Great 'Xmas gifts for the kids if you're skint' Hunt

Former_MSE_Lee

Great 'What Xmas gifts for the kids if you're skint?' Hunt Result

The pressure on parents at Christmas can be horrendous – we’ve seen inflationary giving over recent years with ever more expected. So we asked MoneySavers for ideas, tips help and strategies for parents who are skint this Christmas.

The results were fantastic – some of our favourites include:


Gift ideas:

• Craft and baking kits: Wrap and fill a shoebox with all the ingredients needed for a recipe or an afternoon of crafts.
  
  
• Treasure hunts: Organise a Christmas treasure hunt around the house, with clues and sweets along the way.
  
  
• Traditional Christmas stocking: Make your own stocking, or buy one cheaply, and fill it with goodies from Poundland, Wilkinson etc, with sweets, stationery, puzzles and more.
  
  
• Bumper balloon box: Get hold of a massive box and fill it with balloons, then wrap it. Especially great for tots (always supervise your children, probably not suitable for under threes).
  
  
• Festive hampers: Ideas include a beauty hamper with essentials to last the year, or hot choc hampers with mugs and tasty treats.
  
  
• Family VIP day out: Organise a free woodland day out for the family, with an activity pack and gift certificate.
  
  
• Recycled gifts: Presents don't have to be new – second hand goodies can be just as good, and are much cheaper.
  
  
• Make a coupon book: Make your own vouchers for gifts that'll be much cheaper in the sales, or for a range of family activities.
  
  
• Make your own teddy: Soft toys and sock monkeys can be made from old clothes, and can even come with their own homemade 'birth certificate'! Also see instructions.

Strategies to manage Great Expectations:

• Streamlined Santa: Tell the kids Santa has to deliver presents to a lot of kids, so can't carry huge parcels ...
  
  
• MoneyMaking Santa: Let children know that although Santa brings the prezzies, parents pay for them.
  
  
• Honest Santa: Tell them the truth, and let them know you're doing your very best for them.
  
  
• What I wish I'd known: Share and learn from your mistakes.

Just scroll down the forum thread to read them all, or click 'reply' to add your own. View past Great Hunts

Thanks to all the MoneySavers who suggested the ideas above

[threadbanner] box [/threadbanner]

MSE_Martin

Before the discussion starts, its worth remembering young kids aren't retail snobs - its not about how much you spend its about whether they like it.

Worth a thought...

Filming with GMTV (as was) last year in November for a Christmas film. We had a 6 and an 8 year old with us, and a christmas tree and empty presents. I was very careful to explain to the children that these were empty boxes so not to set up false hope.

They didnt care they just wanted to open them. When we finished filming, with excitement in their eyes we let them. They opened up to find cardboard boxes, shrieked with delight and started playing trains with them.

What about older children

And older children are capable of understanding the financial realities of home, they may not be happy they can't have an Ipad when their friends do - but sitting them down and talking to them is a good start.

All in all the message needs to be don't let your childrens urges drive you to spend what you can't afford. The most important thing you can provide financially is stability and a roof over their heads - presents - even Christmas presents are secondary.

Now on to the discussion...

shaunnixon

What about a gift of quality family time? You could organise a day out with hand-picked activities you know your kids will love and treat them like VIPs for the day. Best of all it doesn't have to cost a thing - we get loads of ideas from the Woodland Trust's website for families www.naturedetectives.org.uk They've got hundreds of free activity sheets you can print out to take with you. Just pack a picnic, choose a free place to explore and pick your activities!
You could even make a gift certificate for the kids to open on Christmas Day

sheppylove_2

What about making them thier own 'kits'! you can get shed loads of cheap crafty stuff in places like £ shops and home bargains. Wrap a shoebox and fill it. Maybe surf for some printable suggestions or instructions and pics of thier fav characters etc. Or home made baking kits, weigh out all the ingriedients into little food bags and write them a recipe. You could make musical instruments or science experiments or pretty much anything.

Also to make thier presents last longer plan a treasure hunt where they must unwrap the present to get the next clue. This can be done even for small ones with the use of pics.

Hope i helped someone, im a nursery nurse so full of these crafty ideas!

Merry chrimbly everyone! (i can say it now as its december tomorrow!!!):j

Uschi_2

Love the idea of the home baking kits. Might not use as presents for my kids, but certainly for a couple of others that I need to buy for.

Middlestitch

How about that old perennial favourite, the Christmas stocking? Forget the 'stocking fillers for under £25' nonsense and go traditional. If you can operate a basic sewing machine you can make your own stocking, or just buy a cheap one from Poundland or other discount store. Poundland have masses of things which would suit children or either sex and pretty much all ages from 3-teenage (amazing what teenagers like when it can be found in a Christmas stocking!). Wilkinson have loads of stationery items at 30p a go, eg:

pencils with little wooden animals on top, balanced on a spring
a double pack of portable telephone (eraser) and landline (pencil sharpener)
packs of mini felt-tips
pack of three football erasers - two boots and one ball
pack of three pirate erasers
pack of four heart erasers
fold up pen with belt clip
notepads

They also have masses of great Christmas craft items for less than £1.

Add some comics, a colouring book, puzzle books and sweets, and you can fill a giant stocking for well under £20 (and indeed for under a tenner or even a fiver). Wrap each item individually in cheap paper and you've got something which will keep the recipient quiet for some time!

Take a photo of the finished item and the child then has something to show to friends when saying that he/she got a massive Christmas stocking FULL of stuff....

May be a bit late unless you order quickly, but there are some good items which are free apart from p&p on http://shop4online.co.uk/. The p&p isn't that cheap but still excellent value in many cases.

eileenfromplaistow

Your time!
From my position as a Brownie Leader, I can see how putting together "badge kits" could fit the bill. (Equally for Cubs, Scouts and guides). Look at the badge book, and have materials ready for things like Toymaker, Cook, Writer, Discoverer.......... I would love to be awarding badges in January, for projects that haven't just been printed off Wikipaedia, and where time has been spent on acquiring skills and in-depth knowledge!

I was taught to knit and sew in Primary School, and I amused myself making clothes for my sister's doll, making soft toys and knitting small items.

vikki_louise

Buy a pack of cheep balloons and find a big cardboard box, blow up the balloons and put them in the box then gift wrap, an exciting huge present which creates fun

sined1uk

my kids write their list. santa will get them one of the gifts on the list (as he has lots of children to buy for) this way they dont expect too much, freecycle is fantastic this time of year with people clearing out toys they no longer use. so if you are lucky you may find something on their list on the site

Middlestitch

Just opened the first 'day' of the electronic advent calendar on Jacquie Lawson's website. Cost a couple of pounds (goes down to £1.20 each if you order 5 or more) and there's one of her great little animations, with music, every day until 24 December. Great present - no postage costs, completely 'green' and great fun! See: http://www.jacquielawson.com/advent/landing?source=jl203

purplerock99

Morning all, I'm new to this but I just thought I'd pass on something we've always done in our family to ease the cost of Christmas. Right from the start my children have always been told that Santa can only put small stuff in stockings, because he has to carry gifts for every child in the world and the sleigh isn't that big. Corny I know, but it means they don't expect huge presents from us and again from Santa.