth

I'd love to have a gift cupboard, but I would use it only for the few children in my family, and godchildren. I thought really carefully about buying in advance for family, and, my personality being what it is, decided that if I had a gift for a special someone, and that SS was not there at the appointed time (ie Death had come to collect them), it would be unbearable. But, like Lillibet, I keep a spreadsheet for Christmas and Birthday budgetary matters.

Ignore all the above tho; I was SOOOOO lucky in Argos Extra the other day. I spent Christmas searching high and low for Magic Sand for my neice, and it was beyond my meagre budget. BUT I got exactly what I/she wanted, at the weekend, for £6.50! I am SO pleased!

Sofa_Sogood

Isn't it strange how we think jeryth?

Mine must have been reverse thinking. That if I wasn't here any longer, they'd still get presents

And I'd ask what Magic Sand was but if it's good, I'd only want some for a neice, so I won't