New, New Thirfty Gifty for Christmas and All Ocassions 2011..Santas Challenge...

Muffin86

I thought I would list special events I have coming up this year... Hope thats OK!

January

[STRIKE]
Mums Birthday - £34
[/STRIKE]Nieces Birthday - £12.37

February

Valentines Day - Thinking of booking a meal using tesco restaurant vouchers?

March

Niece Birthday
Friends sons Birthday
Niece Birthday
Mother in Law Birthday

April

Brothers Birthday

Mothers Day x 2 - £12.50 per mum £25.00 in total
Friends Wedding (not sure what to get yet will wait for invite and see what they ask for)

May

Baby Due - yay!!
Grandmas Birthday
Friends Wedding (waiting for invite)

June

Nephew's Birthday
Friends Son's Birthday

Fathers Day (will buy for my dad and also OH as he will be a daddy by then!)

Niece/Nephew due!!

July

Sister in Law birthday

August

Sisters Birthday
Brother in Law Birthday
God daughters Birthday - £2.00

September

OH birthday
Niece Birthday
Sister in Law Birthday
Friend Birthday
Sister in Law Partners Birthday

October

Dad's Birthday
Friends Birthday (usually buy a bottle of wine)

November

Friends Daughters Birthday - £2.50

December

Brothers Birthday


CHRISTMAS!!

• Mum
• Dad
• Sister
• Brother 1
• Brother 2
• Brother in Law
• Sister in Law - £5.00
• Grandma
• Mother in Law
• Mother in Law boyfriend
• Sister in Law
• Sister in Law Boyfriend
• Niece 1
• Niece 2
• Niece 3
• Niece 4
• Nephew
• Niece / Nephew
• God Daughter - £5.00
• Friends son 1 - £7.00
• Friends son 2 - £7.00
• Friends Daughter - £5.00
• Friend 1 - £5.00
• Friend 2 - £5.00
• Friend 3
• Friend 4

Think thats everything! I have got a list but its all the way down stairs so I have written this by memory! and my god how many people do I buy for? do i just spend my life buying people presents??

Also bought a card in a bag today... it comes with 40 cards - male / female mainly birthdays but does include some thank you cards etc and cost £7 meaning each card works out at 17p which I didnt think was bad! esp as I spent £2.19 on mums birthday card! doh!! thats what you get for not being organised!!

Have also got a sealed tin and a xmas savings account which if I can buy everyone elses through the year I wil use the savings money for mine and OH's gifts to one another and of course the baby! xxx

Ddraig

Milla

Dont upset yourself about your depression.
I suffer with it too.And I have done what you are doing now.Questioning when and why I am not getting better.
Use the medication to give your brain thinking space.And then tackle one aspect of your life at a time.Even if it is something like pairing socks up.
My oh has noticed im snapping a lot again and my headaches are increasing .So I will need to talk to my gp about going back on my meds.I came off when I found out I was carrying my son.
Making stuff helps me.It helps my confidence.
Remember we are here.I for one certainly dont mind lending an ear hon.xxx

Esmer I am glad you are feeling better.

Everyone I missed.Sorry flying visit tonight.Hope your okay.

Can anyone help with a tutorial on how to do an invisible hand stitch please?An easy to follow one xxtia.I am doing a sock monkey ,lol.

mum2one

diddly74 wrote: »

What do people order from vistaprint? I have done an order a few weeks ago but just for some labels. I don't run a business and wondered what you all order and why? Nosey I know but if you don't ask you don't get.

totally agree re don't ask don't get - keep asking for tall, dark and handsome - still waiting - thou the paramedic was quite dishy, unfortually didn't look my best - had an apahaxixs shock - this time think was seseme seeds on a bun!

I do the christmas cards, - order 1 batch at a time, returns labels, tshirts, dad had 6 tshirts for xmas - he wears them so know get the use out of them, mugs, cotton bags literally anything that can be used for an xmas prezzie.

The mugs this time - got them personalised with names and suitable symbol, my GP - got a stetascope, Miss Hoodies teacher, she loves music, so ordered her mug with coloured treble cleff, she had matching cotton bag and notelets. I used all the mugs for the Santa snowman soup.

If the mousemats are on offer - good present - we've got some friends live near Manchester, originally met them in Tunisia, - 12 yrs ago time flies, so bit of fun - had the palm tree print as the background, and message - "dreaming of cocktails on the beach in Tunisia watching the sunset", she absolutelty loved it, and shes using it for work.

The free items on the site are basic, - business cards, pen etc, but if you get the email, theres better offers. I try and get stuff for the family. xxx

mum2one

xrestrictedx wrote: »

morning everyone, just caught up on this thread and the money making, been reading since 8am this morning, i feel really zapped of any energy or motivation, had a bad nights sleep that doesnt help, just feel like crawling back into bed, but with it being twelfth night, i need to get all the christmas stuff down, and hopefully put away, i am supposed to be out tonight but i dont know if i'll make it, i go to free bingo with my daughters on a thursday night and i always love it and look forward to it as its the only night out i have.

i remember quite a few of you on here are dealing with depression too, does it ever get any better? been on meds for quite a few months and apart from not being snappy any more which stops the silly rows, i'm not feeling any better at all, doc said its still early days, and he has tried me on a double dose but even that didnt help so he put it down again. i just dont know what to do to be 'happy' again, yes i smile and sometime i have a giggle but its all a cover up, i havent had, what i would call a good xmas, altho it was ok, i can't find the energy to do the most simple of tasks, keeping the house clean, hoovering, washing up, etc. in my head there is soo much i want to do, and i have so many good ideas, and even plan it all out and when i comes to actually doing something, i'm too tired, even after a full night sleep, i'm so very tired, and 'cant be a****'. my sister who is alot older than me and is very much a marter says 'oh pull yourself together and get on with it, we've all got it, just have to deal with it', well this is what i cant do at the min, i cant 'pull myself together' which i do usually, and i dont know why!!? i'm soo down in the dumps, so sorry for this, just wondered if any of you have any tips or tricks, please.

Milla xxx

Mila
Oh sweetheart, just wish I could come and give you a bug hug, can I do a virtual iou.
I'd think about going back to the GP and see if he can change your tablets, I always think of it like pix and mix sweets, whats one person likes the other doesn't.
Depression does get better, sometimes your get the odd day when something triggers off. The worst thing you can do is paper over the cracks, as in time the paper cracks and you've got to face it all again. its easy for someone to come and say pull yourself together, but it isn't always as easy, I always joke that once you've hit rock bottom, theres only one way to go and thats up, Bit like a debt free journey, you need thatt lightbulb moment to get yourself into gear for a debt free lide same as depression.
Sometimes its the daftest thing that can upset you, but if you can identify the root cause, then you can work on that. I call its a pandoras box, but mentally i try to look at the problem work out an alternative ending, then put it back.
I had depression after Miss Hoodie was born, and was under councelling for 2 yrs, fighting my ex - verbally through solicitors, in the process of sueing my ex-employer, and trying to deal with being a mum. I still have some ups and downs, but thats only because the situation has opened up and the wounds reopened, but you can do it, try writing the worries down, and solutions etc.

We're all here for you. xx

mum2one

cdsmiler wrote: »

Also, need to get on with Avon and also try to sell some more home made jewellery, but really need some sort of craft fair/table sale. Or can you sell homemade stuff at car boot sales?? Those of you who do craft fairs and table top sales – where do you find out about them??

table top sales / craft sales - do you have a free weekly paper, - our area we do and all the schools etc advertise in there.
Generally car boot £5, craft fair £20 table.

generally the car boots in our area (the schools) they start Easter and go through to Oct - the PTA usually arranges them, as our school liases with 3 others so we don't clash dates.

My tip is instead of parking the car level so you've got the boot to you, park the car sideways on, got front dr, and back door, that way you can get 2 tables in-line with the car, and only need to pay for 1 car space.

A lot of pubs do them as well there advertised in the local papers, I personally find schools are better than pubs, as to an extent u already have an a built in audience - the parents tend to come and look around.

Good luck with sorting the Avon out, and so sorry to hear about your work friend. xx

cyclingyorkie

Georgiegirl2012 wrote: »

Yes it will get better. But it might take a while. It has taken me a very long time to accept that it is a condition that will probably be part of my life forever. And no, regardless of what some people might think, it's not something that we all have. Yes, people get low, they get fed up, and they say they are depressed, however true depression is very very different. There are days when you physically cannot get out of bed, and the rational part of you tells yourself that it's stupid, and that there is no reason why you should feel like this, but that only makes you feel worse.

And for most depressed people, there is no reason "why", it's a condition that affects you, the same way that some people get migraines, which unless you've had one, you can't appreciated that it's so much worse than a bad headache. Don't be ashamed that you have depression, you don't need to apologise for it, it is, for the time being, part of who you are.

As part of my treatment I was referred to counselling, and I have to admit, it is the best thing for me. It's not the best thing for everybody, but if medication on it's own is not working it's certainly worth thinking about. It helped me realised that I'm the most important person, I don't have to bend over backwards to do what everybody else wants me to do, or expects me to do. I've learnt to say no, and I've learnt to accept my limitations. And I've learnt to ask for, and accept help.

You don't "need" to get the decorations down. And who cares if the hoovering isn't done. But do go to Bingo.

And make everybody read the book "shoot the damn dog" by Sally Brampton. It's a first hand account of depression, written by a journalist. She suffered really badly, and it is quite harrowing in parts, but my friend read it and said "I had no idea this is how you felt - I know you said you had depression, but didn't realise how it makes you feel"

Big hugz to you xxxxxxx

What i would have said - but put better! I had 8 sessions of counselling and it was great - helped me put things in perspective. When I finished the counselling I had the tools to cope. The house is still a pit at times, but i no longer accept all the responsibility for it (I live with 4 adults for goodness sake!)

SugarSpun

*skids in*

I'll catch up in a minute but if anyone needs party bags for 5-8 year olds this year the Book People have 20 Horrid Henry party bags for £8 (10 for £5) and there's a free delivery code available AND 6% Quidco.

elysia2003

Woo Hoo I'm back = I've been missing for a few days as OH had Man flu AND had time off work. The time off work was already booked, but it's quite good timing with him being so ill *cough*

Well I've finally caught up at last. :j

Can someone please explain again how to get Vistaprint to work with TCB or quidco - I have managed a couple of times to get it to work, but the last couple of times it hasn't. I can do the other stuff, it's just this bit I have trouble with.

SugarSpun

Elysia, follow the links to put the free stuff in your basket and then open Quidco/TCB in a new tab. Go into Vistaprint through the Quidco/TCB link and your stuff should be free in your basket. It seems not to work all the time, but I don't know why.

Nephews' main Christmas gifts have been bought, they're getting remote control cockroaches and wrist straps that fire discs out plus some stocking filler type bits and chocolate coins. I still need something for one of them's birthday but am thinking of an Amazon slip and slide

Also, I'm not joining the money neutral thread because I don't really have time but I'm trying to make back at least half of my spend (£348 so far but almost all done) :money:

junior_j

Hi girls.

Last night I done body combat at the gym i signed up too

I am aching now like mad!

will be on properly later x